This was brilliant, a real race through real history interwoven with fantasy. If you have any idea of the Romanov family history then you know the book is hurtling towards their demise. But how will it get there? Will any of the family be saved? Anastasia's joy found in daily life deserves to shine. All of this comes through in this novel.

The fantasy mix is well done. The idea of spells that can heal and potentially save the family is a good concept. The relationships between family and guards and siblings and parents are what keeps the human interest and keeps you caring about the characters.

I’m going to give you all the warning I wish I would have had: Do NOT start reading this before bed. You’re going to pick up this book, figure you’ll get an hour in before you sleep and the next thing you know the book is finished, it’s 2am and I’m trying to decide how badly I need my job. Do yourself a favor and pick this up on a weekend; you won’t want to put it down.

The Romanov mystery is something that has always intrigued me but my knowledge is very limited to the basic story of the Tsar’s family execution, rumor of Anastasia’s possible escape and the absolutely wonderful animated movie (which is, by far, the BEST animation 20th Century Fox has ever produced and I feel the need to watch it now because it is just amazing) so I actually did a little bit of my own research once I finished reading Romanov. Honestly, any book that makes me turn to Google once I’m finished reading is always a winner in my books.

Though I absolutely loved this story, I was initially a little put off by the introduction of spells. To be honest, I felt that the idea of Nastya using spells and how they were incorporated into the book was a little on the cheesy side but then I got about halfway through…you know, THAT scene…and the importance of the spells and how they worked really dawned on me. Once I had that understanding I started seeing everything a bit clearer and enjoyed it so much more. Knowing what I now know, I actually really want to go back and reread this. I think this is the kind of book that can only get better the second time around.

Brandes has married fantasy with historical fact flawlessly and I never knew how much I needed this in my life until now. I am completely blown away with how well it is written and how much I loved it. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her books in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and TNZ Fiction for the free review copy of this beautiful book!

If you Google “books about the Romanovs,” you’ll be overwhelmed by the results. Our (my!) fascination with this royal Russian family is seemingly unending—it’s triggered, perhaps, by the family’s tragic end and by the shift it represents: the ending of the royal lifestyle in Russia and by the beginning of modern Communist rule (it began with the Bolshevik revolution).

Nadine Brandes’s new novel Romanov, out on May 7, falls nicely within the tradition of historical novels with one slant or another on the Romanov legend, and particularly on the stories surrounding the possible survival of Anastasia. Brandes’s young adult novel adds magic to the legends, building on the real-life involvement of Rasputin: in this tale, the Bolsheviks want to banish not only the alleged tyranny of ex-Tsar Nikolai and his family but also the place of magic in Russia.

The book opens after Nikolai’s abdication, when the family has been moved to Tobolsk, Siberia. Anastasia, the 16-year-old narrator, is known as Shvibzik, or imp, and her nickname reveals a great deal about her character. Nastya is strong willed and a mischievous trickster who enjoys entertaining her family to maintain a sense of normality and playing pranks on the soldiers who are their captors. Brandes does a brilliant job establishing the strong bonds within this family, which includes Nastya’s parents, her three sisters, and her 13-year-old brother Alexei, who suffers from hemophilia. Nastya’s father, Nikolai, acts with a humility surprising for his prior role, and he urges Nastya to honor life, to find forgiveness, and to prioritize the Russian people. Alexei was also a strong character for me, dealing with the pain of his hemophilia and the loss of his destiny as tsar with bravery and grit.

The world building is just great, and Brandes’s vision of magic centers on spell ink, a rare substance that allows spell masters and their apprentices (like Nastya) to “write” their spells as a way of enacting them. This grounding of magic works well both to expand the story of the Romanovs and to anchor it in practical concerns that occupy much of Nastya’s thoughts.

Brandes telegraphs clearly a romance with a Bolshevik soldier who serves as one of the family’s guards; it took me a while to warm to the authenticity of the match, but eventually (no spoilers here!) I appreciated the complexity of its development. Successful for me, from the beginning, is Nastya’s character arc. Watching her struggle, with her family, to acclimate herself to her new living situation, to accept that her family does not have control over their own destiny, is quite moving. Her constant attempts to be worthy of her former title and of her father’s care enhance this already-nuanced character.

The novel’s basis in history allows those familiar with the legend to appreciate the character development and the addition of magic and those unfamiliar with the stories to feel firmly grounded in what happened. (An excellent Author’s Note is also helpful!) While I don’t want to give anything away, I think that the way Brandes played with the mythology surrounding Anastasia is incredibly smart. This strong YA novel bridging history and fantasy is a great addition to the collection of works studying the royal family. Look for Nadine Brandes’s Romanov on May 7!

Before the review, I would like to express that I received an electronic ARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange of my Honest review of the book.

This is not the childhood story we all remember, this is about family, life, love, betrayal and survival.

This story was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions; it made me happy, made me cry and it made me want to hurl the book across the room into the corner and shout at it.

"Romanov. For that name alone, bound to my blood like a Bolshevik is bound to the Russian revolution, I am destined to die".

So why the 4 star, I hear you ask: I found the beginning of the book really interesting and I entered this book by knowing nothing more about it other then what the description shared. Even though, I was pleasantly dissapointed with the book, as I turned out to love the story and the characters. I found that for a good 40% of the book not much happened. All the excitement has happened towards the end, however, don't get me wrong I do understand that those 40% are vital for the story to make sense. To allow it to bloom and entangle. They are a necessity to get to know the characters, to be able to relate to them and grow to like them, understand them.

Hence, if you are a reader whom is struggling with slow books than this story may not be for you, and that is okay. :)

Good advice: Don't get attached to any of the characters ;)

"The bond our hearts.... she whispered... spans miles, memory and time, I finished".

The characters in the story are all characters from history we all know. I think, this made the story real, even though it contained magic. The characters were all really well done, they were human, with real feelings and struggles. Their development was visible throughout the book, and it remained realistic to the individual characters. It didn't go overboard, therefore it made the characters more relateable to the reader. I developed feelings for most of them and could understand their suffering. Both understanding and feeling the Romanov side and their captures'.

It's an intense book, with raw emotions that are hard to contain when talking about history and when re-telling a story with such characters. But the author: Nadine Branded has done an exceptional job with this piece of art.

Honestly cannot wait until June to buy this beauty:)

Oh gosh how do I describe this wonderful retelling? For starters Nadine Brandes is amazing and incredibly talented. I felt immersed in this story from the very first paragraph. Lets be brutally honest here a retelling of a grand family that had a terrible demise and mix it with fantasy? Oh gracious even the concept was amazing and Nadine delivered quite magnificently.

Romanov was a pretty good historical fiction book, but it did have its faults. I love Anastasia tales, and this book had a spectacular ending and a lot of great magical realism, but unfortunately, for me, the middle just dragged. The majority of what happened in the Ipatiev house felt very long, repetetive, and boring for me. I understand the need to convey what imprisonment was like, but the reader shouldn't be that bored during it.

That was really my only complaint. I loved the characters, especially Nastya, and her growth was amazing. The lessons on love and forgiveness and loyalty were excellent. I liked how the author wove true magic into the story while building off of history's tales of mysticism in the early 1900s. It all worked really well with the story. I also enjoyed the end where the author lists what was true to history and what was fiction, and also her little blurb about how she likes to imagine this is really what happened in conjunction with the historical facts provided.

Having heard so much hype about this book I was more than eager to get my hands on it. I’m just sorry that I had to put it down for work, as otherwise I would have quite happily read it continuously in one sitting. This book is incredible! I am so in love with this story and Nadine's characters.

“Have you ever read a book in a single sitting? And then there’s that moment when it’s over, and it’s like that whole world of fiction is still swimming inside your head. Like your brain is a sponge, just soaked in all the feelings and emotions of that whole adventure. And the scary parts and exciting parts and interesting parts all kind of a blur together…”

This quote captures pretty accurately how I felt after finishing Romanov. It was as though I’d been with this family, spent time with them, gotten to know them. It was an overwhelmingly emotional journey. I was laughing and grinning one moment and crying the next. After one particular scene I put the book down and walked around the room, until I had calmed down enough to pick it back up again, (I was so invested it felt like literal heartache to read!)

May I also say, it’s so exciting to have a Christian YA author on the field! Nadine wove Yaweh into the text, breathing His life into the Romanov family so naturally, making the book even more of a joy to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been passionate about Russian history since I got my first history book at school. The Romanov family specifically is filled with controversies and mysteries. That is mostly why I so wanted to read this book.
The book takes place during the royal family's time in captivity, though we get to see a happier version of what actually happened.
Let's get one thing straight: a historical fiction isn't a complete recollection of facts. That's pretty much why it's fiction. I think the mix between fact and fiction was a solid one.
The first part of the story was pretty slow. It focused mostly on Anastasia's relationship with her family and her captors. Itwas interesting to be in her head like that, but after a while it did feel like it dragged a bit.
The last third of thebook flew by. I spent maybe two weeks reading the first part, dropping it from time to time, and the last part grasping it tightly for half an hour.
Overall I did enjly the book.
If you like historical fiction wirh a magical twist, then you'll definitely love this one.

This review might contain spoilers if you don’t know your Russian history – if you do then you’ll be fine.

I have a pretty good working knowledge of this period in Russian history. I actually studied this period quite intensively during my History A – Level. I’ve also got quite a bit of knowledge about the pop-culture surrounding the Anastasia Romanov myth/legend/rumour such as the film and the musical (though they aren’t hugely factual they are useful for inferring what kind of stories you could tell with this kind of inspiration). I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself an expert, I think it would be fairly obnoxious to do so, but I will say that I know a fair amount about this rather tumultuous period in history.

I think that’s part of where this book lost me, at least a little. The assassination of Nicolas II and his family was only in 1918 (July 17th for those interested) so only 100 years ago. I’m not suggesting that those murders, therefore, matter more than those that happened in 1605 when the Gunpowder plot happened. I am suggesting that we have a greater amount of written, photographic and other kinds of evidence for these people who lived and the reasons they were killed. For whatever reason, it’s a lot easier to think of the murders/deaths in Fawkes in the abstract whereas everything in Romanov felt a lot closer at hand. To spin a book, a large amount of which is romance, out of something that was first, such a huge historical event and secondly, so recent rubs me the wrong way.

I do think fiction, in particular, historical fiction, can be a way to educate and it can be a great way to process events from history. Perhaps if I were seventeen again and studying Russian history I might have even found this helpful in being able to get inside the minds of the people I was studying. However, where this book veers away from history (putting aside the fact that magic exists – it’s a historical fantasy I’m not going to critique that) and has Anastasia survive it became something that made me a little uncomfortable.

Largely that was because of the romance. Were this a totally fictional setting it might have been a little easier to read, but with the added knowledge that these people were killed it is at best upsetting and at worst irritating to read a romance between a girl and the person who killed her. Sorry. No. I’m not on board, I don’t need to hear the explanation, you shot me so I’m not romancing you. This would be irritating in an entirely fictional setting but you could probably have written your way out of it, to apply it to real people who actually died just over 100 years ago is rather more troublesome.

I think this book could have been done really well, I liked the writing style and I enjoyed the magic system – it uses ink and writing down/saying words and is generally really cool. But to include that romance felt like a strange choice.

Another issue I had was that I don’t think it was ever made clear how much trouble the people of Russia had been in before the Russian revolution (not suggesting that Communism fixed all of their problems by any means). It seemed like Nastya had a ‘well we aren’t that posh really’ response to any criticism levelled at her, and I’m not sure she ever really had that moment of ‘oh no wait my family isn’t necessarily the answer to all of these problems.’ I think that could have been an interesting character arc to follow but instead, you read about a weird and somewhat toxic romance?

I was disappointed by this book because it has so many things that I did enjoy, the writing style, the magic system, the characterisation, the pacing – all of these things were great. But I couldn’t get past the things that Brandes opted to bring to the forefront (the romance).

My rating: 2/5

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If you do think this might suit you, then Romanov publishes on May 7th and you can Preorder now!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm a huge Anastasia fan, both of the animated movie and the new broadway musical. I've been craving an Anastasia retelling and Nadine Brandes really came through for me.

This book follows the Romanov family during their captivity after Russia has been taken over. Most of the book didn't have a lot of action, but not in a way that was boring. The connection between the Romanov family members immediately had my attention and kept it. Brandes continuously shows their love and respect for each other even through their fear, their uncertainty of where their lives will go. One of my favorite characters was Alexei and I loved the bond between him and Nastya. Even though Alexei was sick and often needed help his sisters (and especially Nastya) also looked to him a leader and a soldier and I thought it was a wonderful component to their relationships. But not only do we get to see the Romanov's love for each other. The first half of this book also sets up their love for their country, for their citizens. Even the ones that are set against them. One of my favorite quotes comes after they refuse rescue from the White Army: "It's not about more or less. We care about every soldier. I am a Romanov, and I will value life-every person's life-above all else.”

Once this book picked up, it PICKED UP. I spent the last 30-40% of this book just internally screaming. There were so many moments when I was just sure that they weren't going to make it. I don't want to give too much away just prepare yourselves. I've always been a little sad that the real Anastasia didn't get the happy ending that I saw as a kid. Which makes me so glad that Nastya kind of does.

Brandes does a great job of blending the historical end of the Romanovs with her own magical system. It was awesome to see the historical facts that I knew and twisted to fit with Brandes’ world. I wish that we had gotten to see a little bit of their lives before captivity outside of the little bits that Nastya gives us. And I would have liked a little more exploration into the magic. It was such an interesting system.

If you can’t tell I highly recommend Romanov and I can’t wait to own a physical copy.

Two things inspired my love for Grand Duchess Anastasia when I was younger: the animated movie Anastasia and the book The Royal Diaries: Anastasia. Since then, I’ve taken some Russian History courses and found other novels based on the Romanov family and have continued to find them fascinating (the Faberge eggs created for the Tsar are absolutely stunning). When I received an ARC of Romanov, I was really excited to read what Nadine Brandes would do with her story and the addition of magic!

A Fan of Alternate History
The slaughter of the Romanovs has always been one of the saddest overthrows of a monarchy in recent history. I’ve never understood the brutal way they were treated and why they were simply not evicted from the country (like the Greek royal family was). In Romanov, Brandes does an excellent job of bringing us into the prison sentence the family was forced to endure, as well as their last moments together. It was hard to read about, but also very well done. That said, I also really enjoyed that she manipulated history to give an alternate ending to Anastasia and Alexie. We now know that they were also murdered with their family and, in the ultimate cruelty, put in a separate grave from the rest of them. However, I still prefer the fantasy of imagining that Anastasia and Alexie somehow escaped and thought that Brandes did as good a job as any explaining how this would have happened.

Mix of Historical and Fictional Characters
Brandes gives us a solid mix of historical and original characters to weave a world of magic and intrigue. Previously, I hadn’t know about the soldier who fell in love with Marie, or the servants that served the Romanovs loyally until their final days and were murdered with them, or even little things like how the soldiers actually built a swing for the Grand Duchesses as a gift. Brandes brings these little moments in history to the surface and allows us to experience the joy and sadness that the family would have felt. She also did a great job including fictional characters to aid her alternate timeline. I enjoyed Zash’s story and how his relationship with Nastya developed. It felt organic and true and gave me hope that Anastasia might have been able to find happiness in the final days of her life.

Romanovs Through Rose-Tinted Glasses
I understand that the book is from Anastasia’s perspective, but I had a really hard time believing the pretty picture that Brandes gives us of the love and devotion this family felt for Rasputin and their captors. Every time Anastasia spoke about him, I got such a creepy feeling about their relationship; not because I felt there was anything horrible about it, but the adoration that Alexandra clearly had for him. People continue to study the Romanovs and debate who is too blame for their downfall, and there are no easy answers, but I was let down by how much Brandes lets them off the hook for the horrors that the Russian people were facing while the imperial family lazed their days away.

Overall, this was an interesting book but I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Anastasia learning magic and the book felt a bit underdeveloped in some areas. That said, I think this would be a fun read for anyone interested in alternate histories with some magic thrown in!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I'm always a sucker for anything Anastasia, so of course I needed to read this. It didn't disappoint!

The first 60% of this book had no action--but don't let that deter you. It held my interest knowing that, aside from the magic component, the story was as close to the truth that anyone would ever get to. You can tell that a lot of research went into this story to make it seem as real as possible.

The last 40% was extremely fast paced but not so much that it felt rushed.

I can honestly say I enjoyed this book!

*I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley*

I was super excited to read this. I’ve got a slight obsession with the Romanov family and I thought the added element of magic in a ya setting would be a good addition. I did enjoy it, I just found it really slow at times and super predictable. (Which at this point I think is just because I’ve read so much ya and not necessarily the books fault) This took me far too long to read; I actually read about 6 books between starting and finishing this. Solid 3 read, would recommend if you’re interested.

As someone who grew up loving the animated movie Anastasia, and as an adult now loves the musical Anastasia, reading the synopsis for Romanov immediately piqued my interest. Not to mention, the beautiful cover caught my eye instantaneously.

In this re-telling, Grand Duchess Anastasia, nicknamed Nastya in the story, is sent into exile with her family in Siberia. Facing fear and hopelessness, Nastya finds comfort and solace in a handsome Bolshevik soldier, Zash.

Anyone who knows the history of the Romanov family knows where the story is heading. However, Nadine Brandes manages to create a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I love history, but I am all for a fantastical re-telling. I went into this knowing that it would not be entirely historically accurate. I really appreciated however that Brandes included a section at the end where she addressed what was historically accurate and what was fabricated. I did not know much about the history of the Romanovs besides the obvious. Readers should be able to suspend their disbelief to enjoy the story either way, though. Isn't that what fiction is about, after all?!

Next, I'll dive into my personal thoughts on the book overall. At first, I found the writing style slightly hard to get into right away. This was short-lived, as I was drawn into the story quickly afterwards. I found the story compelling, despite the naïveté of the 16 (later 17) year old narrator.

The time depicting the Romanov family's captivity was vivid and sorrowful. It felt like it went on a very long time, which I would say is a success for the author.

I thoroughly enjoyed the complex romance, though I feel it could have been developed more. [ Before he took part in the firing squad that assassinated the Romanov family, he was a much more likable character. His betrayal was a big one. I'm not sure how I feel about this still. He was still likable afterwards, it was just a bit hard. The best romances are complex, though, I suppose. Either way, the author kept the reader on edge the entirety of the story. There were quite a few moments where my heart was pounding along with the characters. There were, in my opinion, no dull moments. There were a couple highlights but I really enjoyed the recurring theme of forgiveness in particular. Finally, the ending was beautiful.

I hold back from giving the novel 5 stars for a few reasons. First, most of the characters could have used more development. Second, Nastya was naive and foolish. Certainly these two descriptors are common among teenaged girls, but you would think someone in her situation would grasp the gravity of it a little bit better. Her carefree demeanor becomes careless very early on. She continues to wink and grin at her captors and enemies. Even in serious situations, you may find a character on the edge of grinning. It's a little bit much. Next, it was interesting that the author chose to change the depiction of two important people: the tsar Nikolai Romanov, and the mad man Rasputin. Both characters were shown in a very favorable light. I could see Nikolai being shown favorably due to it being Anastasia's point of view, but why Rasputin? Especially when he was absent as a character from the book? Besides that, I felt that most of the other decisions were justified in this magical re-telling. Finally, I found the shift from [ the physical world to the spirit world a little jarring at first. There was no magic of that magnitude shown or hinted at during the first half of the book, so it came as a little bit of a shock. It worked out in the end, though.

Overall, Romanov prevails as a story of hope and forgiveness. It was a pleasure to read and I certainly would read another book by the author. Ultimately, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical re-tellings and magical realism!

★★★★

Source: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I might be a tad obsessed with the Anastasia story. I first learned about the Romanovs in 7th grade social studies. That was in 1985, when it looked like Russia would forever be behind the iron curtain. The following year was the TV movie "The Mystery of Anna" starring Amy Irving. I remember being glued to the TV! So when I learned about Nadine Brandes's Romanov, I HAD to read it. I was not disappointed.
I loved Fawkes, so I knew Romanov would be great too, especially for the reason above, namely, I love the "did she or didn't she survive" mythology even if the mystery was solved via DNA.
The book follows the Romanovs during their captivity after the communist takeover of Russia. I love how the Romanov family is portrayed and Alexei steals the show. In fact, he might be my favorite character. His hemophilia is a prominent plot point and is executed masterfully. It's a Nadine Brandes book, so there's a cool magic system and lots of adventure. There's also a bit of romance.
As a historical fantasy, Romanov is more historical than fantasy which is my only complaint about the book. I would have loved to have had more of the clever magic system, which involves magical ink and wiggling spell words. And matryoshka dolls!

I didn't know a story could be so heartbreaking and yet so beautiful and powerful all at once. Brandes has blended the tragedy and trauma of the history we all know with the magic we want to believe in. Personally, my favorite arc in this story was the brother/sister relationship. That tore out my heart, stamped on it, made me cry and then left me grinning like a fool.

On the downside, the cover seems to promise that we'll see a glimpse of the daydream that was Imperial Russian before the Revolution as well, but the plot fell very short of that leaving the pacing a little too "constantly intense." So this book is not for the binge-reading (unless you simply have no heart).

But over all, Romanov, with its themes of forgiveness and new beginnings, is definitely a classic in the making that will stay with readers long after the last word has been read.

(I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Seriously Netgalley, why decline me then just randomly send me the file weeks later. That did nothing for my dignity in the presence of nonbookworms.)

Ohhhhhhhh hell yes! I love Russia, I love fantasy, I love the Romanovs - This book had them all! Helped by good writing and romance, I want MOOOOORE! Also, like, a good plot is everything and this was that!!

Interesting bit of historical fiction. I know nothing about the Romanovs and was still able to follow without a problem. I think anyone who likes historical fiction would enjoy it. I found the family to be compelling and I enjoyed the magical element.

I highly recommend Romanov. It is an awesome and fascinating read. I am giving it a well deserved five plus stars.

First of all, I'm not too familiar with the story of Anastasia. So, I went on Wikipedia to read about her and the family. I'm glad I didn't know too much beforehand, so I could enter the authors world fully. I'm surprised by how close the first half of the book is to the story I read there. At the end of the book the author also explains which events have really happened and the things that are fictional. This is a great addition!

That said, I love the story so much! The addition of a little magic is what the story needed. The characters are all inspirational and are well, good characters. The book drew me in and I just couldn't put it down.

It can be a little graphic though, with a little violence included. It's described well, so if you're easily triggered, well here's a warning for that.

I will definately be rereading this one in the future.