This was an interesting book about Tsarevna Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. I don't know much about Russian history and this was a way to get a glimpse.

This was pretty long though. I listened to it on audiobook and I listened at twice the speed so I didn't have to commit nearly 18 hours of time. That might be my one complaint. The length. And there were some pretty graphic descriptions of violence. But it was interesting.

I probably wouldn't recommend this to others unless they were big into Russian history though.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

THE TSARINA’S DAUGHTER
Ellen Alpsten
Historical Fiction / Russian Fiction

Following the ups and downs of Tsrevna Elizabeth in the 1700’s. Then her rise to power and her protection of her nephew until he can become the rightful heir to the House of Romanov.

This book was a bit long and slow in places but I throughly enjoyed it. As a Second generation born in America Russian, it really fascinated me to learn more of the history of Russia. While this book is based on a true story, authors often take liberties. I researched a bit but haven’t had the time to take a deep dive into the historical aspect. This was definitely a five star read for me. I recommend this book to any history buff and anyone who has a special love of Russian history.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten is the first book I've listed to/read by Ellen Alpsten. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version, which is brilliantly narrated by Anna Krippa. Her Russian accent is beautiful; also, trying to read those Russian names? Forget about it! I felt totally immersed in the freezing Russian winters, palace life, love and the heartbreak of the Tsarina's daughter.

Tsarevna Elizabeth, born into the House of Romanov is the coddled daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine I, who was once a serf. She and her sister Anna are extremely close and lived in the lap of luxury. Peter had big plans for his daughter Elizabeth: He planned for her to marry King Louis XV of France and rule by his side in Versailles. But for royals, just not the rest of us, life doesn't always go as planned. Elizabeth receives a strange prophecy by an old crone/creature in the woods, and soon those prophecies begin to come true. Her beloved father Peter the Great dies, and Catherine I takes the throne. Trusted people of the Court become enemies and try to bend Catherine I to their will. When her mother dies, Elizabeth is not named heir, and her life becomes one of danger. She is strong, however, and soon overcomes being a victim and learns the rules of survival. When the Imperial Crown is left to an infant Tsarevich, Elizabeth must make a horrible decision; will the last part of the prophecy come true?

I had great interest in this book, as my paternal grandmother's family is from Russia and she was related to Tsar Nicholas II. Also, my husband and I, along with my parents, visited Russia a number of years ago; it was a fascinating and strange journey. The author apparently did a huge amount of research for this book and I was duly impressed. Elizabeth lived a life of great luxury and also dismal poverty, but she was a fighter. Things became very difficult for her after Peter the Great died, and her fortunes went up and down. This book is not for the faint of heart. People were punished in horrible ways; the torture of one of Elizabeth's lovers was gruesome, but such is the way of a lot of history. (Hope we've all learned something from that.) It was heartbreaking when Elizabeth lost her beloved sister. They had become estranged, but found each other once again before Anna died. The book began suspensefully in 1741 when Elizabeth staged a coup d’état to take the throne of All the Russias, and the infant emperor's fate was being decided. We then go back and see the events that led to that pivotal moment. I admit I was very confused with trying to keep track of who was who; the confusing Russian names didn't help. But I eventually just let that go and went along for the ride. I loved the afterword when we learn the fate of the true characters in the book; it was simply fascinating. I was very impressed by the narrator and would love to listen to more books which she narrates. I also want to go back and read Tsarina, Ms. Alpsten's previous book.

I received an ARC of this book/audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is a follow up to Tsarina , which restarted my fascination with the Russian Royalty. In her own right Elizabeth should be the heir to the Russian empire. However, due to the technicalities that she is the bastard first born to Tsar Peter and his lover Catherine, she is told that she will never rule Russia. I loved the historical aspect of both novels. This is certainly not a standalone novel. You have to read Tsarina in order to get the big picture of how Peter the Great ruled Russia. Love it from start to end. I also liked the fact that the author put information of what happened to the people in the book at the end. It tied everything up nicely. I listened to the audio book and really enjoyed how the narrator brought the book to life. This is a must if you love historical fiction and royalty.

I just couldn't get into this book. Maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read it. I think it has potential. Therefore, I can only give it a moderate review. Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to look at it.

At over fifteen hours long, this audiobook was a challenge to get into at first. It started with Elizabeth’s childhood and a childish adventure to the pagan gods in the ravine near the summer residence. The pagan gods’ prophesy haunted Elizabeth throughout the following years as she fell in and out of favor and as she saw those who she loved above all get chewed up and spit out by life in Tsarist Russia. There was intrigue aplenty right through the last minutes of the book.

Because the plot was so complex, with a score of characters, I did best with the audiobook when I could listen to it for hours at a time, especially during my trips from the Connecticut River Valley to central Jersey. At first, I tried listening in half hour increments at bedtime, but I failed to feel any connection to or investment in the story. That only occurred when I could listen for long uninterrupted periods.

Of course, this book didn’t have to be fifteen hours long. Some of the physical descriptions were over the top, for example, spending precious minutes describing particular gowns that never reappeared nor had special meaning. My other gripe with the author is the overuse of certain words, such as smetana, to the extent that I almost rolled my eyes at every mention.

The narrator for this book was brilliant. She spoke with a slight Russian/Slavic accent that made the Russian names and words used in the story blend right into the narrative. She also did different voices for certain characters that were distinct enough to know who was talking, but not so over the top to be a caricature.

In general, I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I almost immediately borrowed its predecessor, Tsarina, as an audiobook from hoopla. I didn’t realize that Tsarina’s Daughter was a sequel until that fact was mentioned in a review that I read after finishing the book. It’s so well written that it stands alone perfectly; all the characters and significant events of the prior book were so well introduced and explained that I felt like I had missed nothing by not having read the prior novel.

I received this audiobook as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I’ve been enthralled with the Romanovs since I saw my first Faberge egg. While most of my reading has focused on the falling of the dynasty, I was intrigued by this story set after the reign of Peter the Great.

It was FASCINATING to see the cultural backdrop of Russia’s imperial court. I loved learning about the court intrigue and the ruthless way power changed hands.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5, would buy. Really enjoyed reading this book even if it was really long, i would reread and recommend!

In her sequel to “Tsarina” Ellen Alpsten continues to explore the Romanov dynasty by focusing on the daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a character whom we see grow from a self indulgent princess to a woman of her people. The choices that she must make to become a part of history culminate throughout the novel and sets up an ending that will make its reader look forward to the conclusion of Alpsten’s Romanov trilogy. Narrated by Anna Krippa her efforts made the novel come alive and added to my enjoyment of it as well. In having narrated its predecessor it added a fine sense of continuity and gave insight into the nuanced relationships and overall arching plotllines. Coming in at 17hrs and 12 minutes I give the audiobook 5 out of 5 stars. As for the novel I enjoyed this novel for its pace, attention to detail, and insight into historical events. I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the novels audiobook. Out of five stars I give this novel a strong four out of five. I recommend it for fans of historical fiction and Philippa Gregory novels.

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten
Narrated by Anna Krippa
I find Russian history interesting but this historical romance did not really appeal enough to me to make me want to read book one of this trilogy. If I decide to read about Catherine the Great then I sill read Robert K. Massie’s history.
There were some strange linguistic usages that were anachronistic such as using the word porkies for lies, which is Cockney rhyming slang and using the phrase “blow my cover.” Also, way too much use of the Russian word for sour cream.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this audiobook.

The Tsarina's Daughter is the story of Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great of Russia. I read this book as a stand alone, not knowing that it is the second book in a trilogy. I am sure that I would enjoy the first book, but did not need it to enjoy this one. This book was everything I enjoy from historical fiction. It had a fascinating setting and time, events based on fact and engrossing characters. The author does a great job telling us the story of Elizabeth and the Romanov family. As with any good historical fiction, it made me want to know more about the history, so I had to look up about this time in Russia's history, the Romanov family and the Tsars and Tsarinas of Russia. The story was fast paced and the very talented narrator, Anna Krippa did a wonderful job keeping the story moving, pronouncing Russian words and keeping the reader engaged in the story. She was able to bring the character of Elizabeth alive. I hope to listen to more books narrated by her in the future, as well as looking forward to the third book in the trilogy that will no doubt go more in depth of the reign of the Empress Elizabeth.

I did not find this story engaging, despite my love of Russian history and fiction. It moves slowly for my taste, and I don’t feel like enough takes place to make this a complete narrative. This is a fascinating time period of Russian history, with many monumental changes instituted by Peter the Great, but I found the author’s descriptions of these events tedious and banal. I do think that Elizabeth is a likable character, and I enjoyed many of the smaller tidbits of Russian lore and culture thrown into the story, but overall it was a miss for me.

The narrator did an amazing job. Over it is a historical fiction book based loosely on Elizabeth the daughter of Catherine the Great. It doesn’t follow the actual history but the story she writes is well written. If she had just written a truly fictional story with fictional characters, it would have been better. I kept looking up the history to see how close the book would follow, but I ended up confused. Overall a great book if you just focus on the story told.

Review was also left on my goodreads and StoryGraph account

Ellen Alpsten has done it again with this epic 18th century Russian historical fiction work following the life of Catherine I's daughter Elizabeth and her tumultuous life at court. Full of intrigue, betrayals, romance and adventure this is the perfect book for fans of Russian history or authors like Phillippa Gregory and Bryn Turnbull's The last grand duchess. Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance review copy. I learned so much about a period of Russian history that has often been overlooked. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially on audio narrated by Anna Krippa (a new to me narrator). My only critique was that this was a big time commitment at just under 17 hrs listening time!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress @netgalley for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Sweeping Saga. I didn’t know that this was book two of the Tsarina trilogy, but no matter, it worked as a stand-alone. It deserved the jazz hands 👐🏼! I like reading about history, and this historical fiction was fantastically well-researched. This is a time period in Russian history that I didn’t know about. Tsarina Elizabeth was flanked but two Catherines: Tsarina Catherine I, wife of Tsar Peter the Great and Tsarina Catherine the Great. This fictional retelling was filed with colourful characters, merciless ambitions and vengeful determination. Alpsten has a superbly detailed writing style that kept you interested. The story engendered strong emotions. I was here for all of it. I liked this so much and the narrator was perfect, that I just got book one from audible.

Elizabeth Petrovna aka as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, was the second oldest daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine, who had twelve children where only the girls would survive. Elizabeth was The daughter born to Peter and his second wife Catherine, who happened to have been a former maid. Catherine would go onto to be the head of Russia while Elizabeth would follow after seizing the throne.

Elizabeth was reputed to be a beautiful lady, one who had a natural wit and was able to handle well the intricacies of royal life. This book which I listened to was a follow up to the book Tsarina by Ellen Alspen, and narrated by Anna Krippa, who did a wonderful job with the Russian names of which there were many.

However, this was a story of a young girl, surrounded by beauty, insulated by the court in which she lived, and the only education she received was that given to her by her mother, Catherine. She grew up thinking of eventually marrying Louis XV the ruler of France but seemingly because of her mother's background, Elizabeth was cast aside. Life changes for Elizabeth when her father dies. To show how treacherous conditions were at court, her father had her half-brother executed, in an attempt to ward of a possible grab for the throne by his son. Considered not that educated, Elizabeth and her sisters did have a French governess who encouraged her in her learnings of French, math, art, and sports. She became fluent in Italian, German, and French Elizabeth like her father loved riding, sledding, and hunting.

When grown into womanhood, Eliabeth was betrothed to Charles Augustus, but tragedy was to befall the tsarina as both Charles and her mother died within a short period of time. At this time, Elizabeth was seventeen years old. For Elizabeth there were few prospects for marriage so she instead took a young sergeant as her lover. When t wa found out, this young man was sent to Siberia and thus ended that relationship. She had other lovers among the men of lower birth in the court, but eventually developed a relationship with Count Alexi Razumosky which it was rumored to have turned into a marital one secretly.

As the years went on and one after the other assumed the throne, Elizabeth seized the throne, relegated the church to a minor position and assumed an astute and well-loved leadership. She was a forward thinker and gifted politically, throwing out the overpowering Germans and establishing education for all (except the serfs), and was the person behind the scenes establishing the first Russian University. She ruled well, even abolishing the death penalty because of her hatred of bloodshed.

She never had a child so she selected her nephew, Peter as heir to the throne. From his birth, the infant, Peter belonged in essence to the state. Elizabeth's court was dazzling, elegant, and lavish. Her clothes were encrusted with gems, adorned with jewelry. She loved a celebration and it was said she had at least two balls a week, while the guests imbibed cases of French champagne and wines and always added pineapple to the menu.

When Elizabeth's health started to decline, she refused the medicine prescribed. She died in 1751 and was adorned in a silver dress that simmered.
Truly she was a ruler who had class, beauty, and ruled for her people.

This story, although long, was inspiring. I was glad I listened to it, as the pronunciation of the names made the story come alive. The narration was excellent providing me with a fine consistent flow of events and a growing admiration for Elizabeth. Thank you to Ellen Aspen, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for a copy of this well-done historical fiction story which publishes tomorrow, March 15, 2022.

Anna Krippa is a brilliant narrator, every moment of this book felt alive and full of sincerity, even the moments of silliness between sisters were read with such amazing talent that I got lost in her voice more than once.

I will be honest, I normally read along with audio books when possible but with this one, I found myself just listening, the tone of the narrators voice is peaceful and soothing, even during tragedy or grief filled parts of the book you just get cocooned in the warmth the voice provides to the story. I would happily listen to anything else Anna Krippa has narrated, she really is the perfect voice for this.

This book is a beautiful blend of triumph, tragedy, and everything that comes in between. It has the perfect combination of history, folklore, superstition and creativity to make it a dreamlike world you can fall into. The story telling is some of the best I've ever listened to and I can't help but just take a deep breath as I listen to some of the descriptive paragraphs, the winter palace, summer palace, Moscow, St. Petersburg they all come alive in this stunning novel.

Elizabeth will go through every emotion you can fathom in this book, despair, love, grief, revenge, you see someone that seemingly had it all, a Romanov Princess, a Tsarina, at one point and a woman who has her heart broken in deepest of ways at another but through it all you see her as a woman, a sister, daughter, friend, someone that seems so complete as a character.

All of the characters are well written, complex, insightful, and of course bring life to a story so many people find fascinating. Who hasn't heard or read of the Romanovs and the things they did both good and bad, who hasn't wondered what it would be like to live that life? However if this story showed me anything it's be careful what you wish for, because sometimes, being on top really only means you have the farthest to fall and you're the one in the most danger from the most people, even the ones you least expect it from.

Alpsten and Krippa have created pure magic with this one, it's visceral story telling at it's absolute finest, the number of emotions this one pulled out were endless and a lot of that had to do with the writing of course but also the narration.

For me the best books are the ones I can get totally absorbed in, to the point that I can feel what's being written about, I could imagine the taste of the food, the feel of the water in the grotto, the feel of a falcons feathers, everything was described in such detail that it truly made the book come alive, and for me that is what the joy of books is all about.

The Tsarina’s Daughter is a sequel to Ellen Alpsten’s first book, Tsarina. I read it as a stand-alone and it worked well, as it focused heavily on Elizabeth’s story, but still included some of her mother, Catherine I’s, story. I enjoy learning about this period in Russian history, and loved Elizabeth’s resilient character and courage throughout her childhood and in her rise to power as a female ruler of Russia. There are so many twists and turns in Elizabeth’s story and if you’re a history buff, I think you’d really enjoy this! Despite the content, I struggled to get through this book, even on audio, because it was just really long. The audiobook was very well narrated by Anna Krippa, and I highly recommend listening if you plan to read this book.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ALC of this book!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I can't deny it's worth because the plot is full of twists and turns and would definitely be interesting to someone who enjoys historical fiction.

The Tsarina's Daughter tells the story of Elizabeth, Catherine I's daughter. I have to say that the delivery of the audiobook ARC really was what made this book work better for me than book 1 did. Elizabeth lives her life as a princess and heir to the throne, yet she is always kept one step away from it by the partiarchal oligarchs that surround the Romanov dynasty. Once again, Alpsten's world-building is masterclass and meticulously researched as we delve into the world of early 18th century Russia. I will confess to not knowing about Elizabeth before I read about her in this book, and I walked away from this book particularly impressed with her resourcefulness and resilience, two things that were absolutely crucial for women in power during this time period. She was a character who experienced so much loss and betrayal but still remained true to herself and loyal to her bloodline and country above any else no matter the cost to her. Watching her rise to power was really something satisfying. Also I love author's notes in books like this because you go on to learn more about her reign and her legacy, a legacy that produced the famed Catherine the Great. THE TSARINA'S DAUGHTER is a story of remaining true to oneself in a world that wishes to rob you of power. It's romantic, thrilling and scandalous, and it was a really great read for me.