*Daughters of a Dead Empire* by Carolyn Tara O'Neil is a historical novel set during the Russian Revolution, weaving together the lives of two young women from opposing backgrounds. With rich historical detail and a gritty atmosphere, the story explores themes of loyalty, survival, and resilience. Though sometimes intense, the novel offers a thoughtful look at friendship amid turmoil, appealing to readers who enjoy historical fiction with strong, complex characters.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this, but it wasn’t as interesting as I was hoping. The historical aspects were well done, but the pacing was off and I felt like I spent most of this book waiting for something to actually happen.

This was well done. I was invested in the characters, the plot, the history. Appreciated the authors note about the Romanovs. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this fast paced alternative history set at during the Russian Civil War following the Revolution in 1917. The dual POV works very well, as we slowly unravel who each of these girls are and as both are exposed to a deeper understanding of the country and the systems they thought they knew and understood. This has also been very popular with the high school students in my library looking for historical fiction, and pairs well with other beloved Anastasia films/stories.

I was approved for this as part of a bundle for YallFest and didnt realize this was an Anastasia retelling! Definately interesting.

An alternate history retelling of Anastasia. The characters and their friendships were likable, but it could have been more queer. That would've improved the dynamic more for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

During the Russian Revolution, Anna narrowly escapes death after her family is massacred. Hoping to find her extended family, she enlists Evgenia’s assistance after Evgenia helps her escape the wrath of villagers. Despite being on opposite sides of the revolution, the two girls find they will have to trust each other to survive.

While I was not immediately hooked at the beginning of the book, I was still curious about Anna’s and Evgenia’s fates. I did not find either particularly likeable, but they both had my sympathy. They have strong personalities and are similar in how strongly they initially hold onto their convictions. I often wondered if they would ever be able to understand each other. Because they belong to different classes and hold beliefs about the Russian Revolution that conflict, they are often at odds with each other even as a tentative friendship begins to form. O’Neil does an excellent job of humanizing one side to the other.

I do not know much about Russian history, but I found this to be an interesting alternate retelling of the fate of Tsar Nicholas II’s youngest daughter Anastasia. Multiple moments filled me with unease. The ending was tension-laden as I tried to guess what would happen to Anna and Evgenia. Fans of historical YA fiction and alternate retellings may enjoy this one. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

This book, while slow at times, was a delight for anyone who is a fan of Romanov history. Both Anastasia and Evgenia were really great, well developed characters. The last few chapters were action packed and left your heart in your throat. Great historical fiction!

I was immediately intrigued when I saw that this was an Anastasia retelling. I knew as soon as I read the description that I wanted to read. I thought that it was good.

*More in-depth review to come*

I am not one to jump into historical type books but this book was really good! I enjoy that there is NO ROMANCE within it (don’t get me wrong, I love romance in books) because I feel like it’s very important to those who don’t enjoy having romance or feel uncomfortable with romance. We need more books that focus on strong and heartwarming friendships which is why I would love recommending this book to my friends looking for just that.

Anastasia retelling, need I say more? I have always connected with the story of Anastasia. And this book introduced more facets to the story. Political intrigue, female friendships, and a fast-paced adventure ensured my enjoyment of this story. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I enjoyed this quite a bit! I liked that it’s a retelling of Anastasia since that’s not something I see a ton. It was very fast paced with lots of action since it’s basically Anastasia trying to run away to safety and evade people trying to capture her. It’s definitely engaging and has almost a thriller feel to it with the pacing. The setting was rather immersive as well. I liked seeing these different places they travel to, though the book mostly takes place in the wilderness and a small village. I also liked being immersed in this time period, and it really feels like a brief snapshot of this era.

Anna/Anastasia is sometimes a bit naive but good hearted. She’s still dealing with the trauma of watching her family get murdered in front of her and survivor’s guilt, so I definitely felt bad for her. I liked seeing her go on this journey and realize that people live differently than she did. Over the book, I think she starts to understand where they’re coming from a bit more and can form good bonds with others. She seems very sweet, and I liked how she’s a good friend overall.

Evgenia is more down to earth and realistic, and I enjoyed how her differing views help Anna grow a bit more by exposing her to the real problems in the country. She does tend to put herself and her family first. She can definitely be hot headed and not think about things, but she ultimately does help Anna out which is nice to see.

I also liked the Czech soldier who ends up getting involved with Anna and Evgenia. He seemed pretty good natured and willing to help overall. Even though he’s staying at Evgenia’s house, he’s not awful about it and doesn’t take advantage of the situation, unlike some of the other soldiers. Yurovsky, the man hunting them, is definitely not a nice person. He doesn’t give people the benefit of the doubt and is absolutely ruthless. He did make for a good villain, and trying to escape him provided some compelling moments.

This book does get brutal at times with content warnings for things like torture and murder. Overall, I thought this was a nice retelling of Anastasia that felt somewhat realistic in that events could have potentially played out in this way. If you’re interested in an Anastasia retelling that’s full of fast paced action, I would recommend this.

DNF. Couldn't get into this book, this book just wasn't for me, sadly. Thank you for approving me and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the book.

I did enjoy this. I thought it was well-researched, I saw what O'Neill was doing with both the Whites and the Reds and demonstrating how a revolution, even while well-intentioned, can deviate from its original goals. I even liked the complexities of Evgenia and Anna. I just...sort of wish it hadn't been Anastasia? I feel like the same story could be told without it being her.

Let me start off by saying I love the story of Anastasia. This was a fun take on it with the friendship between Anna and Evgenia. It does a good job of discussing the intricacies of a revolution and the impact on society. I thought it was slow in the middle. They also didn't really go anywhere. The microcosm of society was neat but I would have liked to see more of Russia.

I finished this book in a day. Granted, it was the audiobook reading along with the eARC I was generously gifted, but still. DAUGHTERS OF A DEAD EMPIRE is an alternative history where Anastasia survives the execution of her family and is on the run in the Russian wilds during the Bolshevik Revolution, her only help being a staunch communist supporter who hates everything her family stood for. For a piece of historical fiction, this book was paced pretty well. The plot moved quickly and had my heart racing more than once. I loved seeing how Anna and Evgenia grow both as individuals and the way their friendship evolves as Anna tries to escape those pursuing her. Their relationship was one of those female friendships that dominated the page and made me not lament the lack of romance in the story (it's there, but it isn't the main thing). I thought that O'Neil did a wonderful job catching the brutality, hope and failures of the Bolsheviks and Imperial Russia in having these two girls on the journey she did. In terms of world-building, O'Neil brings to life early the twentieth century Russian countryside and how the civil war between the White Army and the Red Army impacted ordinary people. We have a compelling story here, that is for sure, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, at times being unable to put it down.

Very solidly a 2.5 stars. O’Neil clearly did her research, and the Russian civil war aspect was really well done. But this book was so slow. Glacially slow. Driving home at rush hour while really needing to pee slow. It was punctuated by one or two exciting bits, which just highlighted how slow the rest of the book is. I did like that the book did not shy away from how bad the Bolsheviks were, while also not making excuses for the injustices of inherited wealth and power. As ever, it seems the only winner in Russia is the winter.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

I'm a sucker for Anastasia retellings/adaptations - the story and history of the Romanov's is fascinating. I really enjoyed this book and was so completely invested. I'm not typically a historical fiction person, and while I do wish there had been romance - I really loved Anna and Evgenia's friendship. Despite the odds and ideologies being stacked against them, they persevered. This book was touching while also being high impact with even higher stakes. I was pleasantly surprise by this book, and it might be one of my favorite reads of 2022