Romanov

"Love love loved this twist on the Romanov story and the fact that the author did extensive research makes it that much better."

"I read this in a day. I enjoyed all of it, including the parts of the family trying to make out the most of their situation."

"Sad dark but hopeful"

"This is the absolute best Anastasia retelling I've ever read. The characters are phenomenal 💜"

"This is a lesser know historical fantasy about a real event but exaggerated with magic. Definitely recommend"

"I really enjoyed the ending, her finding her purpose and opportunities open up that weren't possible in the true historical happenings. It is one of my new favorite books, it was an emotional rollercoaster despite knowing the Romanov story, it kept me guessing! "

"<a href="https://laughinglistener.com/"><br/>The Laughing Listener</a><br/><b>May 2019</b><br/><i>*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*</i><br/><b>Format:</b> Hardcover<br/><b>Overall Rating:</b> 5 Stars<br/><br/>When I requested to review this book, I didn’t completely know what I was getting into. I saw “Anastasia retelling” and put my bookish blinders on against the rest. Now that I’ve read <i>Romanov</i>, it’s DEFINITELY not what I was expecting at all, but I mean that in the best way. This is no light-hearted princess fantasy. It’s an emotional, historically accurate story that just happens to have some magic in it. And I freaking LOVED EVERY SECOND.<br/><br/>In high school, I was in an advanced English class. Because of this, my guidance counselor thought it would be a great idea for me to enroll in advanced History as well. I thought this was a terrible plan because me and history don’t mix, but got talked into it anyway. Turns out I was right and barely scraped by that class with a D, BUT—we had a whole unit on the Grand Duchess Anastasia and the whole Romanov family. I completely forgot everything I learned the moment I stepped out the classroom door that year, but it didn’t take me long to remember when I started reading this. A few pages in, it all came flooding back and I knew this was going to be a rough ride. Spoiler alert: I was definitely not wrong.<br/><br/><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/rDl1hAg81PRjq/giphy.gif" width="" height="" alt="I’m a mess."><br/><br/>This novel is so emotional and heavy, but I mean that as a compliment! From the very beginning I was taken on a journey and I couldn’t put this down. Even knowing the ending didn’t change how invested I was or quiet my urge to find out what happens. All of the characters are so rich and amazing. I really loved getting to know them all, especially the Romanov family. Their bond to one another was so lovely to watch and seeing those bonds last through such adversity was inspiring. I have to admit that Anastasia and Alexei were my favorite to watch, but they were all really special. <br/><br/>It was also so beautifully written??? I saved soooo many quotes reading this thing because Brandes is such a wonderful storyteller! And the way she seamless weaved magic into the story was PERFECT. This book is more historical fiction with some fantasy elements thrown in, but it was done so effortlessly that I almost believe this actually happened. That the Grand Duchess Anastasia was an aspiring spell master with a magical Matryoshka doll. <br/><br/><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/12NUbkX6p4xOO4/giphy.gif" width="" height="" alt="MAGIC"><br/><br/>Lastly, I’d like to give Brandes a shout out for the romance between Zash and Nastya. It took a backseat to the plot and family relationships, which I really appreciated! Playing up the romance too much would have cheapened the message and I’m glad it was so subtle and elegant.<br/><br/><b>FINAL WORD</b><br/><br/>This book may be emotional, but it’s AMAZING and beautiful. If you’re a lover historical fiction and fantasy, then you should ABSOLUTELY read this. You won’t regret it!"

"Netgalley: Denied <br/><br/>Edelweiss: Approved <br/><br/>Thank you Edelweiss! lol <br/>"

"A nice bit of light reading. Lots of twists and turns! "

"One of my 2019 favorites!"