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

I think most people have heard of Anastasia Romanov, but to be honest, I don’t really know a lot about her actual history. Daughters of a Dead Empire takes place in 1918 Russia, where once again, Anastasia survives the assassination against her family. She meets a girl named Evgenia, who agrees to help her find safety for a diamond that would go to great lengths in helping her family.

Their journey together is not always easy, and they often find themselves in very real danger, since Anastasia is still being hunted. Evgenia doesn’t know Anastasia is the Tsar’s daughter – as she’s very pro-communism and probably wouldn’t have helped Anastasia if she knew. However, I liked that they two slowly begin to understand each other’s point of views and see the world through different eyes. I also liked that I got to learn a bit more about this time period and Anastasia, though obviously the main story is fiction.

Daughters of a Dead Empire is a wonderful alternative history young adult book. I wish I had stories like this to read when I was a teen. It was refreshing to read a young adult book that wasn't focused on romance, but friendship.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All the views and opinions in expressed in this review are purely my own and not affiliated with any brand.

I am a sucker for Anastasia retelling and this one did not disappoint! Carolyn Tara O'Neil wrote an excellent story that gives you two different perspectives of that time frame. This was a very well written story that I would recommend to a friend.

This is a beautiful story with such a stunning voice. I loved the plot and the clearly well thought out background and storyline. The cover caught my attention from the first moment I saw it. The detail is pure art. This would def have been a purchase for the library.

A long time fascination with the Romanov family makes this a satisfying and interesting read! Enjoyable by those who enjoy history and those who are just here for a good adventure story.

I was excited to start this book, as most of the historical fiction I've come across/read is centered more on Western history, and while I've read some books based on Russian folklore, I've read very little actually focused on historical events. However, something about this book didn't quite overall hook me or connect with me, though there are still quite a few things I enjoyed about this story.

My favorite thing about this book has to be that it centers the friendship between Anna and Evgenia, and how it follows the ups and downs of their relationship as they struggle with the big topics they fundamentally disagree on. It means that throughout this entire book, Anna and Evgenia are forced to struggle with and think about both each other's beliefs and their own, and how in the end they both do want the same thing, but believe in different sides of the country getting them there. I also just really enjoyed in general that this remains the focus of the story throughout, and no romance suddenly appears to distract from this main aspect. It's refreshing to see and also works really well in this book, as it gives readers a way to see both sides of the war and also how the two might be able to reconcile with each other, if only they took a moment to see the humanity on the other side.

This book also heavily focuses on the civil war, of course, and the tragedies that occur during it, and there are many moments where we see various characters drowning in grief. It's extremely tough to read (or listen to, in my case) at points, but the author does a superb job at writing this grief in a way that makes you truly feel it as well, even if you can't exactly relate to these levels of loss and pain. Additionally, there are many moments where the pair is being hunted down, and I honestly felt so terrified in those moments for them, my heart racing as they looked behind them as they ran. It was all very emotionally written, in a way that steals your attention and keeps it.

I think maybe my main issue is that this book overall felt quite long without much happening physically in terms of their journey. The main journey does happen mentally, for both Evgenia and Anna, as they both learn from each other and the suffering they go through, but sometimes the story seemed to almost slow or pause as these developments were occurring. There wasn't enough happening in their physical journey to match their character growth, and it almost felt like they were moving in circles while growing as people. There's something to be said about that, being stuck in a physical space while you wait for your mind to catch up, but it didn't feel intentional in that sense. It just didn't fully work for me in the end, largely due to how stagnant parts of the book felt because of it.

Overall, I did end up enjoying this, but not quite as much as I thought I would. I'm still interested in what this author writes next, and hope that the next one will work a bit better for me!

First, I want to give this book points for being a YA novel with NO romance. That is such a rare thing to find these days.

This novel is a retelling of the Anastasia story - in this version, Anastasia very much remembers who she is. She is trying to flee to safety across a warring Russia whilst being pursued by the man who murdered her family. She meets Evgenia, a poor girl who is devoted to the Bolshevik cause. The two become unlikely friends, and both have to take a hard look at the cause they believed in and decide what they really want Russia to become.

What I loved about this book was the growing friendship between Anna and Evgenia. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. I really loved the character of Evgenia and how she learns and changes over the course of the story. Her arc was my favorite thing about this novel.

I also really liked how realistic this story felt - it wasn't the fairytale I expected it to be, which was refreshing. There was a lot of detail about the Romanov family and it really set the tone as a historical story rather than the typical fairytale version of Anastasia that I'm used to seeing.

This story was full of action, though it seemed to move a bit slowly in the first half. But that's ok because the second half more than makes up for it.

What I loved most about this novel was that the author does a great job of letting Anastasia and Evgenia grapple with their beliefs and the causes they stand behind. Because we get both of their perspectives, we really see inside their minds and come to understand why they think the way they do.

I really enjoyed this story and recommend it to anyone who wants to read about the Russian Revolution or read a realistic retelling of the Anastasia story.

Daughters of a Dead Empire was such a pleasant surprise! I always enjoy a good Anastasia retelling, but can’t help but be skeptical at some of the books that have come out over the last few years. This story involved epic chases, jewels hidden in corsets, edge-of-your-seat fight seats, and a landscape full of political intrigue and power.

The book also focused heavily on the friendship between Ana and Evgenia, which started out as tenuous but becoming so compelling. I was so happy to read a book with such strong female characters who really grow into themselves.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sign me up for any Anastasia Romanov retelling!! This retelling was well done. I really enjoyed the friendship between Anna and Evgenia. The book was such an adventure and a very enjoyable read altogether. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review!

I really liked this retelling of the classical Anastasia story! Even though Anna is the central character in this novel, I actually found that I bonded more with Evgenia, as she offered a perfect contrast to Anna's character. I liked that we got a character who represented the working class of Russia in this tale, as I often feel like this is missing in other retellings of the classical story. I thought that O'Neil did a great job putting a twist on the story of the Romanovs without overwhelming the readers with too much Russian history.

Alternate Russian history and I am HERE for it!! Giving me very much scary but bad ass vibes. Anna is a bit too much to begin with but I became more and more fond of her as the story went on. I was intrigued as to what would happen next and, as always, this historical fiction sparked an interest to do some research on the real Russian Revolution.

This was such a powerful, thought-provoking book! I've always been interested in Anastasia, and the myths surrounding her. So as soon as I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it! And Daughters of a Dead Empire did not disappoint!

The characters felt so real that I instantly connected to them. I loved seeing their development and growth throughout the story. They were all unique in their own way, and I could understand what each was thinking.

Even though this was historical fiction, and I generally knew how things were going to end, I still felt so invested in this book. I loved the integration of history and fiction. It made the story feel that much more real.

My only complaint was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked a little more time spend tying up loose ends. There was some closure, but I was still left needing a bit more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It isn't a happy book--in fact I nearly cried on a few occasions. But it is so well-written and really made me think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the chance to read Daughters of a Dead Empire in exchange for an honest review!

Interesting take on true history - what if Anastasia Romanova escaped? Chapters switch POV between "Anna" and Evgenia, the peasant Bolshevik who helps her. Fairly nuanced view of monarchy v communism, which is a very complex topic. Would probably spur readers to investigate further into this time period which is what great historical fiction does. Really enjoyed it.

I am fascinated by the story of the last Tsar and his family, and was really excited about this book. There were aspects of it that were done quite well-- the trauma that Anastasia must have felt, the relationship between the girls as they wrestled with their ideals and political identities, the nuance in the powers at play during that time period. Unfortunately, though, the book ultimately fell flat for me. While there were interesting moments, it felt like a novel-length story about two girls running in a circle in the woods while being chased. The end of was not as satisfying as I had hoped. A great premise, it just didn't quite deliver.

Re-imagining the fate of Anastasia, the daughter of Tsar Nicholas, is the central concept here. For many years there was a belief that the one daughter might have survived the family massacre. In O’Neil’s novel, Anna (Anastasia) escapes and gets help from a young Bolshevik girl named Evgenia who doesn’t know the other girl’s true identity. The two girls are being hunted down by a ruthless Russian military leader who is determined to kill anyone who could reveal the facts about the death of the tsar’s family.

What is starkly portrayed here is the reality of the Bolshevik revolution and the beliefs of the common Russian people. After years of oppression, the Bolsheviks have a great deal of support for the revolution, but there are still some who are loyal to the tsar and who make up the White Army. Anna learns quickly about the hardships the common Russians contend with just as Evgenia learns about the atrocities of the Bolsheviks. Readers will see that revolutions have tragic costs on both sides.

O’Neil ventures into Russian history with a twist on what might have happened to Anastasia. The action moves swiftly with the girls in constant danger. What the two have is not a normal friendship, born out of similar beliefs. Evgenia is critical of Anna, the child of wealth, and Anna points out the brutality of the revolutionaries. Evgenia’s common decency and humanity are key to her efforts to help the girl she thinks is simply an aristocrat. She really carries the story, despite Anna being the central figure.

Daughters of a Dead Empire is a sweeping historical friendship story brimming with action, emotion, and humanity. Carolyn Tara O’Neil does an excellent job of exploring all the nuance and complexity of the Russian Revolution without overwhelming the reader—that’s quite an achievement!

Daughters of a Dead Empire....
Premise of 2 young girls from opposites of the spectrum of wealth and quality of life come together in a unique circumstance....

First of all, I love the IDEA of it but....it was really slow and the character's were written deliberately stubborn headed on some issues half of the book. Storygraph rated this book as fast paced but the character's only went back in forth 3 towns (not even cities far apart from each other) My favorite character was Jiri is all i'm going to say. I do think Anastasia's love for her family was written very well but her interactions with people were horrible most of the time. The whole time i saw this relationship with Anna and Evgenia as a romantic twist waiting to bud to fruition but alas, never happened. It was definitely seemed like it would happen more than a regular friendship. \
Again, loved the idea, didn't like the slow execution. A viewpoint of Anna introducing Evgenia to her family or making more change in part of the book would be a better impact than a short epilogue glossing over the 'after'.

An alternate history featuring someone we know very well - Anastasia - this tells the story of what might have happened if she had survived. This isn't a new idea, but it's told extremely well and quite realistically, bringing Evgenia in for a perspective from working class Russia.

I really enjoyed the friendship between Anna and Evgenia, I just really really wish the author had simply made it gayer. The connection they had, the time alone hiding in a cave... it would have been so freaking good if it was gayer.

I did think that this story was extremely slow in the middle, and the girls never seemed to travel far, which added to it. Towards the end it got extremely violent, but the ending was both satisfying and believable.