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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Romanov in Books
Oct 5, 2020
From the author of Fawkes comes a magical take on the story of Anastasia Romanov.
The history books say I died.
They don’t know the half of it.
Ever since I read Fawkes, I knew I loved Nadine’s writing, and when Romanov was announced, I couldn’t be happier. As I have spend my childhood and young adult life in the Balkans, whilst travelling across Europe, I have always admired Russia, and always enjoyed reading all the theories about the Romanov family.
As a child I would be told stories and fairy tales, I would watch the Disney adaptation of Anastasia, and as I was growing up, I would read history books and fiction on this very subject. When I got my hands on ‘’Romanov’’, I knew I would be up for an adventure, with lots of expectations, but what I never knew was that I would be blown away of how beautiful this book is!
This book is split into two main parts, before and after the Romanov’s execution, but it is also split into the first being the historical part, and the second being the fictional part. Both parts of the book are quite intense, and very different emotions come up to surface, but they are both very powerful throughout, and fitted together quite well.
In the first part, we are introduced to the Romanov family, and how they are kept as hostages by the Bolsheviks. It would’ve been much better if we had more details on the pre-hostage period, why the revolution began, why the king abducted the throne, who are the Bolsheviks and what they believed in. The book starts in the middle of this whole situation, and whilst I knew the beginning before, I am certain a lot of people wouldn’t have.
The history, as much accurate as it was, also had a personalized feeling that the author wanted to give. I have to admit, a lot of the details, especially around the family were quite accurate. The family did stick together and loved each other, they did have secrets and they did make friends with their captors. Anastasia’s brother did indeed had hemophilia and Rasputin was allegedly helping him. However, the author decided to put her personal feelings into the history as well. The king is presented as a wonderful leader that cares about the people. I understand that we see this story from Anastasia’s point of view, and as his daughter, she is supposed to see her father as the best figure in the world. But I still believe this part should be more objective, if not from Anastasia’s point of view, then at least by the king’s actions and dialogues. The other big element that bothered me was the portrayal of Rasputin. He is shown in this book as a family helper and a kind man, when in fact, he was far from that. In the history books, he is described as a madman, a creepy person, and the king was not happy of him coming in the house. The family’s secrecy and the queen’s silent domination over the king, together with Rasputin’s doings were the start of the revolution, and I believe that it one of the required truths that this books should have included, but didn’t. And that troubled me.
On top of this, is the Russian language used throughout this book. There were a lot of spelling errors, and misinterpretations. And whilst I can understand these words, many people can’t, and translation wasn’t provided in the book. Also, I really found this quote interesting, talking about the Russian culture, and how they don’t show emotions. Just a note – this is most of the time true, people won’t be nice to strangers, but actually, Russian people are quite friendly and emotional as well.
‘’We Russians weren’t required to share any amount of emotion we didn’t want to.’’
Apart from these few things that slightly bothered me, I really enjoyed this book. Anastasia is an amazing character, and through her we can see her love towards her family, her country, and even towards the people that wish her harm. We get to see her love, cry, be hurt, be afraid, forgive, and grow throughout the book, and her journey was magical.
‘’As I lay in the grass next to the spell that could rid me of heart pain, I realized that a part of forgiveness was accepting the things someone had done – and the pain that came with that – and moving on with love. Forgiveness was a personal battle that must always be fought in my heart.’’
I loved the beginning of the book the most. The setting was well-written, and I got the feel the same way as the Romanov family did. They tried to act as if everything was normal, when in fact, they were held captive, and moved out of their home. They weren’t allowed to go out in the garden often, and when they did have this opportunity, they enjoyed every single second of it. And they all had hope every single day. They kept smiling and stayed together.
There are number of scenes that will always stay close to my heart – the relationship between Zash and Anastasia (as unrealistic as it might be), always kept me on my toes, his desperation, and his guilt, and her ability to forgive and love regardless.
The brother’s illness, and his persistence through it. His motivation and his will to never give up. The love he holds for his family, and especially his sister Anastasia, and the toughness and not letting go. A few scenes were unrealistic with him, as I hardly believe anyone suffering from hemophilia can survive all those injuries mentioned in the book and the pools of blood, but above all – this character did achieve what he was meant to do – show hope where there is none.
A wonderful and magical tale, with a history behind it of a mysterious family, especially their end – this book brought tears on my eyes and made me think about the power of forgiveness and love. A true masterpiece.
Thank you to Nadine Brandes, for letting me be a part of her Ninja Team.
The history books say I died.
They don’t know the half of it.
Ever since I read Fawkes, I knew I loved Nadine’s writing, and when Romanov was announced, I couldn’t be happier. As I have spend my childhood and young adult life in the Balkans, whilst travelling across Europe, I have always admired Russia, and always enjoyed reading all the theories about the Romanov family.
As a child I would be told stories and fairy tales, I would watch the Disney adaptation of Anastasia, and as I was growing up, I would read history books and fiction on this very subject. When I got my hands on ‘’Romanov’’, I knew I would be up for an adventure, with lots of expectations, but what I never knew was that I would be blown away of how beautiful this book is!
This book is split into two main parts, before and after the Romanov’s execution, but it is also split into the first being the historical part, and the second being the fictional part. Both parts of the book are quite intense, and very different emotions come up to surface, but they are both very powerful throughout, and fitted together quite well.
In the first part, we are introduced to the Romanov family, and how they are kept as hostages by the Bolsheviks. It would’ve been much better if we had more details on the pre-hostage period, why the revolution began, why the king abducted the throne, who are the Bolsheviks and what they believed in. The book starts in the middle of this whole situation, and whilst I knew the beginning before, I am certain a lot of people wouldn’t have.
The history, as much accurate as it was, also had a personalized feeling that the author wanted to give. I have to admit, a lot of the details, especially around the family were quite accurate. The family did stick together and loved each other, they did have secrets and they did make friends with their captors. Anastasia’s brother did indeed had hemophilia and Rasputin was allegedly helping him. However, the author decided to put her personal feelings into the history as well. The king is presented as a wonderful leader that cares about the people. I understand that we see this story from Anastasia’s point of view, and as his daughter, she is supposed to see her father as the best figure in the world. But I still believe this part should be more objective, if not from Anastasia’s point of view, then at least by the king’s actions and dialogues. The other big element that bothered me was the portrayal of Rasputin. He is shown in this book as a family helper and a kind man, when in fact, he was far from that. In the history books, he is described as a madman, a creepy person, and the king was not happy of him coming in the house. The family’s secrecy and the queen’s silent domination over the king, together with Rasputin’s doings were the start of the revolution, and I believe that it one of the required truths that this books should have included, but didn’t. And that troubled me.
On top of this, is the Russian language used throughout this book. There were a lot of spelling errors, and misinterpretations. And whilst I can understand these words, many people can’t, and translation wasn’t provided in the book. Also, I really found this quote interesting, talking about the Russian culture, and how they don’t show emotions. Just a note – this is most of the time true, people won’t be nice to strangers, but actually, Russian people are quite friendly and emotional as well.
‘’We Russians weren’t required to share any amount of emotion we didn’t want to.’’
Apart from these few things that slightly bothered me, I really enjoyed this book. Anastasia is an amazing character, and through her we can see her love towards her family, her country, and even towards the people that wish her harm. We get to see her love, cry, be hurt, be afraid, forgive, and grow throughout the book, and her journey was magical.
‘’As I lay in the grass next to the spell that could rid me of heart pain, I realized that a part of forgiveness was accepting the things someone had done – and the pain that came with that – and moving on with love. Forgiveness was a personal battle that must always be fought in my heart.’’
I loved the beginning of the book the most. The setting was well-written, and I got the feel the same way as the Romanov family did. They tried to act as if everything was normal, when in fact, they were held captive, and moved out of their home. They weren’t allowed to go out in the garden often, and when they did have this opportunity, they enjoyed every single second of it. And they all had hope every single day. They kept smiling and stayed together.
There are number of scenes that will always stay close to my heart – the relationship between Zash and Anastasia (as unrealistic as it might be), always kept me on my toes, his desperation, and his guilt, and her ability to forgive and love regardless.
The brother’s illness, and his persistence through it. His motivation and his will to never give up. The love he holds for his family, and especially his sister Anastasia, and the toughness and not letting go. A few scenes were unrealistic with him, as I hardly believe anyone suffering from hemophilia can survive all those injuries mentioned in the book and the pools of blood, but above all – this character did achieve what he was meant to do – show hope where there is none.
A wonderful and magical tale, with a history behind it of a mysterious family, especially their end – this book brought tears on my eyes and made me think about the power of forgiveness and love. A true masterpiece.
Thank you to Nadine Brandes, for letting me be a part of her Ninja Team.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated A Perfect Blood (The Hollows, #10) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Harrison pulls off another stellar installment in the Hollows series, a book I could hardly put down for anything. Rachel Morgan's drama expands to epic proportions with the threat of HAPA, an underground organization that is working to eradicate all non-human species. Combine that with Rachel's neutered magic thanks to Trent's bracelet, and it's a catastrophe waiting to happen. My frustration at Rachel's indecision is near constant from cover to cover, and that is just with the bracelet situation.
Rachel's romantic interest is also in limbo, as she ignores her attraction to Trent and bickers with her new bodyguard, Wayde - yet another source of frustration. Meanwhile, romance buds for both Ivy and Jenks, and secrets hover in the periphery, such as Glenn's personal motivations and the identity of the vampire Felix. The subplots provide nice diversions to the main one, and will expand in the next book in the series certainly.
The introduction of HAPA to the series also adds some backstory to the history prior to the beginning of the series as to the revealing of the inderland species, which I appreciate. Once upon a time, HAPA was much more vocal about their hatred for the inderlanders, and now it seems they have a much greater presence than previously assumed. This provides much fodder for plot possibilities!
I also rather enjoyed the interactions between Al and Trent's family at the end of the book. Personally, I think Harrison could turn Al into a very good dad - and children could be the key to truly taming him. Just keep writing, Harrison!
Rachel's romantic interest is also in limbo, as she ignores her attraction to Trent and bickers with her new bodyguard, Wayde - yet another source of frustration. Meanwhile, romance buds for both Ivy and Jenks, and secrets hover in the periphery, such as Glenn's personal motivations and the identity of the vampire Felix. The subplots provide nice diversions to the main one, and will expand in the next book in the series certainly.
The introduction of HAPA to the series also adds some backstory to the history prior to the beginning of the series as to the revealing of the inderland species, which I appreciate. Once upon a time, HAPA was much more vocal about their hatred for the inderlanders, and now it seems they have a much greater presence than previously assumed. This provides much fodder for plot possibilities!
I also rather enjoyed the interactions between Al and Trent's family at the end of the book. Personally, I think Harrison could turn Al into a very good dad - and children could be the key to truly taming him. Just keep writing, Harrison!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Second Wife in Books
Mar 6, 2019
This cleverly, well-written novel is a fast read because you will not want to put it down.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
In the psychological suspense novel, The Second Wife by Sheryl Browne, Rebecca and Nicole swore to be best friends. They moved away from each other but stayed in touch as many of us do today - by text and email. They, however, unlike most of us, remain close.
Rebecca receives news from Nicole's devoted and loving husband, Richard, letting her know Nicole is dead. She killed herself by drowning. Rebecca is shocked and tries to understand why Nicole would do such a thing. She moves into Nicole's home and gradually takes over Nicole's life.
Sheryl Browne takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions with a story filled with love, marriage, family, secrets, betrayal, lies, deceit, intrigue, twists and turns, but, most importantly, friendship. Rebecca is determined to find out how her friend that was so full of life could commit suicide.
The story is told from multiple points of view and uses flashbacks to help the reader better understand the characters and their actions. This cleverly, well-written novel is a fast read because you will not want to put it down.
This is the fist book by Sheryl Browne I have read but it will not be the last.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/6/19.
In the psychological suspense novel, The Second Wife by Sheryl Browne, Rebecca and Nicole swore to be best friends. They moved away from each other but stayed in touch as many of us do today - by text and email. They, however, unlike most of us, remain close.
Rebecca receives news from Nicole's devoted and loving husband, Richard, letting her know Nicole is dead. She killed herself by drowning. Rebecca is shocked and tries to understand why Nicole would do such a thing. She moves into Nicole's home and gradually takes over Nicole's life.
Sheryl Browne takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions with a story filled with love, marriage, family, secrets, betrayal, lies, deceit, intrigue, twists and turns, but, most importantly, friendship. Rebecca is determined to find out how her friend that was so full of life could commit suicide.
The story is told from multiple points of view and uses flashbacks to help the reader better understand the characters and their actions. This cleverly, well-written novel is a fast read because you will not want to put it down.
This is the fist book by Sheryl Browne I have read but it will not be the last.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/6/19.
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated ICE (Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #1) in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Have you ever heard of a dog playing blackjack? I know that I have not, Lauren Carr has brought us a book with another dog. We meet Chris Matheson and his family in this very entertaining book.
They are a mystery every time we turn the page. I would call this a page-turner with a twist and turns with each time you decide to turn the page.
What book club is Elliott trying to get Chris to join? There mysteries and secrets too from the beginning to the end of the book. Do we have a serial killer on the loose? Who after Chis Matheson and why is the town believe that he killed Sandy Lipson and her baby?
Lauren Carr does not disappoint. If you have not read her other books then I suggest you do. ICE is only book one of her newest series. I look at this Sterling and say he may have Gnarly by entertaining you. Gnarly and Sterling should team up and see what they do together.
Will Chris Matheson and his buddies solve the cold case? There seems to be quite a few twists and turns you will not be able to guess some of the crimes.
There are a long of death and crime through this book but that is cause it is crime fiction and a mystery. I would also suggest that you if you are the fan of both or Mystery and have not read Lauren Carr other books.
They are a mystery every time we turn the page. I would call this a page-turner with a twist and turns with each time you decide to turn the page.
What book club is Elliott trying to get Chris to join? There mysteries and secrets too from the beginning to the end of the book. Do we have a serial killer on the loose? Who after Chis Matheson and why is the town believe that he killed Sandy Lipson and her baby?
Lauren Carr does not disappoint. If you have not read her other books then I suggest you do. ICE is only book one of her newest series. I look at this Sterling and say he may have Gnarly by entertaining you. Gnarly and Sterling should team up and see what they do together.
Will Chris Matheson and his buddies solve the cold case? There seems to be quite a few twists and turns you will not be able to guess some of the crimes.
There are a long of death and crime through this book but that is cause it is crime fiction and a mystery. I would also suggest that you if you are the fan of both or Mystery and have not read Lauren Carr other books.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated A Daring Venture (Empire State, #2) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
When I read my first Elizabeth Camden book, I had no idea what to expect. Now...Five books later...I can say that the characters and the stories you will find on these pages are like nothing you have read before. Unique characters, settings, and plot...You will want to read all day long. And with A Daring Venture...that's exactly what I did. I listened to the audiobook while cleaning my house for 2 days straight...till I finished it. And I am only sad that I didn't get to spend more time with Rosalind and Nick.
Tensions are high when this story begins. Water purification is something that even to this day people argue and fight about. I love, Love, LOVE, all the sciencey* things that are talked about. There is SO.MUCH.HISTORY. and even a few REAL people that show up on the page. Rosalind is a woman "ahead of her time" as a biochemist in the early 1900s. THIS is the kind of history that draws me in and grabs my attention.
I adore watching the romance unfold. They have a bumpy road, but it wouldn't be realistic if it was all sunshine and roses for Rosalind and Nick. Family drama, unforgiveness, revenge, fear, scandal, secrets...Oh.yes...This is a book you must get into your hands with all urgency!
I received a complimentary copy of A Daring Venture from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Tensions are high when this story begins. Water purification is something that even to this day people argue and fight about. I love, Love, LOVE, all the sciencey* things that are talked about. There is SO.MUCH.HISTORY. and even a few REAL people that show up on the page. Rosalind is a woman "ahead of her time" as a biochemist in the early 1900s. THIS is the kind of history that draws me in and grabs my attention.
I adore watching the romance unfold. They have a bumpy road, but it wouldn't be realistic if it was all sunshine and roses for Rosalind and Nick. Family drama, unforgiveness, revenge, fear, scandal, secrets...Oh.yes...This is a book you must get into your hands with all urgency!
I received a complimentary copy of A Daring Venture from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
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