Thank you to NetGalley for this novel to read and review. I enjoy reading about Russian history but this was not it for me. The writing signifies it is a well-researched account of that period in Russia with Catherine I. as ruler. I appreciated Marta to Catherine's personal journey out of poverty into a royal. However, there were a large number of depictions of torture as well as sexual scenes, which were very graphic in nature. If you enjoy historical fiction complete with vivid imagery depicting the literal brutal nature of the Russian court during that time period, this is the book for you.

A fascinating biography of Catherine the 1st of Russia, full of detail and imagery at times th writing is very intense but I highly recommend to anyone interested in Russian history.

A great book that I loved. I am glad I took my time to read it. The story takes place in great Russia. Catherine is a young woman who went through many difficult situations. From a very young age, she had to support her family to survive. What Catherine possessed was a unique intelligence, which helped her to aspire toward a better life. The tsar, Peter the Great, took an interest in her. Now what Catherine wants to do is make sure the tsar remains interested in her. I was surprised by the precarious situation for women in Russia, undoubtedly a difficult time. The author describes the problems that Catherine had to face from a very young age. It is surprising how from her poverty background, she was able to reach vital ranks in royalty. A magnificent book in which the titanic research that the author had to do to write it is evident. If you don't know much about the history of this great woman, I recommend this book. But be prepared to read history. This book contains facts that can be difficult to read. My curiosity about the story is so vast that it didn't affect my reading. But yes, I loved that the author included the problems Catherine went through. I thank NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I am usually a fan of historical fiction, but this book was almost enough to make me give up on the genre. To begin with, the writing was weak and repetitive and the characters lacked depth. The story emphasized just how dark and depressing Russian history was during the reign of Peter the Great. The book seemed to be nothing but war and misery. The women, including the main character, lived in a perpetual state of fear. There were a large number of sexual scenes, which were surprisingly graphic, as well as depictions of torture. I thought the lack of dates was confusing and were definitely needed here. All in all, not a book I would recommend.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

There are no doubt many books about Tsarina Catherine of Russia, but this one is absolutely like reading her personal diary. It is historical, but more importantly, it is insightful about the woman and eventual Empress of Russia

The plot begins with her very early life as an orphan and follows her remarkable life up to her death, when she was the Empress of Russia. Her story is almost too incredible to believe, but it is historically accurate and amazingly documented. The book is a very comprehensive glimpse into the lives and personalities of Marta, (later named Catherine) and Tsar Peter the Great. I'm still in disbelief about how cruel the Russian tsar could be and personally how she tamed his worst impulses. The book details their daily lives and chronicles their lives together. ---It was a hugely elaborate life they lived! The opulence and excesses were shaped by the expectations of the times--- how royalty should be perceived. The entire book was devoted to the theme of "Russia First!" Whatever it took to promote Russia is what they did. Anything and everything was their motto!!


This book would be a good resource for anyone interested in studying the Romanovs and Russian history. The author has done a magnificent job of making this into an interesting and compelling story of the shaping of a new Russia that began with Peter the Great.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I loved the first half of this book, which chronicled Marta's rise from abused serf to tsar's companion. The writing was so vivid, and the storytelling just swept me along. Once Marta—now Catherine—was ensconced in the palace, however, the story began to flag for me. Another birth, another death, another martial campaign—not my thing. My interest was piqued again near the end, as Catherine became less reactive and more active. Some of the emotional beats didn't ring true to me—Catherine's realization of the tsar's true nature felt flat, for instance—and I wish an afterword would have flagged where the novel veered from real life. Overall, though, this is a great choice of a read for long, brisk winter evenings and it captures Russia's unique blend of the opulent and the savage.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty graphic in parts and took a while for me to get into it. That said it seems to be a remarkably well researched account of that time in Russia and I’m glad I came across the book. I was brought into the characters life and had to keep reading to find out what happened next; as I wasn’t familiar with the historical figured enough to know already.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
If an historical novel leads me to ‘read more about it,’ I consider it a success. I’ve been to some of Catherine I’s grand mansions but never read much about her humble beginnings and the rather amazing life she led. Tsarina is a good, not great read. The epic nature of the story is very engaging. The roughness of the life is believable although perhaps a bit forced to be titillating for its own sake. My major disappointment with the book was the lack of character depth. Catherine is an amazing individual but the book leaves me without an understanding of how she evolved and why she acts in certain ways. She can be cruel or loving or maybe both at the same time. But I want to know the how and why. Alpsten provides a rousingly good story. It’s too bad she didn’t also provide insight into her characters. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, like many people, my knowledge of Russian history is mostly confined to Rasputin and the Romanovs, and names like Peter, Catherine, and Ivan, and wars being fought in terrible winters, with no real idea of the details. So I was excited to read a novel about a female ruler I had never heard of, Catherine I (not Catherine the Great), who rose from poverty to empress. In the publisher's information, New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin is quoted as saying Tsarina 'makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme", and this is absolutely the case. This is a book filled with depictions of violence, sexual assault, torture, and multiple consensual sex scenes. You should be aware of what you're getting into before you start reading.

As stated by the author, the book opens as Peter the Great is dying. With the line of succession in question, Catherine declares herself empress. While waiting to hear how Peter's grandson and the city will take the news, she thinks back to her (very) humble beginnings as a illiterate serf named Marta in what is now Estonia (according to Wikipedia). From there she ends up as a maid to a cruel merchant, then later in the household of a pastor. After a very brief arranged marriage to a soldier, she is rescued from yet another rape and ends up in Peter's camp. Once taken under the wing of his best friend's mistress, she begins a whirlwind life as a royal mistress and later Peter's wife. While she genuinely loves Peter, she is also very much aware of how much of her position lies in producing a surviving male heir. She will let little stop her in her efforts to secure her life and standing.

I found this book to be an absorbing read for the most part. The stark contrast between the life of an average Russian citizen and the glittering nobility is a constant theme throughout the novel. The book was difficult to follow in the beginning scene, when many characters in Peter's court are introduced with little backstory or context. It was difficult to appreciate Catherine's precarious position at the time without this information. I would be very curious to read a well-written biography now, and see how much of what is in Tsarina is historically accurate and what was added to make a better story. If you're a fan of historical fiction or Game of Thrones, you should check this one out.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This review originally published at Books You Can Die in the Middle Of: https://lookgoodifyoudie.blogspot.com/2020/09/tsarina-by-ellen-alpsten.html

WOW. The lavish life of the aristocrats is told to us, page after page be a brilliant author. We start with the death of Peter the Great and his end of rule in Russia. Peter's 2nd wife wants power since no rightly heir, a son, is available.
She begs, pleads, commands his officers to keep Peter's death a secret as long as possible.
Then we go back to 1699 when Catherine is poor but intelligent and beautiful. She overcomes her common birth by entering the life of the ruler's court. Catherine knows Peter can easily turn, after all his last wife is locked in a dungeon while Catherine is surrounded by lust, wine, food, and secrets.
The author has created a novel that is decant and opulent as the classic War and Peace.
Read and soak in all offerings of a world we will never know anything about as we learn how Catherine the Tsarina transformed the Russian monarchy.

What makes this novel different from other historical fiction I've read lately is the honest brutality that, if you study history at all, seems indicative by the primary source documents, but is often glossed over in the fictionalizations. I agree with Goodwin's blurb about TSARINA making GoT look like a nursery rhyme, and I deeply appreciated the primary focus being female-centered. Alpsten also stylistically delivers history in riveting form and serpentine plot.

"Makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme." ―Daisy Goodwin, New York Times bestselling author of The Fortune Hunter

“[Alpsten] recounts this remarkable woman’s colourful life and times." ―Count Nikolai Tolstoy, historian and author

Before there was Catherine the Great, there was Catherine Alexeyevna: the first woman to rule Russia in her own right. Ellen Alpsten's rich, sweeping debut novel is the story of her rise to power.

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.

I have always thought of the Romanovs when I think of Russian royalty. This was an interesting read and provided a lot of background on Russia.

I enjoyed the early part of the book the most. The later part, highlighting Peter's cruelty and Catherine's pregnancies is a bit much.

I do adore any novels about the Romanov empire and Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten didn’t disappoint.
First let me say, Alpsten masterfully captured the dark, somber reality of Russia in the early 1700’s. I could almost feel the bleak weather, the hunger, and the misery of Catherine’s (a that time Marta’s) early life. Tsarina opens with the death of Peter the Great as Catherine and his advisors determine what will be told outside the walls of his death chamber. From there we jump back to 1699, and young Marta, a nine-year-old girl who is sold into servitude. We’re pulled along as Marta endures the bleak and often traumatic reality of a woman in service until the moment when she is crowned Catherine I, Empress of Russia.
Tsarina deals with a number of dark issues including sexual assault, suicide, murder, and war. It’s definitely the darkest account of Catherine I I’ve read, but it was captivating, nonetheless—the dark side of a dream.
*I received a copy of Tsarina from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

TSARINA chronicles Marta’s rise from humble and horrific beginnings to becoming Catherine I, mistress then wife of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia.

The author, Ellen Alpsten, uses richly descriptive language to take the reader on that journey. Rine The brutality, debauchery and sorrow are at times overwhelming. While much of that narrative seems gratuitous, I believe that to have been the fate of many women.of that time.

After Marta is sold by her stepmother to a passing merchant, Vassily, her life begins a series of events that form the foundation of who she is, who she wants to become.
Marta ultimately becomes Peter’s mistress and later his confidante and wife.

This was not an easy read. It is dark and at times depressing. Marta is a flawed woman, victim of circumstance, cunning, yet compassionate.

This may not be a novel for more sensitive readers, it is dark and at times brutal. But it is so well written and offers a look into the lives of Peter and Catherine, it’s worth the read.

My interest is piqued, I plan on reading non fiction accounts of the Petrine period to get a better understanding of Peter and Catherine. I have become a fan of Ellen Alpsten’s writing and look forward to reading more of her future work.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this incredible piece of historical fiction.

Tsarina Catherine I (not to be confused with Catherine the Great) rose from her early life as a serf to become the wife of the Tsar of all the Russias, Peter the Great. Along the way she endured many hardships as she was sold into slavery, prostitution and endured physical and sexual abuse. This story is told with a great mix of historical detail and engaging fiction and makes the reader feel as though they are transported back to Imperial Russia. Catherine's command of her position as Peter's wife (and confidante) is impressive given that she was illiterate her entire life. The author manages to illustrate quite effectively the intrigue, debauchery and opulence of Peter the Great's court. It's a well-researched, well-written trip to the tsarina's life and times.

I didn’t expect this book to be nearly 500 pages but boy what a journey it was. Tsarina is the story of Peter the Great’s second wife Catherine. A woman who is often overshadowed by great leaders who came before and after her.

The beginning of this book was amazing, I couldn’t put it down. Marta’s young life was crazy. She starts off as a poor peasant girl and before the age of 20 her life has changed so many times.

This is the story of a fighting independent woman who scraped by tooth and nail to make a name for herself and to protect her family.

For me the ending felt a bit rushed, I mean we spent all this time working up to this dramatic finish and it just kind of falls flat. I wish the apologue had expanded a bit more or if there were more details toward the end. I do also wish the book or a bit shorter I don’t know that they needed to be almost 500 pages. The first half of the book I read in a day, then for the majority the second half it started to feel repetitive.

If the character development in this book was amazing. You can tell that the author truly spent time researching and putting souls into the characters. They felt like people I knew or had met instead of just people in a book and those are my favorite type of characters. I think that’s a specially hard to do when you’re writing about real people from history. I love how the majority of the book is taken from history specifically, it’s awesome I appreciated learning so much more. A good deal of this book focused on the building of St. Petersburg which is something I knew little to nothing about.

If you’re a fan of Russian history or historical fiction, I would recommend this book. it might take you a bit to finish it but I think you’ll enjoy it, I know I did.

Impeccably researched. A world so vividly imagined that the reader can almost see the icy breaths taken by impatient horses standing in wintery streets. We know the barest myths of Peter and Catherine but Alpstein brings us into Catherine’s, née Martha’s, world until we feel the grime, the danger, the drunkenness, the torture and the sheer luck of her survival in marriage to one of the most brutal men who has ever ruled a nation. She brings us into wars and battles our school histories never touch upon. Bejeweled hedonists struggling with the paranoia of leadership. A brilliantly rendered historical novel, but be prepared for violence so vile as to be nearly unimaginable in the scope of the victim’s sufferings and onlookers horror. #Tsarina #NetGalley

I was really excited about this book, but it wasn't the book for me. It just didn't keep my interest the way I was hoping it would. I will say the historical accuracy was on point.

A sweeping saga that tells the extraordinary story of the second wife of Peter the Great, a Polish=Lithuanian peasant named Martha who first became his mistress and then, renamed Catherine, became his wife and the empress of Russia. Ellen Alpsten's novel is rich with vivid detail of life in early 18th century Russia--the excesses of the royal court, the challenges of shaping a capital from forbidding terrain, and the cruelty of a tsar whose focus is firmly on his legacy. A fast-paced and exciting read and a fascinating profile of a woman who played a key role in Russia's history.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Beautifully written historical fiction. Author was very descriptive, informative and knowledgeable. I will definitely be purchasing hardcover to add to my collection and to donate to others...