This was a good stand alone even though it was the fifth book in this series. I liked it but did not feel compelled to read the other books in the series.

The Hollow Queen by Sherry D. Ficklin is the fifth book in the historical young adult Stolen Empire series. This series is one that while it is fiction it is loosely based on real life characters. The first three books of the series start with a young girl named Sophie who later becomes Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russia. Books four and five have moved onto the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth. Of course being a continuing series it's best enjoyed starting from the beginning and reading the books in order.

I actually have read this series from the beginning and felt immediately compelled by the characters and this period in history. However, my favorites of the series were with Sophie in the beginning but I was still glad to have finished all of the books and enjoy the authors writing style quite a bit. While this fifth book only scored three stars overall I'd give the entire series four stars and think fans of historical fiction would enjoy this era.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Read the first two books about Elizabeth in the author’s trilogy. I am very glad that the author has decided to write about this important but largely forgotten queen. I read a biography about Elizabeth and so far the author of this novel is historically accurate. The story is very detailed and easy to read. I love this series so much and excited to read more! I will post a full review as soon as the series is complete because right now, it feels like an unfinished novel.

The beginning of the story of Elizabeth of Russia, I loved this book. Daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth is forced to watch as her half nephew takes the throne. But Elizabeth is not unhappy, only seeking vengeance. The story is well written and very enjoyable.

Will not be giving feedback on this book.

I didn't realise that this book was part of a series, and I do not own the first books at the moment. I will therefore not be giving feedback.

I originally grabbed this book because it was touted as a favorite for fans of Reign, which is one of my all time favorite tv shows! It did not disappoint, but I did realize that to have the greatest affect I need to read the rest of the series!

This book literally rocked my socks off. I was not aware of "The Stolen Empire" series (you better believe I now own the other books!) but I was able to pick this book up without too much trouble. And thank goodness, because this book is ASTOUNDING. Sherry D. Ficklin is brilliant (who seriously needs to quit her day job to become a full-time author, if she hasn't already) and creates a masterful novel. You will love every second of it.

Let me start off by saying I went back and forth on whether to give this story 3 or 4 stars.

The Hollow Queen tells the story of Elizabeth, a princess of the Romanov Empire who loses her home, title and possessions when the supreme council crowns her half-nephew Peter II as King instead of her. Elizabeth is then sent to the palatial home of Prince Menshikov who is the one that got Peter on the throne and "ruling" through him. Elizabeth plans to use her time at the palace to find out the truth about her mother's murder, expose Prince Menshikov of trying to rule Russia in secret and grow close to Peter and protect him and his rule. The story was filled with lots of drama and action and was a very quick read.

I wasn't aware before reading this book of two things. One, this was the 5th book in a series, however you do not need to read the previous ones to understand it. The second thing I wasn't aware of is that this story is (very, very) loosely based on Elizabeth of Russia and her actual half-nephew Peter II who are from Peter the Great's family. Knowing that helped me accept some things in the story more easily, like the love between Elizabeth and Peter that started to form.

I was ready to hate Peter from the beginning. He was made out to be this horrible person who was stealing the crown from his half-aunt, but from the moment him and Elizabeth meet he is nothing but kind to her. They grow close with Elizabeth helping him and you can't help but love how simple and boyish he is (although I'm not entirely sure on their ages in this story). Towards the end though, he seemed to start to change into more of a "I'm the King, my way is always right".

Sergi, Elizabeth's close friend and guard was great. He is a stand up guy who just wants to see Elizabeth happy and in her rightful spot. I loved how caring and protective of Elizabeth he was and the chemistry between them was wonderful.

I really did like Elizabeth in the beginning of this story. She's strong, independent, in charge but also a very sweet and caring person. When she walks into a room to commands everyone's attention and when she gives an order it is followed with no hesitation and no questions asked, but she also is a very likable person, constantly talking the servants and helping anyone she can. Despite having her title and possessions taken, it doesn't change the person she is. That being said, the last 30% of the book I was getting so fed up with her. First she's pining for Peter, then she's telling him they can't be together so she pines for Sergi, then when Peter takes interest in someone else she gets jealous and upset and claims he has to love her, then she's back to "no we can't be together" but let me string Sergi around some more. I was finding myself very much disliking her and wondering why either of these guys would put up with her crap.

In the end, I really loved Sherry Ficklin's writing style and I believe I will look up the previous books and keep myself occupied until the 6th book comes out.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mixed feelings on this book. The plot was what originally drew me to this book and while I think that it was ok in how it was presented.... I think it needed more to keep me invested in the end game. I need more from the main character and I wanted more in the way of action. Sadly I wasn't super impressed. I did jump into this series at book 5 so I'm not sure if that had some sway on how I read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book. It was very interesting. I am always interested in seeing what happens behind the scenes of royal families. The scheming and secrets to try to take over. It was a very good book.

the fifth book in an existing series, I have not read the previous four and will go back and do so now but I found this book enjoyable on its own. The characters were engaging and the plot very interesting I can't wait to read the first four

Lizzy is amazing. A kind and thoughtful princess. A princess who would make the greatest queen yet. However, Lizzy is coming home to nothing…

Lizzy was meant to marry, but we left off with her betrothed passing away to his illness. Her mother was murdered and now her nephew Peter will be king. None of this is right and Lizzy wants nothing more than the truth and the heads of the men behind it.

When Lizzy meets Peter, he is not what she expected. He could have been cruel and just done anything to her. But instead, offers her gowns back, even finds her precious dog for her. Together they could rule Russia and make it an even more wonderful place…

As time goes on… Lizzy and Peter grow close together, so close he wants Lizzy to be by his side as queen. Lizzy only meant to teach Peter in how to be a good king and all there was to know. But together they also bring down the one prince who not only murdered her mother, but wanted to rule Russia as his own.

I loved this book, the ending will rip you apart and leave you begging for more. Sherry has always done an amazing job, but I think this may be my favorite one yet.

Oh my gosh, I don't know how I'll last until The Broken Queen comes out. I got no resolution. I'm understandably not as angry (or hollow) as Elizabeth is at the ending here, but goodness almighty I need to know what happens next. This book gave me all the feels - I have felt happy and giggly and sad and defeated and raging with fire. I don't know how Sherry Ficklin has managed to bewitch me so and have me so sucked in. I could not set this down.

This is part of a series but you do not need to read the earlier books in order to know characters or understand parts of the story. That being said, it ends with a whamy of a cliff-hanger so if you do read this, you'll need to get the next book "The Broken Queen" and if Elizabeth's story is to continue for more than Hollow Queen and Broken Queen, I'm sure you'll have to get whatever comes after.

Absolutely fantastic story that started quickly and kept up the intensity to the very end. Highly recommend.

I wasn't made familiar that this was the 5th book in a series. That being said, I was very confused with the stakes and the people, places, and events. I don't feel that I could give an honest review, as I don't have time to read the previous 4 novels in the series. Elizabeth seems amazing and I believe this must be an awesome series.

I was given a free copy via Netgalley for 'an honest review.

The Hollow Queen opens with Elizabeth Petrovna of Russia shortly after loosing her title, a large portion of her family, and all her worldly belongings. Being left with not many options and harboring a lot of anger we follow her as she pulls the pieces of her life back together while navigating some tricky politics.

The character development along with plot are outstanding in this one. I have not read any others in this series but did not once feel lost or like I needed to pause and read those first. Although I do now want to after enjoying this one so much. The dialog is engaging, characters extremely human and overall just very well written.

My only complaint of course being its a series and of course you are left wanting more, although not so much so that it would drop my rating.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Disclaimer: This is a review based solely on Sherry D. Ficklin’s latest novel, The Hollow Queen. It is not reflective of her Stolen Empire series as a whole. This is my first novel by her and my review will only reflect on this book. I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers at Clean Teen publishing for this opportunity to review an early copy.

“A Romanov never runs,’ I say. ‘I am here for my king and my country. I am not a toy for your enjoyment, and I am certainly not your whore.”

I was immediately intrigued by this book and Ficklin’s writing kept me hooked. Her main character, Elizabeth was written incredibly well. She possesses the cockiness from Charlotte Hope’s role as The Spanish Princess mixed with Adelaide Kane’s, wise Mary Queen of Scots from the television show, Reign. She exuded confidence everywhere she went, despite her very public loss of her title and status.

“For all his bluster, he is a soldier. All he knows of war is swords and fists. But one cannot win a crown by brute force alone, not and hope to keep it. Fear must be tempered with love, loyalty with reward, and punishment with mercy. His greed is too great to understand such things. And that is how I will defeat him.”

Elizabeth was constantly planning, strategizing her next move and she navigates the courts and plays the royals with a cunning grace that matches her sharp wit. Her and Menshikov were worthy adversaries and he played his villainous character brilliantly! His end was a little lame and lackluster though, especially when Ficklin spent so much time building his animosity towards Elizabeth. His threats became nothing more than talk and ruined his cruel and nasty nature that made him the very villain Elizabeth swore to destroy.

“The bird snaps its jaws, cawing angrily. Beside me, he laughs. ‘It reminds me of you. Stunning and completely capable of biting a finger off if it’s mishandled.”

I absolutely loved Sergei and he nailed his description of Elizabeth, she was not one to taunt or tease. He was charismatic and charming and an absolute swoon-worthy flirt. I didn’t like how Elizabeth seemed to use him and every time she made it sound like she truly loved him but really it was Peter, always Peter. She fell for Peter and would settle for Sergei when she knew she couldn’t have her first choice. I didn’t like this love triangle romance and I was left frustrated and angry because I wanted more for Sergei.



“My heart and soul belong to you,’ he swears, drawing back just a little. ‘Since the moment you walked into court, the moment I laid eyes on you, I’ve been yours. Marry me, Lizzy. Be my wife, my queen, and my love for all time.”

Now this would be romantic… If he weren’t her nephew and she is aunt. I know, I know that in history there were many times that distant relations would marry and that was a standard practice which Ficklin even mentions when this predicament of Elizabeth’s is first suggested. But, knowing this fact and reading graphic description of this relationship was kind of gross. The fact that they were related was brought up almost as often as they had love scenes and that was just not for me. Their feelings for one another were so strong that it almost became nauseating and even when I got past their familial connection, I couldn’t get over the fact that Elizabeth had another suitor and one who loved her back in Sergei. The romance had potential and I think it should have gone in a different direction. At first I thought she was playing with Peter’s emotions and all of her feelings and actions towards him were just a long con, but then it wasn’t…and I lost some respect for her (because she becomes very lovey dovey with Peter, verging on sickening). I think it should have been a play to gain back her title and her country but instead it turned her into a lovesick princess without so much as a name.

“I swear on your blood you will not control Russia—or me. Not ever.”

Despite everything, Ficklin managed to salvage what was left of Elizabeth’s character and has me intrigued to not only read her next book, Broken Queen but also to try reading this series from book one, Queen of Someday. Her writing captivated me from the beginning and her talent with dialogue is stunning. There’s no way I can stop at just one of her books even with all the ups and downs I saw in this one.

“They offered me a gilded prison. Instead, it will go to my cousin Anna. But they do not know her as I do. Soon, they will be begging me to take the crown.”

The Hollow Queen by Sherry Ficklin is the fifth book in The Stolen Empire series and if you haven’t read the others yet, you are missing out! First, the covers are amazing. Second, these books take a period of history that I haven’t seen a lot in YA and Ficklin makes it intriguing with both her writing and the overall plot.

This book focuses on Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. When her parents die, Elizabeth finds herself unprotected and on her own to face those that want the power of the throne. When the Supreme Council crowns her half-nephew instead of her, Elizabeth is left with no title and no finery with the intent to humiliate her. And when she is directed to go to Menshikov Palace to serve the Imperial Majesty, she goes. The thing is, Elizabeth is smart and is willing to bide her time in order to protect herself. Knowing that she will have to show her support, she goes willingly to swear fealty, but she will never deny her lineage and what she feels is her destiny. Add to that the fact that she believes her mother’s death was not natural, and Elizabeth is motivated to play the game she is being forced into to find the person responsible.

A lot of this story is setting up Elizabeth’s background with Peter; her nephew and now the new emperor. It also focuses on Elizabeth diving right into court to find her mother’s murderer. If she can help Peter along the way, she has determined that is what she will do for the good of her people. There was a lot of focus on the relationship between Elizabeth and Peter and while I didn’t love the fact that they were related, I do realize that happened quite often with royalty back then. With that said, I thought Ficklin did a great job of building the relationship between the two and guiding it through the rest of the story. It was clear that early on in the story, Prince Menshikov had all the power and pulled all the strings via Peter but by helping Peter to establish himself as a true ruler and be a true guide to him, Elizabeth was able to pull some of that power away from Menshikov and gain a great deal of influence.

The politics and deals made at court are a big part of this book as well and when the unthinkable happens, Elizabeth must stand up and do what she feels is right. Even if the council won’t see things from her perspective. I’ll be curious to see what happens next in this series with the way this book wrapped up. I can’t say much more here as I don’t want to ruin any of the story for you. Just know that if you like historical fiction that centers on politics and romance, you will want to pick this one up. I recommend checking out the other books in the series as well.

I don't even know how to write this review. I have not read the prequels to this book, so I was going in with no preconceived notions one way or another. I found the overall story enjoyable. The characters were fun to follow, the intrigue was interesting, and the history is one I hadn't heard. But oh man- then the zingers came in. A transgender? SERIOUSLY? I laughed out loud when I read that. Do we have to throw in social agenda in every book these days? If it's historically correct, (I'd be surprised) then forgive me, but come on!!! The infidelity drove me crazy- sleeping around and trying to justify it just isn't ok with me. It's too bad all that trash was in the story, because otherwise it was a fun read. Can't recommend and won't read any more, which is a shame.

Astounding, intricate, poignant, delicately woven, traipsing history with an elegance that transcends the simplicity of a fantasy novel, and becomes simply something, more.

Beginning the moment the first word crossed the page, it gripped you in a vice so tight, that it left you breathless. It was unexpected, and yet, brilliantly so. It hurt, when they hurt, and entices you to cry, when they cried.

I cannot express enough, how this novel delighted me. I only wish, there was more I could have consumed.