Beautiful prose and rich storytelling. I love Anastasia and this book delivered a unique take on the well loved person.

Story amazing! Loved every minute of this! Ahhhhh I can’t wait to add this to my shelf! I love the world building, the characters, I had a little bit of trouble in the beginning but overall I have to say I fell in love with them and the plot kept me going!

One of the stories from history that has always intrigued me (and so many other people) is that of the Romanov family, particularly Anastasia. So much mystery still surrounds the last hours and minutes of her life, as well as her death. And so many theories have been entertained. In Romanov author Nadine Brandes offers her own creative imaginings about the life and death of young Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov. This novel is historical fiction, but with an imaginative bit of magic thrown into the mix.
The strongest part of the novel, in my opinion, was the relationship between Nastya and her family. It was the one aspect in which I felt a strong emotional connection with the storyline. The family relationship felt loving, intense and authentic. Unfortunately, the rest of the novel felt emotionally distant to me, I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or action outside of that.
There were some historical inaccuracies (perhaps creative stretching of facts to meet a storytelling goal?) and some things that were glossed over that could have used more attention and flushing out for a stronger storyline. The inconsistencies in the novel as well as the historical inconsistencies were a bit distracting.
Another thing that could have used more details was the world-building—especially the magic. It felt unformed and underwhelming.
All-in-all Romanov was a decent read, an entertaining re-imaging of history, but it wasn’t as great as I’d hoped.

*I received a copy of Romanov from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

The story is set in an alternative history, a world including spells and Anastasia's survival. As a fan of the animated film, I was eager to read the book. The cover art is gorgeous too!

It was interesting to get some history on what it was like for the royal family after their arrest. The family dynamics were sweet. Zash and his backstory were a small part but I enjoyed learning about his culture and appreciated that the author included it. Sadly, I had a hard time with the rest of the book. Though the story strove for historical accuracy, criticism of the royal family was regarded as propaganda and portrayal of their enemies was continuously shed in a negative light. It was entirely one-sided and left me uncomfortable throughout the book because this viewpoint kept getting brought up. I understand that the story was entirely in Anastasia's PoV but there was a lack of self-reflection on her family's part in the country's demise. The magic system and world-building weren't as integral to the story as I was expected considering how motivated Anastasia was in attaining spells and becoming a spell master. Also, the story dragged until a little past halfway point. Once the inevitable had happened, it was much easier to follow along with the characters and their journey.

I loved everything about this novel from the characters to the plot and writing style. I cannot wait for other readers to get their hands on this book!

I loved to get my hands on everything about the Romanovs. Romanov seemed like an excellent read because it is a fantastical take on how Anastasia survived the revolution. However the plot was slow-pacing. It is not until almost two-third of the book that Anastasia escapes from her captives. The world-building was not explained, and it seems like the author simply assumes the reader knows about her world. Still, Romanov’s main strength is the writing, and I loved the historical details of the Russian Revolution. Thus, this novel had potential but was not executed well.

Taking a different view on the Russian princess Anastasia, Brandes begins the story with the Romanov's already exiled to Siberia. Weaving in just a hint of magic into the account of their imprisonment was fascinating and felt so realistic. As the story progresses, I was curious to see how she would handle their eventual deaths. And, spoiler alert - her solution was a heavy dose of magic. Once the magic aspect of the story came full force, I completely lost interest. It just felt too heavy handed for me to handle, and spoiled the book for me.

As a child, I grew up loving the animated movie “Anastasia”. It was one of my all time faves and still is to this day! So when I saw this book I immediately wanted to read it - and I liked it well enough. It leans heavier on the “historic” side of historical fiction, so if you are a huge history fan you will most definitely love this adaptation. All the shortcomings in my eyes I think originated from the fact that I went into this book thinking of an animated movie musical rather than the actual family that existed in history. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves history or wants to learn about the real family behind their favorite 1998 cartoon.

This was a really solid historical-fiction book for me. There was a little magic, which was used in a way that I had not seen before, which I loved, and there was a little romance, which wasn’t unnecessary or poorly written, there was action and life-or-death stakes. It was just a really enjoyable read. I don’t really have anything negative to say about it.

I can say for sure that this version of Anastasia is probably one of my favorites now. I loved how strong and confident Nastya was and how she protected her family. She was bold, mischievous, and full of heart. She really made the book for me.

If you’re a fan of the Romanov story or historical fiction, this book is a must-read.

Final verdict: 3.5/5 stars
*ARC copy kindly provided via Netgalley*

Anastasia, or "Nastya" Romanov is exiled along with the ruling Romanov family to Siberia when the Soviet Bolsheviks come to power in Russia. Endearingly called "shvibzik" by her father, she is impish and has always liked to play pranks on those around her. She will now have to use these skills to help save her family from future danger as she struggles to smuggle a magical Matryoshka doll made by one of the most powerful spell masters in Russia: Dochkin. While in exile and in captivity, Nastya and her sister make friends with the guards, per their father's (former Tsar Nikoloai) instruction. He is portrayed as a kindly man of faith who asks his family to be patient and kind to their captors, favoring forgiveness over hate and violence. Soon, Anastasia and her sister Maria begin to develop feelings for guards Zash and Ivan- but will their stories have a happy ending?

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD- BEWARE
What I really enjoyed about this book is that it has so much historical fact backing it that it makes the story very believable. You also get to live in the shoes of a family who was slaughtered in real life and get to the live out the 'what ifs'? Over the course of reading this book, I also grew to love many of the characters and the way they struggled to forgive their captors, no matter how harsh these Bolshevik men were to the royal family. You ALSO see how the royal family's kindness begins to wear on the enemy, and how they begin to sympathize. You get a clear and rare view of the humanity behind war and how if people forgive and treat each other with respect, it becomes harder and harder to hate someone- no matter how ideologically different.

I began to fall in love with all the members of the Romanov family AND even with some of their captors, no matter their faults. You begin to see that sometimes those who are harsh and brutal are not that way out of choice. The plot in the novel is strong, the dialogue is wonderful and not forced, and the book moves at a relatively good pace.


What did I not really enjoy?
1. Be warned- there are STRONG religious overtones AND undertones in this book- frequently detailing how the family prayed, references to the bible and Jesus, etc. So if you are not a very religious person, you may feel uncomfortable reading this. At the same time, the Romanovs were known for being devout- so don't shirk away from the book just because of that!

2. Anastasia is left with a support role at the end, when I would have liked her to continue the fight. She is also frequently overshadowed by her sickly YOUNGER brother towards the end, which to me seems a little sexist. I understand that he is the tsarevich (next in line on the throne), but she so readily and humbly submits to him. She wanted to be a spellmaster and talked about her dreams throughout the whole book for goodness sakes and at the end her brother STEALS Dochkin from her just because she wants to play the domestic? Nah, this didn't fly with me all too well.

3. I understand forgiveness, but COME ON- freeing Yurovsky like that?!?! No way. I would have liked for Anastasia to come down on this dude who MURDERED her family and then continued to hunt her, Zash, and Alexei (her younger brother). She should have gone full John Wick when her brother's Spaniel was killed and given him a magical ass-whoopin' he would NEVER forget.

So yeah, I gave it a 3.5/5 because to me, it became a little sexist and too humble at the end. Call me terrible about the whole humble thing, but whateva. Everything needs limits. If you are not into religious stuff, you may also not dig some parts of the novel but it isn't SO MUCH that you put the book down- trust me. Give it a shot, you might like it.

ONE MORE THING- This book is GORY- it's like an 8/10 on my gore scale so yah, you've been warned!

Awe I loved this!! So lovely! I always loved reading about the Romanovs as a kid and the thought of a princess not knowing who she truly is. This is perfect for the teen that loves the fairytale but historical novel, the american girl doll type novels.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was so, so excited for this book. I love the premise, but the execution fell a bit short for me (poor choice of words, sorry). I thought Nastya was written pretty well- I especially liked her spunk and mischievous nature. The whole romance aspect did not come across like it does in most books, and I'm still not sure if I like it or not. I think the author had a good balance of historical accuracy and fiction, and it never read like a non-fiction book at any point. The one thing I didn't really understand or enjoy the magic system. I understand that Nastya herself didn't fully understand it, but I was so confused at the beginning and really wanted some sort of explanation as to the basics of how it works.

Overall, I enjoyed the idea of this book more than the actual book itself.

I absolutely loved Romanov! I was completely captivated from word one and couldn't get enough of it. I got so frustrated when real life interrupted my reading and let me tell ya', it got interrupted quite often. But once things settled down and I was able to hunker down and read to my heart's content, I flew through the pages. It was utterly compelling. The seamless way Brandes weaved the magical element in with the actual history was brilliant.

I hate to admit this, but I didn't know a whole lot about the Romanovs before this book. Though, you can be sure that through the course of reading this novel, I looked up information, did more research, and quickly became fascinated by the actual history behind this historical fantasy. I love when fiction does that! Some of my favorite novels are ones that teach me new things, lead me to new interests, and make me want to learn.

This is a book that's definitely going on my favorites list. It was beautiful and, yet, heartbreaking. There were times I was laughing so hard at Anastasia's mischievous antics and then tearing up, heartbroken, over the cruelty of what was happening to the Romanov family.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

An interesting alternative history take on a tragic story, with bonus magic. Unlike many YA novels, this one has an amazing and loving father and close-knit family (and it seems that this is true to life, though artistic license has obviously been taken). Handy author's note at the end shares some factual information and areas where Brandes made changes, which I really appreciate in historical novels with main characters who were real people. It also has discussion questions if anyone reads it for a bookclub.

I received a copy of Romanov by Nadine Brandes through NetGalley in exchange for review.

So I was initially excited to hear about this historical- fantasy blend on Anastasia "Nastya" Romanov as she is introduced to us here, infusing magic into Grand Duchess's tragic tale of what might have been.
I want to like this more, but the descriptions of the settings is what really drags it down for me.
We meet Nastya and her family already well under abdication, they have long fled their palace home and are under Bolshevik control. Living in property that has been seized by all who would not yield to the regime. Surrounded by enemy soldiers who hate the Romanov's, only her family ties bind them together.
I like Naysta as a character, she's single-mindedly driven by love her her family and the idea that magic from one of the country's Master Spell Writers can liberate her family and save the Tsarivch Alexei from hemophilia which plagues his very life. With the last bastion of magical items - a Matryoshka doll, each layer containing a precious spell that may save them all. She must keep it hidden and discover the meaning to open it, all while navigating what is though to be the final months of her families lives.
Both Romanovs and Bolshevik's come to see that each side is not quite what they expected, friendships are formed. Loyalties are tested. But tragedy will still find the Romanov family, some things even magic can not re-write.

The book it's self is set in extremely limited settings, and I never really got a feel for the descriptions of the places they occupied. I did feel the connective and emotional love of family ties, and the ability to forgive and heal. But it just didn't connect for me, and felt stilted and lacking in some areas.
The main vehicle for the magic aspect of survival, kind of drive me nuts, because it was just frankly not that believable. And it fit in strangely with only the minor spells we are introduced to in the beginning, and when we learn the way Alexei was healed by Rasputin.... It doesn't match with the sort of "laws" of magic that are set up. And feels like a real stretch.

I really wanted to like this, maybe more research would have helped, a better more through out magical system, more in the book its self to built the world up. Just something.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you love the Romanovs, and historical fiction especially, then this is the book for you.

I, like many people, have a fascination with Anastasia and her family, and I know quite a few facts of their final weeks in exile. Romanov made the Romanovs come to life in exquisite, painful detail. Their closeness as a family, the siblings’ love of each other, Nastya’s adoration of her father, Nicholas’ humility and love for his country, which informs and guides the whole family throughout all of their interactions, is just beautiful. I don’t often struggle with words, but the entire first half of the book, which kept to the historical narrative extremely accurately, left me speechless.

“We are Romanovs. The bond of our hearts spans miles, memory, and time.”

Now, this is not the book I was expecting. I feel the synopsis is a bit misleading on this point. I thought this would be a more loosely based account, fraught with magic and an epic journey (probably heavily influenced by the animated film, let’s be honest). If that is the novel you want, look elsewhere. This is a book about familial love, devastating loss, betrayal, and one family’s capacity for forgiveness and love of their country. Even the romance takes a backseat and is hardly worth mentioning, though it is sweet and complex on its own. Anastasia does not spend the entirety of the book obsessing over Zash, though she does make an effort to befriend him. But all along she realizes the danger that she and her family are in, and she is fully aware that befriending their captors could be their only hope of escape.

“This will help you.” For now. “I will save you” Maybe. “I love you.” Always.

The magical aspect definitely does not permeate as much as I might have expected, but I don’t think I would have changed it. Since Anastasia only really knows one spell when the book begins, it would have felt ingenuine for her to all of a sudden be able to perform anything more complicated until the climax. And boy. What a climax that was. I was stressed basically for the entire last half of this book, but the final showdown may have actually shaved a few years off of my life.

“Let no one call you tame.”

In essence, I would definitely recommend Romanov to anyone even mildly interested in the history of Anastasia. I need a copy for my own shelves, but it is definitely not a light read, and I am going to have a book hangover for at least a few days. That said, there are many fabulous quotes, one of which WILL BE one of my next tattoos. That is probably the highest praise that I can offer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Romanov is a historical fiction/fantasy account that takes in the fall of the Romanov family up to the night of their execution. I say fantasy because in this version of the Romanov story magic is very much part of the world and plays a role throughout, but the historical aspects of the story seem to keep pretty true the extent of my knowledge.
The story has a fairly slow pace, a good portion of it is spent on the house arrest. The story starts with Nastya, Anastasia, and her family being in Tobolsk and then the transfer to Ekaterinburg where her family would undergo trials and eventually their end. While under house arrest there though Nastya makes friends/acquaintances/frenemies with one of her Bolshevik guards, Zash. There’s is a complicated relationship that’s for sure.
I adored the relationship of the Romanov family, especially the relationship between Nastya and her brother Alexei. Zash is an interesting character and complicated, the things he does have reasons but I’m sure everyone will have a different opinion on if those reasons were good enough.
One really interesting thing, at the end of the book the author has a small section that breaks down fact from fiction. Helpful because Russian history isn’t my strong suit and I know only the barest bit about what happened to the Romanov family and why so certain things being confirmed as truth or fiction helped me feel more comfortable in what I did know.

Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a masterfully crafted story of forgiveness mingled with history and magic. To be honest, I have never seen the Disney version of Anastasia, so I have nothing to compare this tale to. Brandes takes historical events and adds a little imagination to make a remarkable tale. With a fast moving plot, Brandes takes me for a magical journey from captivity to running from the enemy. The characters were crafted wonderfully and memorable. Brandes writing is top notch and really did an awesome job at describing the setting and using point of view well. Forgiveness is a theme running rampant through the pages of the plot. Nastya learns how important it is to forgive rather than seek revenge. Overall, Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a wonderful take on a historical family and sprinkled with an element of magic and forgiveness. Fans of Nadine Brandes' other works, Morgan Busse, Mary Weber, and Harry Potter might enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Romanov by Nadine Brandes, but the opinions stated are all my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was really looking forward to this one (like many others, I've had a long-standing historical interest in the Romanovs and even fictional portrayals thereof, and the one small change to a historical narrative has always been a particularly compelling type of story for me) but I was pretty disappointed by this particular use of both. The book seems pretty well meant for those who do have that similar knowledge for the details of Russian history and the background of the Romanov story, but it also takes a particularly simplistic view of the situation as a whole. Anastasia's narration shuts down almost entirely the idea that her family might have ruled in any way improperly or sparked revolution through their action or inaction. Zash's attachment to the Bolshevik cause turns out to be no way ideological, and no explanation is given for why it might be, why Russian citizens felt any need to rise up against their (by this account) entirely benevolent, humble, and loving royal family. It was difficult to tell if Anastasia ever sensed the irony in her recounting the tortures of thin soup and lice and only a few servants to help them considering the famine of 1917 and the general conditions of their subjects, who had never had the opportunity to return to their palace following a day of wholesome wood-chopping and time spent outdoors. The uncomplicated narrative was supported by the shallow portrayals of Anastasia's family members: Maria and their mother at least had a bit of color to them through flirtatiousness and sacrifice using dark magic, but the czar and Alexei had an almost saintly forbearance and acceptance that made them seem basically bland, and Tatiana and Olga were basically non-characters.

I also didn't find the magic system to be particularly fleshed out; I kept wishing for more details about how magic was done, how common it was, its limits, and how it might have changed other world events. Considering the mystic bent to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the real-world accusations of sorcery laid against Rasputin, this would seem to be a perfect match, yet it wasn't given its full potential.

The third issue I had was with pacing. Perhaps spending over half the book on a recounting of days in captivity felt necessary to appropriately build an emotional bond between the characters (presumably Anastasia and Zash) but it just made the actually action filled latter part feel rushed, as if I was falling headfirst down a hill, and I didn't feel any particular attachment between the characters besides.

Overall, I would recommend at least reading with a nonfiction companion such as Candace Fleming's The Family Romanov. I think it will hold some appeal to readers also interested in this piece of history in general, but the storytelling elements left quite a lot to be desired.

Romanov is one of those novels that was hard to put down for me because of the main topic. Anastasia is one of my favorite historical figures and to see her re-imagined in this was just phenomenal. It's very raw and very realistic, despite the use of magic within the story. I felt pulled into the story from the beginning to the end. I can't wait to pick this up for my personal shelves!