I really did not care for this novel. In the past, I have enjoyed books about Russia, both fiction and nonfiction. In my opinion, this author was trying to match the historical soap opera feeling of Showtime's series "The Tudors". Parts of the novel were indeed juicy. I was momentarily interested, then the narrative returned to enormous amounts of tedious detail.
For the first 10% (or less) of this fairly long book, I enjoyed the detail of life in Czarist Russia at the time of Peter the Great. The author described the environments so clearly that I could feel the atmosphere and picture the scenery. This is commendable. However, it went on and on and began to feel excessive. I skimmed shamelessly in search of the meat of the plot. There seemed to be a good story hidden amidst all of these descriptions.
Unfortunately, I never liked Elizabeth or her contemporaries. Their lives were completely decadent. This is probably an accurate depiction of Czarist Russian life for the royals and aristocrats, but these characters were not at all likeable. They were not even the types of soap opera characters a viewer (or reader) loves to hate. These were just despicable gluttonous people. Since this is a work of fiction, the author could have instilled some redeeming qualities in at least a couple of these characters. I could not have cared less about them. Nothing made me want to read their story.
I read ~80% of the book then skipped to the last chapter to see what happened. When I chose this book, I did not know it is the second in a series. However, if stands on its own perfectly well. Readers who enjoy enormous swathes of detail and are willing to read hundreds of pages of it may enjoy this book more than I did. I gave it 3 stars out of guilt. I did not like the development of these characters at all. This book might have been better if it were half the length.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't realized there was a prior book, which isn't something I've read. However, this story did make sense on its own. However, it did seem a bit wordy/overdetailed at times, which stalled the plot and pulled me out of the story. I did enjoy learning a bit more about the tsars of Russia. Elizabeth is a well-crafted character with solid development. If you enjoy slow-burn historicals, you may want to check this one out. Reading the prior book may add to the enjoyment of this one.

The Tsarina's Daughter is a fictional retelling of Elizabeth, daughter of Tsar Peter the Great and his wife, the Tsarina Catherine. The setting is the 1700s. It is along the lines of Phillipa Gregory's books about the Tudor family in England. The book ventures between romance and political intrigue. I liked it because I learned a lot about the time period, which was very interesting, especially all the diplomatic intrigue between Russia and other countries. Elizabeth was a frustrating protagonist at times, sometimes strong, sometimes naive. At times it felt like we were only rooting for her because of her bloodline, which the book made clear shouldn't be used to determine a ruler. But still very interesting and entertaining. The visuals of Russia in this time, and the stark discrepancy between the wealthy upper classes and the great poverty in the country, were fascinating.

Life at Peter the Great's court in Russia is a deadly challenge for his daughter Elizabeth. Not knowing who to trust and who she can turn makes her every move dependent on her intellect and cunning. A well-written historical fiction book well worth the read.

DNF

This is one where I am like, "It is not you. It is me."... I think? Honestly I just was not connecting with it and I am not sure if it is the narrative style or just my head-space and patience as a reader. This may be one that I have to revisit later, but right now it is just not landing with me at all. I love that this is historical fiction that is NOT tackling WWII because I have WWII fatigue when it comes to my historical fiction, but this is more overwhelming than anything and I am just finding it hard to bring myself to character about the characters or story.

I received an ARC of this a few weeks back and unfortunately wasn't able to finish before publication because of work-related things (working in a college can be so stressful!) but anyways, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

Another unfortunately, but I didn't know that this was technically a sequel? I did not read the previous book so I went in blind. I think this book can be read as a standalone though since the previous book was about Catherine I. "The Tsarina's Daughter" is the fictionalized account of Elizabeth, the daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great. I loved Alpsten's writing. They do a brilliant job of bringing life and vibrancy to history in a way that makes it feel very much larger than life. That said, I did find myself getting bored? At some points in the story, Elizabeth's perseverance just comes across almost nonsensically because it felt like she was being pointlessly reckless. I also thought that at the heart, the narrative was just boring. It was all about Elizabeth's loneliness and her search for love after everything the Leshy had told her it had "foreseen". I don't know why, but it just kind of felt lazy to me to rely so heavily on that aspect of Elizabeth who seemed to be very cool on her own.

I will say that I would recommend this for somebody who is interested in Russian history and the writing is gorgeous. I just felt it was a tad too long and some of the characterizations just felt unrealistic even for a fictionalized account.

This is book 2 in the series the prior one was Tsarina and was about Catherine the Great. The book truly made these larger than life people from our history books into humans that you understood. For me the issue was the writing style of the book it was a little all over the place making the book harder to read.

Ellen Alpsten’s The Tsarina’s Daughter tells the epic and sweeping fictionalized life story of Elizaveta, the daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great.

I listened to the audiobook and found myself swept away in a would that felt more like science function than history. The extremes depicted from Russian court life to that of those out of favour blew me away. Alpsten’s descriptions brought the beauty and grotesque ways of life in historical Russia alive.

Elizaveta’s hardships build upon each other and I was shocked by the ability for her situation to continue to deteriorate and her strength to continue forward.

This style of fictionalized history about women is one of my favourite thins to read. I love the history that is shared and the beautiful storytelling that brings these historical figures to life.

I should note, that I did not realize that this was the second book in a series when I started, but I did find that it stands up well as a stand alone read.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten was released March 15th, 2022.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press . Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Blog link: https://pinkcowlandreads.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-tsarinas-daughter.html

#TheTsarinasDaughter #EllenAlpsten #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, Ellen Alpsten, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was released on March 15th, 2022!

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten is the follow-up novel to Tsarina that was released in 2002. The first book is about Catherine I. This book is about her daughter, Elizabeth. This book can be read as a standalone, although I do wish I read Tsarina first. Elizabeth is born into the Romonav House and her father is Peter the Great. He has offered her hand in marriage to King Louis of France. Her hopes are high and can’t wait to assume her new role. But then her father dies and her mother, who was a former serf, rises to the throne. However, those who have their own ambitions rise in court, and Elizabeth’s life is filled with danger, even by those who she trusted. She will discover that loyalty comes and goes with the wind. She will watch the rise and fall of many leaders and hope she can survive.

It took me a while to get into this book. While the subject matter has always interested me, it just felt a little lackluster. I took a class on Catherine the Great, who I assume will be the main character in the next novel? The part that is so intriguing is the political intrigue–it is the danger and not knowing who to trust. But I felt that concept took the backburner in this story. The focus was love and Elizabeth’s loneliness after Leshy (a forest spirit) told her she would never marry. I did love the lore, but there is so much more to Elizabeth than her love life. It just made her feel so unrealistic. She felt like a character, not a historical person. But the emotion is there. Every time she lost someone in her life, it did pull my heartstrings.

After the death of Peter the Great, the pace of the novel really picked up. I did appreciate how the author talks about the different visions of the Tsars. Some wanted to change, and some wanted to keep to the Old World ideologies. While the main plot is consistent with historical facts, there were some minor details that were not accurate. For instance, Count Lestocq would always whip out his tarot cards. While tarot cards did exist then, they weren’t used for fortune-telling purposes until much later. As I said, this is a minor detail. It just felt like something that didn’t need to be a reoccurring part of the story. But I will probably look into reading the first book. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

This second Alpstein historical novel imagines the tangled lifeline of a Tsarina’s illegitimate daughter born into a family of power hungry people whose predilections for torture, murder, and vile punishments are the stuff of legend. Any one member of this family would make Henry VIII seem like a mild mannered saint. Yet this woman chose to curtail the bloodshed at least during her lifetime and in her reign. If she didn’t stop the tortures, she at least ameliorated punishments to no longer include death. With so little known in this country about the Tsars and Tsarina’s who ruled Russia, this series is a welcome addition to fact-based historical novels. Highly recommend.

I've always had a fascination with the Romanovs, so this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed it very much! I felt like I was in the middle of a movie. I felt for Elizabeth, it could not have been easy being a daughter of Catherine the Great. This book was well written. I appreciate the opportunity given by NetGalley in order to read this book.

In "The Tsarina's Daughter", Ellen Alpsten continues her fascinating history of Russia with the story of the daughters of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. During a visit to her mother's long empty palace at Kolomenskoye, 14 year old Lizenka and her elder sister Anouska spend their time in forbidden pursuits. While playing in the deserted rooms of the palace, Lizenka challenges her sister to sit on their grandfather's throne. Later, they spend time with their old nurse, who regales them with old Russian tales of the forest, about a sacred oak grove, a cursed ravine, where one could have any question answered. Then, the conversation shifts to their half brother and who might succeed to their father's throne. Their father, Peter the Great, has forbidden anyone to talk about their late half brother Alexei, who he executed. Under Russian Salic law no woman can inherit the throne. While their mother sleeps, Lizenka and Anouska steal away to the forest and become lost. There, they meet an evil Leshy, who curses them and future Romanovs.
When the two girls return to their father's palace, Peterhof, their future is discussed. Lizenka hopes to marry the king of France. Anouska falls in love with the Duke of Holstein, who has his eye on her younger sister. Their mother still has hopes of delivering a son and heir. At court, they meet their late half brother's young son, Petrushka, who is kept away from their father. Cousins arrive from Germany.
What follows is the coming of the future foretold to the girls in the grove. After the death of their parents, rival claimants to the throne appear and a power struggle ensues. Anouska, whose marriage fails, dies and leaves a young son. Young Petrushka, who has always loved his older Aunt Lizenka, is to marry an older woman, the daughter of a plotting minister. His anger at Lizenka's rejection of his marriage request leads to dire consequences for her, when Petrushka displays his grandfather's cruel nature. Fate intervenes again and again to topple the dreams of each claimant to the throne. Three times Lizenka hopes to be made heir, three times she is disappointed.

The author's great strength is her vivid descriptions of the characters, Russian life and culture, the country itself. We feel the mud squishing through the girl's toes as they slid down the embankment to enter the ravine and the grove. We can hear hiss of the red hot pinchers and smell the burning flesh when Buturlin is punished. We can taste the butter drenched pierogi stuffed with fillings, both savoury and sweet, and smell the solyanka simmering on the hearth. Being a baker, my favourite scene has to be when Lizenka decides to make a kulich for the new love of her life, Alexei.

Although this is the second book in the author's trilogy, you don't need to read the first to follow the plot of this one. I have read both books and can't wait for the third.

I have always loved Historical Fiction and along with that, novels of Russian Historical Fiction have always called out to me. Having read "Tsarina" this sequel was (for me) a necessity. The 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 answered that call. I found it fascinating, definitely dramatic while we take the journey with her. Reading this history of Russia is interesting and you can see through the centuries and decades how history (fictional or not) have dealt with Russia and its people. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Tsarina Elizabeth is born to Peter the Great and Catherine I ( a serf) who rule Russia. She is spoiled by her father and lives in luxury. Her father dreams that Elizabeth will marry King Louis XV of France . A woodland creature gives Elizabeth a Delphic prophecy. When the king dies, her only brother is executed then Catherine becomes queen. Elizabeth is 31 and must make a decision to claim the crown. If she doesn’t, she fears Russia would be ruled by a foreign ruler. If she does claim it, she must “displace” her one year old cousin Ivan. What will she decide to do?

This is a very well researched and vividly imagined. The writing is expressive and persuasive. The plot of the story is a tale of life, love, treachery and more. I found and liked the story as it is fascinating and absorbing. It’s a great historical novel.

4.5 stars

It was down to the wire, but I finished this early this morning and was again so impressed with the author’s research and storytelling ability. The second in a planned trilogy, you could read this as a standalone. It is a long book (514 pages), but it goes by quickly and you definitely become immersed in young Elizabeth’s life. I feel bad for the author because this is a tough time to have a book about Russian royalty come out given all that’s happening in Ukraine. Thankfully, it’s written about people so far in the past that I was able to solely focus on the content and storytelling abilities. I think what you want the most from good HF - in depth research, accuracy, good storytelling and a good pace. This book checked all those boxes. I’m really looking forward to the next installment and I hope by the release of the final book, we have peace and Putin and his cronies are held accountable.

this dramatic informative descriptive historical story is unpredictable tragic and a real page turner and a must read. The characters are complex and interesting and puts you right into their lives.

I was fortunate enough to read Ellen’s book, TSARINA, back in 2020 about Catherine I, who was at one time a peasant and was Peter the Great’s second wife. She was briefly Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death in 1727.

This is an outstanding historical fiction novel. This book tells the story of Catherine and Peter’s daughter, Elizabeth. The book runs from Elizabeth as a pampered teenager through her coup to become Empress of Russia.

This book has got descriptions that will make you feel like you have been transported to the courts of Russia between the mid 1720s and 1741.

The dialogue is easy flowing and really enhances the way the plot is presented.

I learned about someone in history I knew little about and I learned a lot about bloodlines and their significance.

The author’s notes also wraps up nicely what happened with many of the characters after Elizabeth stages her coup.

This one has the grandness of royalty, political intrigue, love, strong women, and even a curse from a forest creature.

If you are a historical fiction fan, I highly recommend this one.

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten. Pub Date: March 15, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟. I always appreciate reading novels in which I learn about something unknown to me or I have little knowledge about. This novel fits that mark and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s lengthy, full of detail, but the short chapters keep the story flowing. It’s a story about Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine and Peter the Great. She lived a tumultuous life, born out of wedlock, shunned by the throne and later succeeded in re-establishing her place in the Russian hierarchy. A woman of perseverance and dominance, she was not to be messed with and by the end of the novel I felt respect for her story. Read this novel if you enjoy historical fiction! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this free e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #stmartinspress #bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookworm @netgalley @stmartinspress

4.5 Rounded to 5

What a great follow up to Tsarina! I am seriously loving the historical fiction genre. The Tsarina's Daughter is mixed with family drama, court intrigue, betrayal, love, grief, loss and rising from the ashes. Whew!!

I saw some reviews where readers didn't appreciate the backstory in Elizabeth's life, but I for one LOVED it. To see how she grew up, how the relationships, love and loss affected her and changed her were (I think) pivotal in understanding how she ended up taking over the throne.

We again get to see (albeit in small doses thankfully) the brutality and downright coldness a Tsar, and those trying to obtain and hold their position of power, can bestow. We also see how they ignore the truth of their country to self-indulge and take what they believe they are due. This is one time period I would never want to go back to!!

The writing is fantastic, the pacing good, and the character development and relationships were perfect. I love the cast of characters list in the beginning and the further explantation of the main persons at the end. It really helped to keep it all straight.

This is definitely one for fans of the genre, who also love court intrigue and family drama. This is out now so go grab yourself a copy! The Tsarina's Daughter can be read standalone so no biggie if you haven't read Tsarina BUT I recommend that one as well!

I sincerely appreciate St. Martin's Press for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

This is a story of the Romanov ruler Elizabeth. I do not remember having learned much about her and it made for an interesting read. I feel like she is a historical figure that is not often presented except as a side note or just a notch on the timeline. Her life was fascinating and heartbreaking. This book made me want to look more into her and I am curious where the author may have embellished and what was taken straight out of history. Some of it was so hard to read and it is hard to imagine those times and how brutal they could be, but I will hand it to this author that her words made it so vivid, it came to life in my mind.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it was a good book overall and I enjoyed it for the most part but I would not want to read it again. It was fairly long but it had a ton of chapters and most were pretty short. This was an interesting way to write and lay out the novel. I did feel that there were a few too many breaks, but at the same time it did make it easy to put the book down frequently. This novel moved fast at times and slow at others.