Based on the description and how much I will watch or read anything about Russian history this was a no brainer for me. Everything I want in a historical fiction book was here and has filled my Phillipa Gregory void.

I really enjoyed this look at a historical time and people I've not read much about. I was caught up in the story right from the first page and then the whole way through. I will definitely pick up a copy of Tsarina to read soon.

The Tsarina's Daughter
A Novel
by Ellen Alpsten

#TheTsarinasDaughter

Ellen Alpsten's stunning novel, The Tsarina's Daughter, is the dramatic story of Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great, who ruled Russia during an extraordinary life marked by love, danger, passion and scandal.

Born into the House of Romanov to the all-powerful Peter the Great and his wife,

Catherine, a former serf, beautiful Tsarevna Elizabeth is the envy of the Russian empire. She is insulated by luxury and spoiled by her father, who dreams for her to marry King Louis XV of France and rule in Versailles. But when a woodland creature gives her a Delphic prophecy, her life is turned upside down. Her volatile father suddenly dies, her only brother has been executed and her mother takes the throne of Russia.



As friends turn to foe in the dangerous atmosphere of the Court, the princess must fear for her freedom and her life. Fate deals her blow after blow, and even loving her becomes a crime that warrants cruel torture and capital punishment: Elizabeth matures from suffering victim to strong and savvy survivor. But only her true love and their burning passion finally help her become who she is.

When the Imperial Crown is left to an infant Tsarevich, Elizabeth finds herself in mortal danger and must confront a terrible dilemma - seize the reins of power and harm an innocent child, or find herself following in the footsteps of her murdered brother.

Hidden behind a gorgeous, wildly decadent façade, the Russian Imperial Court is a viper’s den of intrigue and ambition. Only a woman possessed of boundless courage and cunning can prove herself worthy to sit on the throne of Peter the Great.

I really liked this book! As it explores historical figures that aren't often portrayed in books (or at least in the literature that I read) so it was great to read about them!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I have not read Ellen Alpsten's first Novel, Tsarina, in the Romanov Series. However, I do not think that affected my enjoyment of The Tsarina's Daughter at all. I believe the author has done a good job of leading us into the story of Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova, daughter of Peter the Great and wife Catherine, with a family history that was easy to follow. The story progresses nicely as we follow along with the beautiful but spoiled Tsarevna Elizabeth's tumultuous life and court intrigue. The author has included some fairytale characters which have been placed into the story in such a way that is does not detract from the realism of the setting. Russia during this time period was not one I was previously familiar with, but now have a vivid picture of. Everything in the book is described in great detail which encircles the reader drawing them in.

I very much enjoyed the progressions of Elizabeth (Lizenka) from the spoiled girl to the powerful woman she became. Her position was hard won and the choices and sacrifices she had to make were, at times, heartbreaking and emotional. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the well written and researched series.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Griffin for the arc.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and engaging historical story of Tsarina's Daughter. When Elizabeth's father, Peter the Great, dies, and Elizabeth's life spirals downward into danger and mayhem. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and riveting story of a young woman full of courage and determination to overcome the cruelty and violence surrounding her.
I just reviewed The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten. #TheTsarinasDaughter #NetGalley
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Thank you to Netgalley and St, Martin's for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication.

I did not finish this one. I have not read the previous title to this one, but from other reviews I have read that does not seem to matter. I think this was a wrong book, wrong time for me. It's a sweeping look at Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. I was interested in the connection to the Romanovs, but I just can't read epic books like this right now, especially during the pandemic, as my attention span is less. From what I read, the writing was well done.

To me, the Romanovs are one of the world’s most fascinating royal families, and I’ve loved Russian history since I was in high school. I was very fortunate to have received an electronic ARC of Ellen Alpsten’s The Tsarina’s Daughter from NetGalley & St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. I have to admit, I wasn’t all that familiar with Empress Elizabeth, except in relation to Catherine the Great, so I found this book fascinating. This book (fictionally) follows Tsarevna Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova as a young woman on her way to becoming Tsarina of All the Russias. Along the way, Lizenka, as she is called by those closest to her, experiences loss and love and learns who in the Imperial Court can and cannot be trusted. I think this book would be a great resource in a high school or college English or History classroom, especially to create a conversation on the role of women in tsarist Russia and differences in social class, as well as analyzing the historical accuracy. The only thing that bothered me about this book was the anglicization of Russian names. I know this is not something unique to Alpsten and it’s something that bothers me in any book with Russian characters. I would have preferred that the names be written phonetically (Elizaveta, Ekaterina, Nikolai, etc) instead of translated (Elizabeth, Catherine, Nicholas, etc) because I feel like it takes away from the characters’ identities, especially if they are historical figures.

I thank St. Martin's Press and netgalley for providing me with an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Ellen Alpsten and I realised she has written Tsarina before this one, so I am not sure if I should have read that one first before reading Tsarina's Daughter. So I have judged this one as a stand alone.

This book is a fictionalized story of Elizabeth, daughter of Tsar Peter and his wife Catherine, who later became the Empress of Russia. Her journey prior to that wasn't easy. There is love, betrayal, hard work and all elements at work to forge into what she later became.

I liked the story that is weaved and got to read about the rise of Russia during the times that has been described in the book. I love reading historical fiction and this didn't disappoint. The overall life of Russians - be it peasants or the nobility has best been brought forward in this book. I loved the book cover as well. This book not only describes the life of Elizabeth, but also brings forward other elements.

When I saw this book I was so excited. I loved The Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten and I had to read this one. I was not disappointed this book was excellent. I never knew much about Elizabeth and I thourghly enjoyed learning about her life. Ms. Alpsten paints pictures with words that makes you feel like you're actually there. If you're a fan of historical fiction this book is a must read! I'm so glad she will be writing another book. I can't wait to read it!

The second book in this series by Ellen Alpsten was even better than the first, Tsarina. I didn’t think is was possible to surpass the historical lessons and intricate details from Tsarina but Ellen Aplsten has exceeded all expectations I had for this book. The Tsarina’s Daughter follows the life of Elizabeth daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. Elizabeth has to learn who is her friend and who is her enemy as the throne in Russia goes through upheaval after Peter the Great dies. This is a fascinating look at the royal family of Russia. I could not stop reading until I got to the end. Thank you so much to #netgalley, the publisher, and author for my requested ARC.

Ellen Alpsten is quickly becoming a favorite author and historical fiction a favorite genre. I absolutely adore the story of Tsarevna Elizabeth and her struggle through the dangerous terrain of the Russian Imperial Court!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the pleasure of reading The Tsarina's Daughter!

First, the positives: The writing is wonderfully evocative--you can really see and hear and smell life in the Russian imperial court. The pacing was appropriate, and many of the characters were vividly described.

Now, the downsides: The story was too sudsy for my liking. Elizabeth fell in love at first sight multiple times throughout the book, simply because the story seemed to demand it. Likewise, relatives with whom she was extremely close early on later turned on her for reasons that weren't demonstrated to my satisfaction. Given the liberties that were taken with certain historical aspects, I don't feel that "well, that's what happened in real life" was enough.

All that said, given that I read the first book in this trilogy (Tsarina) as well as this one, I'll likely read the third when it's published, if simply to see what Ellen Alpsten does with the characters next and to savor being swept away into Russian court life again.

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

This book follows Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great. It gives details of life in the Imperial Russian court before the fall of the Romanov Empire which I always find so fascinating and which we never really learned about at all in history class (no surprise there). A well written story with just enough fiction to keep me invested, but a great history lesson.

For whatever reason, I have always been fascinated by the Romanovs, so I definitely looked forward to reading this, the story of Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine. It did not disappoint! It was a fascinating look not only into the life of Elizabeth herself, but also into the Imperial Russian Court during this time period and all of the deviousness that it entailed. If you enjoy political and court intrigue or have at least a small interest in the Romanovs or this period of Russian history, you should be delighted by this book.

This was such a good read. I love reading historical fiction, as it mixes facts with the fictional story. Most of the story centers around Elizabeth( Lizenka) the daughter of Tsar Peter the Great and Catherine 1 of Russia. It is the continuation of a book that I have not read as of yet. Russian history is filled with beauty, love, family, hate, betrayal and murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the first in the series, as well as the third installment. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful book. I give this a 4 out of
5.

I didn't realize that this was the second in the series when I read it, but I don't think that affects the book too much. Alpsten's <i>The Tsarina's Daughter</i> is a fictional account of the life of Elizabeth I.

There were parts of the book I really like--Alpsten is great at descriptions of the scenery, dresses, and food, but as others have said there are a lot of historical inaccuracies even for a historical fiction novel. The biggest issues that stood out to me were how uneven the plot was (her accession to the throne happens in the last 5% of the book) and is really anti-climatic given the build-up to it. The magical element with the leshy also feels out of place. It comes in during the beginning of the book and then just at the end. I don't think it would have made any difference if that part had been cut out.

There's also an overuse of Russian words. I get that it adds to the atmosphere, but everything white is described as "smetana" colored and it gets a little goofy after a while.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Brave by necessity and ambitious by nature, Tsarevna Elizabeth is the heroine of historical fiction fans' dreams! Ellen Alpsten's follow up to "The Tsarina" is a fast-paced, thoroughly captivating story of a time of turmoil in Russia that follows Elizabeth from her childhood of privilege as she navigates the changing momentum of favor within the Imperial Court, International events and influence add to the already-treacherous landscape of intrigue and duplicity within the court, the description of which provides an interesting contrast of its extreme wealth and indulgence with the harsh and deteriorating living conditions of the Russian serfs. Alpsten's usage of the prophecy given to a young Elizabeth was an effective tool that provided a connective thread and an opportunity for reflection at inflection points throughout the book.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Tsarina's Daughter and provide and honest review.

Ellen Alpsten’s stunning new novel, The Tsarina’s Daughter, is the dramatic story of Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great, who ruled Russia during an extraordinary life marked by love, danger, passion, and scandal.

I love Historical Fiction. This book took a true story and added in what could have been said or happen.

This is the story of the Romanovs. Peter and Catherine, herself not his first wife, but a former serf. The lovely Tsarevna Elizabeth and her sister are the only children left of their union. And they were born before the couple wed, so yes they are illegitimate. The only son was executed for treason and his infant son banished.

While she is adored and has an embarrassment of riches, nothing actually belongs to her. Everything can change without notice. And when Peter dies, Catherine rules. But not for long and she isn’t very good at it and trusts people who would see them all dead.

When Catherine dies, Elizabeth is pretty much banished and penniless. But she does have the support and loyalty of the soldiers and people of Russia.

When the crown is turned over to an infant, Elizabeth will find herself out in the cold and in mortal danger. Elizabeth has a decision to make. Remove an innocent child and rule herself or be executed for treason. And while she abhors bloodshed, she will be fine with banishing you to Siberia.

I love Elizabeth. She went from spoiled and carefree to a warrior. There was so much opulence and overindulgence here it was embarrassing. The Imperial Court was full of snakes in waiting. Everyone looking to move up a notch and not caring how they did it. Elizabeth was such a courageous and sly heroine and I adored her and this book!

NetGalley/March 15th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Griffin