I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't put this one down! Truthfully, I know very little about Russian history, but this telling of Catherine I's rise from a life of servitude to Empress of Russia and wife of Peter the Great was incredibly compelling. I really enjoyed the intoxicating prose. Very interesting!

Ellen Alpsten's first novel Tsarina reveals the decadence and cruelty of Imperial Russia under the reign of Peter the Great. The tale builds upon the life of a serf girl known as Marta, illegitimate and sold to a wealthy man as a servant. Fate holds much for this girl, however, as she rises from a miserable existence to the throne of Russia, eventually becoming Catherine I, the first Empress of Russia to rule in her own right. This debut novel is researched thoroughly, making it engrossing and difficult to put down!

Anyone who's craving a true historical epic with a female-centric bent absolutely should read Tsarina. While Catherine I didn't get the moniker "the Great" that the "other" Catherine did, her story was, quite possibly, even more fascinating and even more of an underdog story. It's genuinely thrilling to watch a strong-willed Polish peasant girl named Marta turn into a powerful queen capable of taking the throne.

The characters around her are equally as rich - and, importantly, they're not just men. It's easy to tell stories like hers as a "woman breaking into the boys' club" and ignore or dismiss the women around her. Instead, this book leans into the powerful female relationships (and enemies) Catherine has throughout her life, giving them equal weight to her relationships with her husband, Peter the Great, and his powerful advisors whose favor changed her life.

Catherine's story isn't an easy one, and it's worth noting for readers with sensitivities that there are some blunt (not graphic, but still emotionally fraught) scenes of assault early on. Fortunately, it doesn't feel gratuitous, nor does it feel like a "character building" exercise - it's treated with the horror it should be. Catherine's story is full of dizzying highs and frightening lows, but it's the kind of epic you absolutely can't put down.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten tells the story of Marta Skowronska, the illegitimate daughter of a serf family in Swedish Livonia who, through a series of unusual events met and married Peter the Great and became mother to his twelve children and later Tsarina Catherine I of Russia who was instrumental in turning the Tsardom into a relatively modern Western Empire (no not Catherine the Great……this was another Catherine before her).

We follow this illiterate Catherine through the machinations, intrigue and debauchery of the Russian Court, where she manages to survive by astute observation and sheer will-power.

Ellen Alsten has drawn on the actual people and events of the era to create a saga that will keep readers enthralled with the life of a woman most of us never knew existed. Be forewarned…... as with most history there is a plethora of death and violence. Slavery, brutality and rape all appear to be the order of the day so this novel of historical fiction, while well researched and engrossing is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended..

Just a warning... if you are sensitive to rape scenes, please avoid this book. It also has a number of detailed (consensual) sex scenes, so if that's not your thing, also be warned.

Other than the above, I really enjoyed this book. Although I knew a bit about Catherine the Great's rule, I didn't know much about her early life and what she went through to get where she ended up or about Peter the Great (or not so great I suppose, depending on your point of view). If you aren't as familiar with the Russian Tsars and the family of the Romanovs, the true historical facts in this book are a good way to get started.

This book was not what I expected!! I even feel like I must have read a different book that half of these reviewers. I'm not a prude and I read a lot of dark books and I read a lot of historical fiction; this was the first time that I felt the two have crossed. I don't think I like it.

Though this is dubbed a historical fiction, I must warn you it blurs the edges of erotica in some areas with it's numerous sex scenes from consensual to rape, straight to depravity of incestuous lesbionic acts. It can be hard to read at some points. There is torture, murder, and mayhem. I'm usually a fan of historical fiction but this is really just soft porn with a good plot (is there such a thing as erotic historicals?!?) .

While I did appreciate the world the author created - the great amount of detail she went into and the description that allowed me to see the world through the characters' eyes was quite stunning. Beautiful even. I did not appreciate it used against me in graphic detail to describe lurid and violent acts. I felt like reading the blurb for this book was about one thing and thing reading it was something so much more darker.

I'm not spoiling it for you because this is based on a (duh!!) historical character, Marta, who became Catherine I. There is a lot of liberties that have been taken to sensationalize this book and story. To make the woman who was the Tsarina seem like a deviant. For me, too much focusing on sex took away from the story of the woman who was Marta. When all was said and done this story just made her seem like a conniving, power-hungry woman who used sex as a tool to get what she wanted or was used as a tool. Sad

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **

The life story of catherine I of Russia. I am not very familiar with Russian history so it was an interesting read.

The story of marta is filled with hardship and that stop even after she meets Tsar Peter. I thought the first part of the book was very interesting and it kept my attention, but for me the story in the second part of the book lost steam. It was a lot a misery after another.

I received an ARC Kindle edition of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's get the trigger warnings out of the way: this book gets rather graphic when it comes to sex (including rape and incest) and violence (including torture). Personally, I can tolerate this (mostly), but sensitive readers will have trouble with this one.

This book is a historical fiction that follows Catherine I from her lowly beginnings as Marta the serf to her becoming Catherine I, Tsarina of all the Russias. While, I did enjoy this book, there were times where it started to drag on an on about celebration after celebration and Peter the Great's insistence that everyone drink until he says so. The repetition started getting to me after a while.

I enjoyed the way the book was structured. You can almost see a movie while you are reading. The book opens with the death of Tsar Peter in 1725. The rest of the story is told almost through memory or flashbacks of sorts. Occasionally you are brought back to 1725 as the book progresses.

This book! I didn't want it to end. Written by Ellen Alpsten, I was enthralled from the first sentence to the end. Literally, I could NOT put the book down. One of my favorite subjects to read about is Russian history, particularly the Romanovs. It must be the lavish lives they all seemed to lead, and Catherine I and Peter The Great are absolutely no exception to this. Ms. Alpsten writes in her Acknowledgements that she discovered the story of Catherine I, in a book she was reading when she was thirteen! How the story of Marta/Catherine was with her all her life and how all-encompassing that tale was for Ms. Alpsten. The research alone must have been enormous.
Beautifully written, I felt like I was living the story with every word. Incredibly descriptive and detailed, this book carried me into the early 1700's. I am left with strong impressions of the dirt in the street, the smells in the kitchens, the horrid ways that people were treated. And then once Marta became Catherine, the jewels, the gowns of fabulously rich materials, the foods and alcohol, mainly vodka, all sprang to life for me in Ms. Alpsten's delicious way with words. And the sex!!!!! Bawdy doesn't even begin to describe that pastime!
This is truly a tome to be read by every lover of history. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Publishers; but my thanks goes to Ellen Alpsten and her wondrous array of words in this brilliantly researched and well written story of The Tsarina!

Tsarina is an interesting and eye opening book to the life of the first woman ruler of Russia. Born a serf and through providence and wit, Marta rises above her station and becomes Catherine. Alpsten does an excellent job detailing the trials of Marta's life; the struggles she faced, the barriers she overcame, the intelligence she showed as she fought for her right to live. You can tell that Alpsten did her research.

I was intrigued and horrified at the position Marta and women were placed in during this time period. The idea that women were toys and to be used by the men however they want was repulsive. It was a very stark and blatant reminder of how women have lived in the past and how hard they have fought to get where we are today. I would say the book does need trigger warnings, because my gosh, that was terrible.

Overall, very well put together, intriguing, and educational. I enjoyed learning about this woman who proved everyone else wrong.

I received an advanced copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Romanov family never disappoints. Alpsten tackles the enigma of Catherine I, Peter the Great's second wife. Catherine, or Marta as she was originally named, is a prime example of a rags to riches story. Her actions paved the way for women to legally rule in Russia in their own right. Alpsten does a very good job at weaving together a story of a historical character with minimal historical records. The book is captivating as it expounds upon the lifestyles of two very different groups of people. It also provides a great amount of depth to the personality of Peter the Great. Well worth the read.

I enjoyed this look at life in Russia during the rule of Tsar Peter 1. I was rooting for Marta from the start. The author makes it very easy to imagine yourself in Marta's shoes. I found myself constantly wondering how I would have handled situations that Marta found herself in. All the characters you meet along Marta's journey were well fleshed out no matter how little contact they had with Marta. They were memorable too!

I received this ARC after binge watching The Great. I'll never be one who complains about the historical accuracy of a novel or title that is explicitly labeled as historical fiction. Plus, I am not a huge expert on Russian history outside of their modernization through Peter the Great as he traveled around Western Europe. So this review won't touch on how "historically accurate" this fiction novel is, rather some of the other elements I enjoyed.

Not too much is known about Catherine I's beginnings, mostly because serfs and peasants had no way to record their narratives and experiences - simply because they didn't read and write. I found her life's journey fascinating and intriguing. I loved that this novel centered around her and her rise versus her husband who we remember for so much.

Russia is an extremely violent country with an even more violent history. Alpsten doesn't gloss over some of these more gratuitous moments, but the rape and sexual violence gets to be a bit much by the end of the book. It is a bit of a romance novel in some ways - more than I would prefer, but I didn't find that that aspect bugged me all too much. Because in the end this is a story of a man falling in love with his wife, so romance elements are to be expected.

Overall, there is violence in this novel and romance, but there it is a good story worth telling.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Ellen Alpsten for the ARC of this novel to read and review. </i>

While historical fiction is one of my top favorite genres, it’s sometimes hard to remember that it is still FICTION. That said, I enjoy stories that have me researching characters to find out what really happened.

I have little knowledge about Russian history, so Marta’s story was truly fascinating - from her largely unknown early life as a serf, or “soul”, to the royal consort of Peter the Great, to the first woman to rule all the Russias. It’s easy to see the historical basis in a fantasy series like Game of Thrones after reading this!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow! This was a thicky-thick book, but it was an awesome story!

Tsarina is a historical fiction story about Catherine I of Russia. It was a dark, beautifully written book with descriptions that made me feel like I was right there. Catherine was an incredible, smart, amazing woman and I really enjoyed reading about her! I thought that the author did a wonderful job bringing Catherine and her story to life!

Content Warning: There is descriptive detail of rape.

Overall, I found this book to be an insightful, enjoyable story about a woman in history that I knew very little about. I enjoyed the story and writing!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

History is not sugar-coated here, and there are many instances of rape, physical abuse, and murder. Women are treated as property, and Marta is sold once (almost twice) to others and also given as a gift as if she is an ornament or concubine. One of Marta's companions commits suicide because she cannot handle the rape and murder of her children anymore. Dwarves are treated as pets and less than human, and you see them beaten for displeasing the tsar. There are also Moors that are owned by the tsar, and they are made to stand out in the freezing Russian cold just so their dark skin can glisten next to the ice. Each noble is given land with a number of "souls" on it, and these souls are basically slaves. Body parts are removed when workers try to escape, and on a third escape attempt they are killed. And yet, Peter has a slave that he "treats like family" and sends to Paris to get an education.

One anachronism that bothered me is that in a list of vendors living in Russia in 1725, the author mentions welders. Welding as we know it didn't exist until the 1800s, even though rudimentary blacksmith-style welding of materials did exist before then. Since blacksmiths were listed in the same sentence, I can only assume that this was meant to mean modern welding. I double checked with both Google and my husband, who is a welder. Will the average person catch this or even think about it? Probably not. But it did ruin the historical value of that chapter for me because it seemed so out of place.

Tsar Peter (also known as Peter the Great) is a very unlikeable character that seesaws from a vulnerable, child-like man to a violent and abusive ruler. It's hard to understand sometimes why Marta/Catherine stays with him, other than fear of what will happen if she leaves. Peter becomes increasingly unhinged throughout the book, making even his closest friends and family afraid of him.

If even half the events of this book are true, Marta had such a hard life. She starts to become as cold and ruthless as Peter as the years go by. Her fear of losing her status drive her to manipulate people and ruin lives. Peter and Catherine start to compete for who can do the most horrible things — she disfigures a woman pregnant with Peter‘a child and leaves her to die; he retaliates by torturing and killing her lover and having the man’s preserved head displayed on Catherine’s nightstand.

The novel covers so much ground and so much in terms of time that it's a slog to get through it at times. There are chapters where the action slows and it feels as if time and my interest waned as well. The rape and violence also make it a hard book to read. All in all, I'm left with a glad feeling that I didn't live in eighteenth-century Russia.

Give this book to fans of epic historical sagas who are not squeamish. Readers looking for a book with a strong female character may not enjoy this title, as Marta exists at the whims of the men around her despite her courage.

Thank you NetGallery and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this free electronic advanced readers’ copy of Tsarina! The following review contains my honest opinions.
I love historical fiction, especially stories that focus on the lives of women, and this story does not disappoint! Catherine the First of Russia is a fascinating character. Ellen Alpsten has done a beautiful job with character development. I especially love that I could see how Catherine might have fallen in love with Peter, but also how Peter might have been feared. I do feel that not enough time is spent in developing Catherine’s daughter Elizabeth.
The flow of the story is good but at times the transition in time is awkward. Also I felt the ending was a little lacking, although, I was very entertained at the shift in perspective. I really admire that Ellen Alpsten ambitiously covered almost the entire life of Empress Catherine the First.
In my opinion, the best historical fiction authors include within their author’s note at what points they deviated from historical record to build their story. I felt one paragraph within the acknowledgments to be insufficient,
Ellen Alpsten has told a captivating story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Historical Fiction takes place in 1700s about Catherine I of Russia. (Wife to Peter The Great) While a little interesting to read on the historical side, sections of the book were difficult for me to read due to repeated scenes of sexual violence, incest, and too much graphic violence, which, I felt, were not necessary and disrupted the flow of the book. Very lengthy book and I skipped through a lot of the unpleasant scenes and the long drawn out sections. Disappointing that this book just did nothing for me whatsoever.
3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan books for the opportunity to read Tsarina. I enjoy reading historical fiction and I have been looking to expand into other countries to learn more. I have very little education of Russian history prior to the 1800s and this was definitely a fascinating time in Russian history as I had no idea there was a Catherine I who ruled Russia in her own way. Ms. Alpstein's storyline has encouraged me to reach out and pick up some more books to broaden my knowledge of Russian history.

Riveting! I could not put this book down!
This is a unique look at the life of Catherine the Great that covers her very full life; from her early poverty as a serf, to being sold as a menial servant, to her fascinating rise to become one of the most famous female leaders in history. Her life with Peter The Great lifted Marta (Catherine) To heights of power and luxury that she would never have imagined as a poor child. This is no staid read - it is a novel that rings with both historical accuracy as well as a sense of “stranger-than-fiction”.

If books were rated as movies are I would rate this as a PG for sections of sexual explicitness.

Hearty thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this riveting, fascinating book!