I'm not really sure which star rating I feel more strongly serves my experience. Overall, rounding up to 3 stars seems to sum up my general reaction to the book but honestly, 2.5 stars works as well. The explicit sex scenes were not necessary to move this story along so if you prefer historical fiction over graphic romance (or violence in some cases) you should be forewarned. I understand her life was not all peaches and cream but I didn't find a need for all the graphic details. The story focused on her rise to Empress but we were left with very little about her actual reign as Empress, which I was expecting we would also find in the story. Characters were not all that well-developed so that I found myself caring little for any of them, including Catherine. However, I definitely learned some Russian history and it has peaked my interest to perhaps finally grab Peter the Great: His Life and World off my shelf and do some digging around for another book on Catherine I.

This is definitely a rated R type book, and some of the scenes are super graphic (that's the warning I give when I recommend this to others). But the story was compelling and engaging, and a fun historical fiction read. Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

I have a hard time with historical fiction, but I had just watched The Great and Russian history is interesting, so I figured that I would give it a try. It was okay mainly because the graphic details were a little much for me. I understand that her life wasn't rosy, but I wish I had known before picking up the book, especially because I have been attempting to step away from reading books with graphic rape scenes. Outside of that, it is an enjoyable read, especially for those that love historical fiction.

An amazing historical novel, richly detailed, that tells the story of Catherine of Russia. The wife of none other than Peter the Great, this Catherine is often overshadowed by the more famous Catherine the Great, coming just a few generations later. But readers can see the seeds for the coming of that more famous Catherine by reading the story of this Catherine (furthermore in this review called by her birth name of Marta because I'm confusing myself) and experiencing her incredible journey from serf to Empress of all Russia. At times, Marta's tale is so far from believable that you almost have to wonder if previous biographers embellished things. Marta navigates heartbreak, loss, and trauma long before she meets the tsar. She doesn't actually meet him until a third of the way through the book! From there, she captures his heart and navigates the treacherous waters of the Russian court, facing both joy and sorrow, before ultimately rising from her darkness as Tsarina. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading about powerful women, and anyone interested in this oft-overshadowed Catherine.

this was a really enjoyable read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know Catherine the First.

Catherine I of Russia is such an interesting historical character and yet is far too often overlooked in favor of the next Catherine to rule Russia, Catherine the Great. This intriguing historical novel falls the peasant girl along her rise to be ruler of Russia.

This story is as epic as a Russian novel; fraught with incredible loss, betrayal, subterfuge, and despair. Yet it also speaks of opulence, the excesses of the rich and powerful and how one safely navigates such a world as a changing Russia of the 18th century. It is a rags to riches story of a plucky young girl, whose cleverness, sensuality, quick wit and tender heart deliver her from a lowly life of servitude to the open arms of the ruler of all the Russias - Tsar Peter the Great. She is the beautiful Catherine Alexeyevna, second wife of Peter the Great and first Empress of all the Russias. This is the first book to tell her story.

Author Ellen Alpsten has crafted an incredible story of Herculean proportions about a low-born girl who rises to greatness. She cleverly provides a purely fictional yet believable account of the early years of this legendary woman, as the historic record is silent. Relying on the available historical records of the Romanov court, Alpsten weaves a rich and epic story about this strong, courageous and devoted woman. In one stroke, she captures the beauty of the Russian landscape as well as the soul of the Russian people with her painterly writing style. In another, she captures the shear brutality of a country at continuous war - sometimes on all fronts - including the personal ones within the Kremlin's walls.

Trigger warning: Rape scenes, scenes from the boudoir and bacchanalia as well as those of horrific brutality are quite graphic. This may all be closer to the truth than one would hope.

Regardless, the book was interesting and most informative regarding Russia's history and this amazing woman's place within it.

I am grateful to St. Martin's Press for having provided a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

The book was interesting and was a great read about Catherine Alexeyevna. The only Russian Queen I was even aware of before this book was Catherine the Great. I really want to read more about Russian history now.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While my primary exposure to Russian history has been in learning about their final years in the lead-up to the Russian Revolution, I liked that Tsarina provided insight into a time period where Russia was at its peak of power, following Marta/Catherine, a woman who came from nothing to not only marry the tsar Peter the Great, but serve as Empress in her own right for a few years following his death, being the first of only a handful of women to have this distinction.

And I feel like this book does highlight some of that, as we see what Catherine had to do to survive prior to her rise under Peter the Great. And Peter himself is also an instrumental figure in this book, and I like how Alpstein portrays him working to modernize Russia to be in line with the rest of Europe.

However, this book does suffer from a pitfall I’m increasingly seeing in historical fiction covering an extended period in a historical figure‘s life, in that it often feels monotonous, and that is even more so for a woman whose primary concern would be the domestic side of pregnancy and childbirth. There are some interesting bits in here, like the devolving relationship between Peter and his heir, Alexey, but the long book is a bit bogged down by a lot of those smaller events that may have historical significance in a sense that her descendants would take the throne one day, but not much for the story at hand.

This is a great story for history lovers, as Alpstein does seem knowledgeable about the subject matter and avoided dramatizing the historical record overmuch. While it does have its flaws for being a bit too faithful, I think it all comes down to what you look for when you pick up a historical novel.

Good historical fiction, set in a time/place that I haven't read very much about. I always enjoy a new setting and/or subject to read about and this one was done very well, it was interesting and nicely paced.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten

480 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: November 10, 2020

Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Russian, Erotica, Violence

This is the story of Marta, a lowly peasant woman that rose to the become Empress of the Russian. While out washing clothes with her sister Christina, a Russian came upon the two teenage girls. Marta stood against him with a rock and threatened him. Later, he purchases her as a maid for his home. After a violent incident, she runs away and is found by a pastor and his family. They take her in as a housemaid and she lives with them for being married. War comes to Marienburg and she is found by a Russian field general and taken back to Moscow.

I was impressed with the writing of this book and the descriptions of the people and surroundings. The characters are based on real people during the time of Peter the Great. At times, it was difficult to read about the poor treatment of the peasants and laborers. The Tsar’s friends and family lived luxurious lives while the poor went without food and sometimes housing. If you like Russian history or stories about women coming into power, you will enjoy this book.

This was a very well researched and nicely written novel on Catherine the Great. A topic I knew little of prior to reading and Alpsten paints a picture of a truly remarkable woman. This book has really peaked my interest in Russian history. Even if you are not interested in Russian history, this book is enjoyable for the amazing story of Catherine, a woman who rises from nothing to be one of the most powerful women in Russian history. Truly amazing story.

Tsarina is a historic epic about Catherine I of Russia. This was the first historical fiction book set in Russia that I've read and it did not disappoint. I didn't know anything about Russian history, so I did have to do some outside googling to better understand the story. Additionally, I had to keep flipping back to differentiate characters from one another towards the beginning of the book though I don't see this being a major issue for anyone. The writing is fantastic as I felt like was living in poverty with Marta towards the beginning and luxury as the story went on. I would recommend this to any historic fiction fans.

This was an interesting book that justgoes to show that if you're smart and cunning, you can go pretty damn far in life. However, some parts of the book were overly detailed and dragged, which slowed down my reading considerably. 3.5 stars rounded down

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten is a great book, wonderfully detailed, rich in history, and will surely please those who enjoy a look back at another time and place. Im always so happy to find a well researched historical fiction book.

Synopsis:

St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself.

Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life—the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter’s bedchamber—she knows the peril of her position. Peter’s attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?

From the sensuous pleasures of a decadent aristocracy, to the incense-filled rites of the Orthodox Church and the terror of Peter’s torture chambers, the intoxicating and dangerous world of Imperial Russia is brought to vivid life. Tsarina is the story of one remarkable woman whose bid for power would transform the Russian Empire.

Fantastic historical fiction, don’t miss this one. It will be published on November 10!

This is an interesting historical fiction that shows that shrewdness and cunning can trump book smarts every time. Catherine Alexeyvana was Peter the Great’s second wife. She was born poor, never learned to read, yet becomes the first woman to rule Russia in her own right.
I knew nothing of Peter the Great or Russia in the early 18th century. Russia was still very primitive in those days, but Peter was determined to make it more like the European countries that he so admires. Alpsten totally captures the time, the place, even the weather. (“ a cold that would freeze the phlegm in your throat before you could hawk it up”). Her prose sometimes borders on excessive and in places I felt I was drowning in descriptions.
The book portrays the vast amount of men as depraved and women as nothing but sexual chattel. There are numerous sex scenes, including multiple rapes. This is a brutal society, and Alpsten shows us every bit of brutality and mistreatment. This a society of the haves and have nots, serfs are slaves, soldiers are fodder for the Russian war machine. If you have a problem with gruesome scenes, you’re well advised to steer clear of this book.
Too often historical fiction is nothing but romance with some historical facts thrown in. I give Alpsten credit for doing her research and providing a better balance. I would have liked a more expanded Author’s Note showing where literary license might have been taken. But a search of Wikipedia shows a fairly close adherence to the facts.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Terrific storytelling with great sex scenes! I truly enjoyed this book. It was light, fun reading - yet I learned a lot of history from this novel. It's told from the point of view of Peter the Great's longtime mistress. Marta, the protagonist, is a real life Cinderella. At one point in the story, she is homeless, friendless, alone, dirty, and sexually abused. You wonder how in the world she becomes the Tsaritsa of Russia, and the story delivers.

Highly recommended for those who want good old fashioned storytelling at its best.

This book has it all: murder, brutality, uncivilized behavior, and lots of sex. At times his felt more like a romance novel (i.e. bodice ripper) than historical fiction, but it was interesting to learn more about Catherine I of Russia. It's a long novel with plenty of raunchy bits to keep the reader engaged. This book wasn't for me, but I am sure there are plenty of readers out there who would enjoy this.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Ellen Alpsten for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tsarina
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love historical fiction, because it often teaches me of events in history I didn’t know much about. In that sense, this book doesn’t disappoint. It is the story of Marta who comes from a poor family and eventually becomes the lover, than wife of the Russian czar, Peter the Great. Later Peter even makes her his successor upon his death lacking a male heir. So she becomes the Tsarina. In the time of this book, early 1700’s, Russia is in a bitter war with Sweden under a cruel tsar. I learned about the brutality of this war, that took so many years and lives. Many characters in the novel , Marta herself, the tsar’s closest helpers , generals are real historical persons and the building of St Petersburg from nothing on Peter’s wishes are true historical events.
However, I didn’t like everything in this book. For starters, it is way too long and repetitive. The constant moving back and forth between St Petersburg and Moscow, the repeated descriptions of the harsh Russian winters are a few examples. The timelines, locations and multitude of characters are often confusing.
The explicit sex descriptions in pornographic detail were completely unnecessary and it certainly didn’t add to the value of this book. Sexual encounters could have been described without the details. I really got bored with the book about half way. Overall three stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

It is the story of Catherine of Russia from her humble beginnings to being the wife of Tsar Peter.

It is an excellent but long book. Very well written. Gives you an insight of the Tsar Russia and everything Peter did.. good and bad. I found the book to be long and struggled about 75% of the way through to finish it. Worth the read despite the length