Romanov

Recently I discovered a website called NetGalley that allows bloggers and book reviewers to read books before they are published. This helps them because the book gets publicity and builds excitement about the books. So I received this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

So let me tell you about this book that I read. Nadine Brandes is a YA author who wrote Fawkes and the award-winning The Out of Time Series.

Her upcoming book Romanov (expected to be published in 2019) is the one that I read.


And let me tell you--it is so good. It took me a little bit to get started on it--not because the writing wasn't amazing, but because of time.

But once I got my teeth into it, I really devoured this book! As the title might indicate to you, it is about the Romanov royal family. Like many in my age group, I was first exposed to the story of the Romanovs through the 20th Century Fox animated movie, Anastasia. Because of my love of reading I also stumbled onto The Royal Diaries series which includes a book about Anastasia, the last duchess of Russia.

When I started, I was worried that it would be a very similar story and would, of course, end in tragedy. I won't spoil the ending for you--but I will tell you that it was a pleasant surprise.

The book starts with Anastasia and her family after they have been forced to leave their throne behind and are forced into exile. They do their best to cheer each other up and stay positive. All they hope for is to be able to lead normal lives and for the Bolsheviks to leave them alone.

I love Anastasia (frequently goes by Nastya) in this book. Her personality is fun and playful and you can see how as a teenager she is trying to be strong for her parents, her sisters, and her younger brother.

The twist in this book that I love--the thing that makes it different from all of the other Anastasia books is that it involves magic. They talk about spells, spell ink, and magical dolls! These are the things that bring them relief and give them hope for escape and living a normal life. It is a fun and refreshing twist that helps capture your attention since you never know what will happen!

Once the book hits its stride, it moves at a pretty quick pace. I didn't ever feel like there was a slow part that I was trying to get through or get bogged down in. I was constantly turning the pages wanting to find out what happens next.

There is some romance in the book which I think is also really fun--keep in mind it's a YA book and that's what a lot of teenagers have on their mind. But I think it makes for a good addition and doesn't detract from the story!

I HIGHLY recommend that you check out Romanov by Nadine Brandes next year when it comes out!