I loved this story. When it ended, I wanted it to continue and to be real. Even if it was dark, it has some lights that made me daydream. So, I admit I was lost because magic took an important turn in the story but I loved reading the adventures of the group.
I loved the characters and I loved the values they carry.

I can see this book appealing to a wide audience and as I librarian I would strongly recommend it to the YA crowd. I found the magic element a bit confusing but I did enjoy the surprise turn of things in the middle of the story. I think I said, "WHAT" out loud when I was reading this!

I so enjoy Russian history and have read a lot about the last Tzar but never anything so personal about when the family as a whole were kept prisoners and It's about what they had to live through just to try and stay alive until the Bolsheviks decided what they were going to do with them never knowing when or how or even if they were to be killed!! A state.of limbo! Waiting,waiting for the White Army to come rescue them someone come rescue them the family didn't care! Well written emotions for true jumped off the pages for you to feel. As the story went on have you great background information if you didn't know anything about Russian history. You will enjoy!!! I am almost finished but wanted to do my review!!😋😋😋

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


First Thoughts and Reactions: THANKS NADINE FOR RIPPING MY HEART OUT!
Just when you thought Nadine couldn’t write anything better.... Romanov appears.

Loves:

Nastya and Maria’s friendship was so heartwarming. Maria was a little hard to get to know in the beginning, but it didn’t take long to fall in love with her character. Maria and Ivan’s relationship was the most precious and sweet thing in the world, and its end was the most heart wrenching thing in the world. Nastya’s father was one of the strongest characters I’ve read about in a long time. The setting was detailed, thorough, and compelling. Brandes nailed the little descriptions, scenes, and what seemed to be insignificant details so perfectly that together, they shaped a bigger and beautiful story.

Dislikes:

All the Russian names, though they added significant setting detail to the story, made it harder to keep track of those specific characters. The layout of the Ipatiev House felt difficult at times to picture. In the beginning of the story, I couldn’t figure out how old Alexei was; I first pictured him as a teenager, so then I was thrown off when he started playing with toy soldiers.

A few confusions: Nastya throwing the message out the window felt very counterintuitive and unrealistic; she says, “I couldn’t allow myself to think of the repercussions. Not with something as important as the lives of my family at stake”—but if they catch her throwing the stone, won’t they most definitely kill her family? Her thought process was such a heroic one, yet it confused me; the action risked her family more than anything else so far, yet her family was the very thing she was risking everything trying to protect. Additionally: the scene where Nastya retrieves the doll from Yurcsky’s satchel was difficult to picture and understand.

Analyzation:

The arc of the story was phenomenal. Every scene was significant in its own way, building an intricate tale of family, strength, faith, and never giving up. Brandes gently paints a beautiful picture of Christlike love in the hardest of circumstances, all while ripping your heart out and stomping on it. Nastya is a Brandes character through and through—mischievous, smart, and impulsive, but deeply caring and sensitive underneath—so of course I loved her. Her family was sometimes hard to keep track of, mostly because Olga and Tatiana really never got any development, but other than that, the characters were fairly easy to keep straight.

The emotion of the story was powerful and well-shaped, but lacked a little in fleshing out and follow through. Nastya reached her conclusions and revelations fairly quickly, without much time to really chew on different concepts, and while it didn’t feel cheesy, it did feel rushed and underdeveloped at times. For example, her attraction to Zash. While plotted carefully, it lacked the emotional component in the beginning, leaving me as the reader feeling like her attraction popped out of nowhere—even though Nastya claimed to have always liked him. However, considering this was an advance read, and looking at Brandes’ other books, I fully expect that all the emotion will be fleshed out much more fully in the finished product. And in the end, I was one hundred percent rooting for Nastya and Zash.

THE ENDING ACTUALLY KILLED ME. Again, Nastya’s emotions were not completely full and deep, but I actually found the story perfectly paced nonetheless; a harder, more complex emotional storyline at this moment in the plot would have distracted from the point of the story, which was tactfully and heartbreakingly delivered with passion and punch.

Overall:

Brandes definitely knows how to make her characters and readers suffer. I was locked in these pages from the moment I began reading. It was a fulfilling, thought-provoking, captivating read full of lovable characters and a lot of heartbreak. I can’t wait to read the finished version!

Rating:

4.5 / 5.0 stars

Note: some of this may seem like a spoiler, but Brandes does a wonderful job of intertwining history WITH the magical pieces. Anything I bring up historically, really did happen and shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

I think [know] I let myself get too hyped about this and was a little disappointed overall. It was still a good standalone that had the historic story as the basis with magic woven in so well that I was intrigued from the start! Some kinks left me wanting more.

I read this digitally, so let’s see…it took til 54% through the book to FINALLY GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. I know we’re in exile, but I was dying to see something else in my mind. There wasn’t a lot of world building. I felt that I was expected to know what Russia and these other places looked like already so I missed out on the detailing of it all.

What I found really interesting was how Brandes gave the Romanov’s such humanity. History dictates that this 300+ year old royal line was all kinds of crazy cruel (and that’s putting it lightly). Now, I only know so much, this last group with Nicholas II as tsar could have been a more decent family than I’m aware of. It made me stop and think that all in all, this was a family. And this family was brutally murdered without trial.

This gave the whole family a lot more depth as “characters”. They prayed together, were sincere to their captors, and were only wanting to be released somewhere together. Anastasia was fiercely loyal and protective of her brood. There was a huge emphasis on forgiveness from her character. This ideal repeatedly comes up as she struggles (rightly so) accepting her new fate.

My biggest loss was the magic system. I have no idea how it works. Very little was ever explained. There’s spell masters, spell ink, some can use it, some can’t, how is it made, can anyone be a spell master, how does this spell work, SOMEONE HELP ME. I am so confused. Since this was the fantasy portion of the book I was looking for a more detailed story-line of why magic was the target of the Red Army in the first place.

I am frazzled with one piece of the ending and booed at my book when it happened, but besides that this was the best ending for this book. And I mean that in a good way! Since it follows history, there’s an assumption of what could’ve happened. I thought it was sweet and hopeful that fates cards were dealt differently for the Romanov’s than what history served them.

One of my favorite parts of books are the Notes from the author (yes, I totally read those). When fully explained, they can really enhance the book! There was a wonderful explanation of what was true, what wasn’t, and why she made certain creative decisions. It honestly made me like the book even more. I was totally surprised about some pieces actually being true! It helped me better understand the plot and the addition of some characters.

This was an easy read, I read it quick. It’s definitely a standalone, but I wouldn’t mind a sequel. I do think this book was a lot better than Fawkes, which I also read as an ARC. The writing was absolutely amazing. The world and character building was, again, amazing. Brandes really did research when she wrote this book, you can certainly tell. I do wish we did have a little more insight about the Tsar and why the family was exiled. I know some people do not know the story of that. I even had to do a little research because I forgot why they were. Nicholas was a terrible political/war leader, he was all about family and love and forgiveness. So, in that perspective, he was an amazing leader.

Romance was not a big focus in this book. It was there in the background between a few of the characters. There was, like, a kiss or two. And I won’t lie, I did ship Nastya with a certain Bolshevik.

Also, Nastya was exactly how I pictured her in real life!

There were a lot of themes in the book that we’re very prevalent with the Romanov family. Family was important, faith was important, forgiveness was also important. Forgiveness was a big thing with how they won the people, even the Bolshevik soldiers. It was stated many times that the soldiers were just doing their job, they were protecting the country. The Tsar and his family were all about protecting the people, and that was with the Bolsheviks were supposedly doing, so the Tsar simply forgave them.

Speaking of Bolsheviks, I did enjoy how Brandes personalized the soldiers. She presented us with characters, Ivan and Zash. It proved that not all Bolshevik guards were bad. And while I’m talking about Zash, I do want to say that his character development throughout the entire book really broke me. How could you, Nadine???

There was violence in this book, but it was not described into deep depth. Obviously there were murder/executions, but not enough to scar or trigger a reader. There was mention of hemophilia, gunshots being heard, i.e. executions, a scene were a friend had to be buried, throats were slit, bodies were searched/disposed of, even a suicide attempt. But none of these were described enough to scar or trigger. And I do think that if Brandes had not put these scenes into Romanov, the book would not have had a meaningful background to the plot/story.

The book certainly kept me on my toes. I did gasp, and I even teared up a couple times. So, the author did do her job to affect me emotionally.

Multiple times while I was reading this book I forgot it was historical fiction. It felt so real to me, I thought I was reading the real deal, how it all went down. But that’s not the case. There’s magic involved, and I don’t think Anastasia and her brother Alexei actually survived after the family execution. Not that we don’t know that they did, but I think it’s very unlikely.

So, I highly recommend that you check this book out! It comes out next year in May. I will definitely be pre-ordering this book after Christmas!!

Nadine Brandes is one of my favorite authors. Period. So I will read just about anything she writes, even if it's not my favorite concept or genre. (I don't mind historical fiction--much less historical fantasy--but it's not my favorite, so keep that in mind with both my reviews of Fawkes and now, Romanov.)

To be honest, I liked Fawkes a lot more than I liked Romanov, even though I loooove Russian history, especially this time period. I think what really got me with Romanov was that it was so...depressing, even though there was glimpses of hope throughout the story. I'm not a sad book/sad movie/sad anything person, so I usually stay away from anything that looks even remotely like a tearjerker. Also, I feel like Romanov should've been waaaay longer than it was, going back to Nastya's early life to give the reader more grounding (and happy scenes) to connect with the story, and how she'd gotten to this point.

That being said, Romanov was a moving, insightful story about a girl learning what it truly means to forgive and move on, even in the darkest situations. Brandes has got action-packed plots down to an art form, and it really shows in her latest standalone. But even more than that, it's her characters that wiggle their way into your heart and stay there long after the story is finished. Nastya was so incredibly strong throughout the book, and that's what truly carried the story. Sure, I would've loved to see more of the world-building and backstory prior to reading this, but I suppose in the end, that's not what the book is about. It's about being Christ-like in a Christ-hating world. And that's what makes the story so impactful, and worthwhile to read, even if you do need to keep a box of tissues on hand while reading.

3.5 stars
Ages: 16 and up
(Warnings--graphic violence, disturbing deaths/injuries, some mild kissing and attraction.)

For more reviews, follow my blog at gabriellenblog.wordpress.com

Thank you for the early copy!

I've dying to get my hands a YA fictional version of the Anastasia story mainly because I grew up with the film. I don't tend to read historical fiction unless there is a twist to it, and in this one the author adds in elements of fantasy. I had a hard time putting this down, I loved how the author incorporated the fictional (mainly the spells) with the historical facts about the the Romanov family. I recommend checking this out if your a fan of history with a fictional twist! :)

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

I didn't know what to expect from this book. Being unacquainted with Brandes and her Fawkes novel, the concept of a story of the Romanovs intrigued me. A twist on the history following the Russian Revolution, the story tells the lives of the Romanovs following the abdication of Tsar Nikolas. Nastya (The Grand Duchess Anastasia) is a witty young lady searching for the magic that will help her father escape.

The plot took a while to pull me in `and the development for some reason I feel like it drag on - but the end of the story had its satisfying moments.

A solid 3 stars.

— DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks for this opportunity! —

Anastasia Romanov is a mischieavous, sassy, and smart teenager in the early twentieth century. However, as she was born royalty, she and the rest of her family are suffering under the revolution and the ensuing Boshevik regime. Brought to exile in Ekaterinburg, the story follows the last month of the old czar’s family, their captivity, and the relationships with their oppressors and guards. However, in this retelling of the Russian revolution, there is magic. Once openly practiced and available, it has now been outlawed, although Anastasia still protects a magical artefact that might save them all…

I loved this book more than I probably should. I think I read it within a day or so, craving it whenever I was at work or busy – it really should have been longer and told more of the story. I think it’s intended as a standalone, but I would love a sequel. I can’t wait for this to be published next spring so I can see what other people have thought of this. Having reviewed Fawkes by the same author earlier this year, I have to say that while her earlier historical novel was good, Romanov is a thousand times better. I’m excited to read more of her work as her career continues, as I feel her craft is progressing by leaps and bounds.

Full review under https://libridraconis.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/romanov-nadine-brandes/

Love the air of mystery and magic that surrounds the Romanov family in this delightful tale. It is a new twist on a tale that has been told many times, but the originality in the world building is what makes this a true pleasure read.

I did not know what to expect from this novel. My only expectations were that I love Anastasia, and I was excited to read some kind of retelling of this story.

Since this novel is so far away from coming out, I want to keep this review informative and non-spoilery. So I will leave you with 3 things I liked and a few that I didn’t like. Then you can compare them to what you like in novels and see if you would be interested.

First, what I didn’t like, so we can end with a positive.

1. The beginning was very clunky. I think a lot of this comes from how true to history the author was trying to be. So there wasn’t much room for creative license in the first half of this novel.

2. Next, the magic system was so confusing to me. It had to do with eating a spell and speaking its name. The user of the magic rarely knew what was going to even happen when the spell would be released. It was just all over the place and I still don’t know how we were able to use it to help. The spells were not explained well enough for me.

3. Finally, this is very raw and painful. Which is truthful but hard to stomach. In the middle I almost lost heart to even continue reading. This was a VERY true story is some aspects, and if you know anything about the Romanovs, I think you know what I mean. This isn’t completely a detriment, because it is accurate, but I just wanted to tell you.


Next, I’ll share some things I loved, because I did like a lot!

1. Spending time with the Romanovs! They were such a sweet family in this novel, and they did have subjects and countrymen who loved them. Seeing how much they just wanted their people to love them and watching them struggle to never please anyone was so heartbreaking.

2. The way history is changed. Obviously, the whole premise of this novel is about a Romanov surviving. Which, if you love Anastasia, was always your dream as child. Hoping she was out there and living, even though you know it never could be. So, getting to see her escape and possible still be alive out there with a whole line of her own is very exciting to me.

3. The adventure, danger, and survival action is very high. Though the first half of this novel drug by a little bit for me, the 2nd half was non stop. Nastya is going going going and there is no slowing down. It was a thrill ride.

So, I really enjoyed this novel, it was hard in a lot of places, but mostly because it was so raw and real. Nadine really tried to make it so accurate up to the point where the magic takes over. That makes for heartache and sadness lots of the time. The Romanovs were gone too soon.

One final note, the romance in this novel was a slooooooooow burn. I disliked that a lot, but some people will like that, so I didn’t want to make it a bad thing.
All in all, I gave this a 3.5 stars. The beginning really dragged it down for me. But I would still recommend it, especially if you like revisionist history with a bit of fantasy dropped in.

*I received an eARC from NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.*

Nadine Brandes keeps you on your the edge of your seat with the captivating way which she blends reality and fantasy in her book Romanov. It is very obvious that she has spent a lot of time reading about the Romanov family and their life. In her book, Anastasia, better known as Nastya takes the forefront and she is forced to make decisions that would determine how the future would unfold not just for her but for her family and for her country.

While Nadine weaves a tale through the facts that are known today, she also captures the emotions that the Romanov family felt during exile. She moves you through hope and sorrow to simple pleasures that bring on joy. Romanov was a book I just could not put down and there were times when my pulse raced. In my opinion, Romanov is nothing short of a masterpiece!

How excited are you to pick up this book? You wont be disappointed. A magical retelling of Anastasia based in historical facts, a wonderful twist to a story that has captivated the world for generations.

What I really loved about this book was the deep rooted plot in actual history. If there was no magic element at all I would still be drawn to the dark story of the Romanov's and the terrible last days they had to endure. The hope, the fear, the pain. It was all intertwined into a wonderful journey.

There was one thing that I didn't like, I know, just one. The first half of the book touched on the magical element, but didn't really dive into it. I waited and waited for something magical to happen, but really nothing spectacular occurred. The magic that was there, was slow and took forever to conjure.

Even without the magic, the story was still worth the read. I dove in with both feet and couldn't put the book down. Four out of Five stars.

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

My review will be posted to my blog on November 30th, 2018 on Confession of an ExBellerina Exballerina.com

Nadine Brandes has a gift for taking stories from history and retelling them in a way that makes them just a little bit magical without changing any of the meaning or significance of the actual story. She did this first with Fawkes, and now again with Romanov. Though I liked Fawkes, I found myself captivated by Romanov.

In this book, readers are introduced to the nearly-mythic Romanov family, the last tsarist family of Russia, who was murdered by the Bolsheviks, and who an air of mystery has surrounded for nearly a hundred years. One of the things I like about this book is how it humanizes both the Romanovs and their captors. It shows what a difficult time some of the guards had with their task of guarding the exiled royal family, the impact that the Romanovs had on the people around them, and the tenuous relationship the family built with the Bolsheviks who spent their days with them.

The story of the Romanovs doesn't end any less tragically than the historic account, but it does perpetuate the myth that Anastasia and Alexi escaped the firing squad, by magical means. This little bit of magic in the story allows Brandes to take some artistic license with the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia, that has so long fascinated people. In this book, she is brave and clever, and struggles with feelings of resentment and anger toward her captors. She is also a bit of a trickster - a fun character quirk about her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely, and would recommend it to anyone who likes stories of history, with a little bit of a twist.

This book is incredible. It was well researched and well planned and you can tell that the author really knows what she’s talking about. This was a very tragic book and a wonderful story that was really executed very well.

I also like how this book wasn’t romance heavy. I feel like most YA authors have been writing books and then making them romance heavy instead of focusing on the actual plot of the story so I like that the romance wasn’t the main point of the novel.

The magic system was also very unique and interesting. It wasn’t confusing at all, very easy to understand which is something I like when reading fantasy. Probably why I haven’t read Lord of the Rings yet.

The only problem I had with this book was the pacing. It felt very slow in the beginning and it was hard to get into but then things started happening and the plot started to move a little bit faster.

All in all a very enjoyable read and I aould definitely recommend this if you stare a fan of Anastasia or just Historical Fantasy in general.

ROMANOV was my first leap in to a book classified (by the author) as historical fantasy. I have extensively read historical fiction that seemed fantastic, but this was another thing entirely.

It is possible that my lack of satisfaction with Nadine Brandes' novel is more a lack of enthusiasm for the genre than for this book in particular. I was eager to read about the Romanov family in exile but was not quite prepared for magic to play such a central role in the novel.

In the "afterward" the author comments on how difficult it was to tackle the subject of the imprisonment and execution of the Romanov family. Her "creative spin" (which presents an alternate reality) dispelled some of that darkness but this was a violent period in Russian history and even the altered "historical fantasy" does not escape it.

Ms. Brandes paints a very sympathetic portrait of the Imperial Family in exile. They are loving and forgiving and, in her version of history, totally worthy of our respect. If the sense of dignity and honor that she imbued her characters with is all that I take from the book, that is worthwhile in itself. Her Romanov story may be pure fantasy, but the nobility of her characters is memorable. I hope there that portrayal is more fact than fantasy.

NETGALLEY provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Romanov is not for the faint of heart. The true history of what happened to the Romanovs makes this a tragic story, and quite different from the other books Nadine Brandes has previously written. That being said, this is by far the best historical fiction fantasy I have read. It goes a step farther than just rewriting history, because it gives a reader hope.. Not just hope for the story of the Romanovs execution, but hope in the humanity of us all, no matter what side we fight on.
Brandes writing is so well-researched, rich with historical details as well as Russian words and phrases. While magic plays a large role in the book, it is not too hard to imagine everything in the book actually being true. Especially since the magic in the book could pretty easily be replaced with some other technology or medical ability. The true feeling of fantasy and magic comes from the hope that it brings and this declaration of survival: "Because I have a story I was meant to live. And not even you can unwrite it."

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

I read Fawkes, anothor book by this author, and enjoyed it enough to give this one a chance. I ended up loving this one even more than I did Fawkes! This book was well researched and written. I didn’t find any mistakes and thought the cover of the book was beautiful. Anastasia went through some very difficult things and I thought she handled them in a realistic way. I wish I had her level of forgiveness. Given her past thoughts and actions, it was relatively easy to predict how she was going to deal with the main antagonist. Still, she was a very selfless person that I came to care deeply for.

A book that kept me hooked until the very end and very hard to put down! Nadine Brandes has done a fantastic job telling the story of the Romanovs but from another perspective. I have been fascinated with the Romanovs since a young age and this book did not disappoint.