Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Historical Fantasy. 337 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are to either release the spell and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her.

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

My Review:

Guys. The feels. So many feels.

Have I been obsessed with the story of Anastasia since I was a little girl? Yes. Have I been curious about this book since it came out? Sure. Did I recently decide to trust Nadine Brandes with my reader heart? Hesitantly, but still yes. Was I terrified the whole time reading the book that I’d made the wrong choice? Absostinkingloutly! Did it take me two and a half days to read this after I finally took the plunge and started? Heck yes! Would I read it again cover to cover right now? In a heartbeat!

Nadine, you’ve sold me. Hook. Line. And sinker. I’m yours.

Wow. Just…wow. *slow clap*

No, honestly, guys. I don’t even know how to feel right now. That was amazing. I never imagined a story about my cherished Anastasia could live up to what I believed it should. Here Nadine go, provin’ me wrong.

See, here’s the thing, when I bought the book, I held it at arm’s length. So many promises it could keep or break, so much hope teetering on the brink. Take the plunge? Don’t? Risk disappointment and regret? Could it possibly be as amazing as it should be? As the fantasy Anastasia always has been to me? Especially since I’d heard she’d been pretty historically accurate. So, that! Guys, when I finallys stepped into the book–at the immense peer pressure of my amazing Author friends–I knew KNEW this was a bad idea. Like, have you read the real story?! This was asking for trouble. But I did it anyway! I dove in.

I spent the first half of the book with bated breath, just waiting for the ball to drop. Unlike some readers, I actually knew enough of the history already to know exactly what was coming. And I was really not sure what liberties “historical fantasy” allowed or how far Nadine was willing to veer off script. (And, again, after my recent bout with A Time to Die I was not sure I trusted Nadine to deliver anything but excruciating heartbreak.) But I must admit, I was kind of in awe of how the first half of the book held my interest. I read fifteen chapters in one sitting and the rest in the second sitting, but that first half of the book is a lot of…well, the same routine over and over. Captivity. Waiting. Hoping. Praying. Growing. And yet, time flew! So, that was super cool.

But the second half is when all terror broke loose. Dudes, once the particular ball dropped that I had known was historically inevitable and I realized there was still half the book to be read, that’s when I started to freak out. What chaos could Nadine cause in the remaining pages, I knew not, but I was sure at every turn it would be something I couldn’t handle. I knew that at some point, she would do something I couldn’t cope with. All bets were off once we got into 100% fiction-land.

From the get go, I knew there was no hope. Because I knew the story. And yet, Nadine convinced me to go along for the ride anyway. To dare to hope that it would be worth it, even if I lost everything.

Just wow. I would legit turn around and start the story over again right now. I am amazed by the depth of that journey. The brilliance of how it was crafted. And the sheer beauty of such a story. This is the way I want to live. This is the kind of story I want to tell. These are the emotions I want to evoke. This book…this book makes me want to be better. In so many ways.

Thank you, Mrs. Brandes, for this incredible journey. Thank you for pouring your heart and your spirit into this story and for bravely sharing it with us. There aren’t words for what that story did to me.

Content: no foul language and very mild romance. But it does take place in a revolution in a country torn by war, betrayal, defeat, and injustice. It’s about the Romanov family. Need I say more? There is definitely a little violence, though I’d still say the book is fine for 14/15 up.