I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.  I think that I have read a few tales based on the Romanov and see the movies. Even knowing all that I was not prepared for all the twists and turns that happen in here. She has to convince Zash who is a soldier to help her. There were times that just made my heart and pulse race. I am going to have to read more by this author. I always enjoy it.

I finished this in a few hours and it was such a great read! I've always found the Romanov family and Russian Revolution to be extremely interesting. The story includes a lot of details related to the Revolution without getting too bogged down in it and gives a glimpse into a deeply flawed system of government that was doomed to fail from the beginning.

A historical retelling of Anastasia and the Romanov family with the promise of magic and an absolutely gorgeous cover - how could you not want to read this, right? What I got was a blatantly biased and vague historical retelling, with no explanation or real development of the magic and spell making process until the very end. This might be more suitable for a younger audience, not necessarily interested or knowledgable of Russian history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

This was such an interesting story to read. I know very little about the Romanov history and this book not only made me keen to find out more, it kept me engrossed throughout. I think the romance between Nastya and Zash was well written and I loved the setting.

I wanted to like this as a retelling but unfortunately it fell a bit short on realism. I did very much enjoy the light romance, and I love the cover so I might pick it up again...

A great take on the Romanovs we know from history books, I learned a lot and enjoyed the story ! Just as good as the authors previous book Fawkes, if not better !

Romanov was a fantastic read! Historical fiction with a magical twist...I loved it! It’s set in the Russian revolution, following the royal family in exile. I loved the setting, the magic style was so we’ll thought out it had me captivated from the start! I loved the characters, I was attached to most of them and at times this made it so much more heartbreaking! It’s well worth a read - full review on my blog soon!

It as weird to me that 2/3 of this book was just a basic biography of the Romanov family, and it wasn’t til the last 100 pages that we actually got to something new. I do think it’s informative and a novel that some people would enjoy, but for me it was kind of a miss.

The fantasy aspect also wasn’t very prominent which was very disappointing.

Great book if you don't know the original plot of Anastasia (might give away spoilers)

Getting past the first few chapters was a great struggle and many people faced the same thing . I couldn't get on with the pace for the first few chapters.

Overall , the book was good. The characters were amazin and the execution was perfect.

Thanks NetGalley for offering this E-ARC for review.

I was grateful to receive a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Unfortunately, it has taken me much longer than anticipated to finish this book. However, I am very happy to finally be able to share my thoughts. As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

I am not sure I can put into words how much I enjoyed this book once I managed to sit down and read it! Having not yet read Fawkes I wasn’t sure what to expect from Brandes storytelling of real events from history. However, I had nothing to worry about as the way that this book is written and how the story unfolds is just amazing. Yes, aspects of this book are completely fictional, but they are woven together seamlessly.

Let’s start with Nastya – she has always been a character from history that I am super interested about and one day I would love to read all the history books written about her so I can learn more For now, I have this interpretation of her, and I adored the strength and resilience she was given throughout the book. We also get to follow her, and her family, through their exile in Siberia. Getting a glimpse into their everyday life and the physical and emotional challenges they had to endure.

It is evident that a lot of research went into the writing of this book. Not only to inform the timeline for the story and characters but also to seamlessly weave the magical aspects into this factual work. I had worried the introduction of a magical aspect may be jarring. However, the methods used to incorporate it into the story in the form of spell ink, a matryoshka doll and other everyday items simply make it a part of the story. Reading the synopsis, you would be forgiven for thinking this book would focus solely on Nastya, and while we view the story from her perspective we are also introduced to numerous other characters and their stories. Each of which is well developed and adds another layer to the story.

Throughout the book the historical events are treated with sensitivity while not shying away from the harsh reality of how events unfolded. Yes, large changes are made, otherwise we would be without this amazing story but for once the deviation from historical accuracy hasn’t irritated me. Instead, for me, it made the book even better. It allowed a narrative to be formed and a story told.

Nastya. I know “strong protagonists” are getting (slightly?) overrated but this girl. Possibly one of my favorite characters EVER. So much strength and softness and overall girl power. In other words, you should read this book. I know some Goodreads people have called it a disappointment, and maybe it would be if you went into it with preconceived notions (Rasputin is the bad guy, it takes place after the execution, etc.). So don’t. Go in with an open mind and heart and prepare to have your life changed. Bravo, Nadine!!

Enjoyed this book, but had a hard time getting into it at first, not sure why.

Would recommend it for fans of historical fiction, particularly those set in the Romanov era of Russian history. Definitely a unique spin on the story of Anastasia Romanov and enjoyed the fantasy aspects, but something was just missing for me.

Full review on blog!

Romanov was an anticipated release for me this year since I found Fawkes, another book by the author, to be so refreshing. Alas, there was something missing from Romanov. Some of this was due to tone, in my opinion. The first half of the book seemed drastically different from the ending.

When reading the first part of the novel, you might feel that this is just straight historical fiction about the Romanov family while the magic is confined to the back half. I think, no matter what your expectations were going in, one of these halves did not work for you. Either you really wanted the book to lean into the fantasy or you wanted it to stay truthful. I think it would have been beneficial to weave in some of the magic towards the beginning.

Though there was that disparity in tone, I still found much of the novel to be enjoyable. There is something about the Romanov family that has apparently clicked with so many people that any story about them will be intriguing, as was the case here. I didn't find it to be as strong as Fawkes but I still look forward to more from Nadine Brandes.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to review an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I had previously reviewed another of Brandes's books, "Fawkes", and I must say that she has again done an excellent job of blending fantasy and history. Despite the fantasy elements, this novel is very well researched and includes more truth than you might imagine. The characters are very well drawn and likable, which makes it even more heart-wrenching that you already know what's going to happen to most of them.

The only issue that I had with it was that I had trouble understanding how some of the magical spells worked exactly, especially the one involving astral projection and what exactly it healed and didn't.

Great potential, but unfortunately there wasn't the spark I was looking for. The fantasy aspect was a bit lacking. I was super interested in the history itself because I don't know much about the subject, but honestly I found it boring, and something I could have gotten the gist of from a wikipedia page. Not a waste of time by any stretch, but I think you'd have to be very into the subject in order to really enjoy it.

Tell me a book is about the Romanovs and there basically a 100% chance I’ll read it. Several years ago I featured an edition of Get Your Fix that focused solely on novels and non-fiction about the dynasty. I’m more than a little obsessed with this family.

That obsession was not strong enough to stop the absurd amount of eyerolling I did while reading this book. I’m always up for stories of Romanov survivors. Throw in a bit of magic and I’ll roll with it! Unfortunately, this book was all over the place. Anastasia – Nastya – wants to be a spell caster instead of a grand duchess. This magic system was never fully explained and left me confused. There’s special ink and bits of paper and magic words seemingly burst forth from the caster’s mouth.

If that was the book’s only downfall I could have excused it. HOWEVER, the kicker that had me frantically texting a friend as each ridiculous page went by: Anastasia and Alexei both die – Alexei TWICE – but don’t worry, Anastasia simply magics them back to life. While as ghosts (the first time around), the pair spend a few pages going on ghost adventures in the forest while the bodies of their parents and sisters lay in a pile behind them, and in the end Anastasia falls in love with the guard who shot/killed her. No thank you.

Romanov is described as a magical retelling of the story of Anastasia Romanov. As soon as I read this my first thought was SIGN ME UP. Unfortunately what I signed up for didn't deliver to the extent of which I hoped.

Like most millenials, Anastasia is one of my favourite childhood movies and because of that movie I went through a phase of reading all about the Romanov's and Rasputin. It is because of this knowledge that I think I was able to get through this book and know most of what was happening in the first 50-60%. This book expects you to already know the history of the Romanov's and the uprising. If you don't have even a small amount of knowledge on this then you would be starting off at a disadvantage.

The first 50-60% of the book was okay, it was sitting at a relatively average 3 stars until we moved so far away from the original history and straight into magical realism and I didn't particularly enjoy it or feel like it was particularly well developed. Speaking of the magic in the world - I understand what the author was trying to do with it, but I just don't feel like it was particularly well established and/or explained well. I would have liked to have had Rasputin make more of an impact in the book, but that may just be me.

Anastasia as a MC was just wholly unlikable. I understand that her nickname is "imp" but I feel like she was just contrary for the sake of being contrary. The amount of danger that she constantly put those who she claimed to love through just didn't seem to be equal to the reward. It was like she didn't actually realise the extent of seriousness behind their situation and that it was genuinely life or death. I also didn't buy the romance between Anastasia and Zash. It ... just didn't work for me.

I am sure that there are others who may really enjoy this book, unfortunately it was just a miss for me.

*thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your typical Anastasia retelling.

First off, this is a YA historical fiction fantasy, which to be honest is outside my comfort zone. But it is the second book I read from this author in this genre.
Despite the fantasy elements, I really appreciated to learn more about the actual life of the Romanov. Needless to say the beloved Disney movie took quite a few creative liberties with the story. Because of that, a lot of people reading Romanov might be surprised by the tragic story of the Romanov.

I highly recommend this book, especially to fantasy readers, but also to historical fiction fans!

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

Romanov by Nadine Brandes is a retelling of Anastasia Romanov, brewing with magic and action. While I love the story, including the depth of the characters and plot, I felt like as someone who has read retellings this story left and right missed me.

That's a 'me' problem tho, for everyone looking for stories to immerse themselves in Anastasia retellings, I would HIGHLY suggest to give this one a try!

An amazing, lush Russian inspired fairy tale with a hint of magic. You're drawn into this world as soon as you open the book, and you keep reading and get political intrigue, family drama, and of course, magic. Nadine Brandes did an excellent job introducing the Anastasia character and Romanov family to YA readers!