I love history, and I so enjoyed reading the story of Catherine the Great! What she accomplished is remarkable, and to read about how she worked her way to the throne kept me enthralled.

A poor girl rises to power in 1700's Russia. Catherine was wife to Peter the Great who died, leaving her the throne. I know little about Russian history so was interested from that standpoint. The story felt long and rough, but I suspect that was society in Russia's 1700's.

Lots has already been said about this book that I could repeat. Historical fiction is a tough sell sometimes, but I believe that Ellen Alpsten has turned the story of the first Catherine of Russia into some thing that is both entertaining and enlightening. It helps that her subject matter is so fascinating, and that the Russian courts were both over the top decadent and pious and intriguing in ways that put the English Tudors (my other favorite historical era) to shame.

I am trying to do a couple of things with regard to my knowledge of Russia. One is to channel my slight obsession with the silly but amazing Hulu series about the second Catherine to learn more about Russia's history. The other is to try and link its history to its present. I'm attempting to get a better sense of the people and the way they were ruled for so long to understand more about it in the present day. The insights that the young Marta gives about the world as she knows it as she progresses from poor village girl to the most powerful woman in the empire, says more about her resourcefulness and the way women were/are dismissed as throw-aways only to find them in control in ways that don't always have to involve mass destruction and death than anything. But I'm eager to read more about What Happens After this to continue my journey of Russian history/present discovery.

I'll admit, I enjoyed this book so much I read it and listened to it on audible and I can say that the narrator is spot on, nailing the names that are a mouthful and a half at times, as well as making Marta's/Catherine's story even more compelling.

This account of a poor girl becoming the most powerful woman in Russia is, in one word, BRUTAL. There are few likeable characters, and those come and go so infrequently that this is a book about terrible people doing horrible things, some to survive, more to be powerful. It may be historically accurate, but it's depressing and way to long for a book essentially about war, ego, rape, and having babies to get a living heir.

Fans of Russian historical fiction rejoice! TSARINA brings the life of Catherine I to life in vivid color, from her peasant upbringing through her time as the mistress of Peter the Great, to her ultimate rise to Empress of Russia.

This book was at times brutal grim to read (wars and illness and lost children), and the characters hard to love, but ultimately I found myself quickly turning the pages. Thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a novelization of Catherine's rise to power in Russia. Catherine is beguiling and cunning, and she wants nothing more than to rule Russia for herself. As she rises up in the ranks to be the wife of the current Tsar, can she play off his death until she can seize power, or will she be killed for that can happen?

Goes into a lot of detail about Catherine's life and relationship with Peter the Great. The worldbuilding was thorough however the story was very harsh. More than likely accurate for the time but I was expecting something different. I found myself skipping parts with extreme violence. Well written book but not for me.

I couldn’t finish the book or even pass its first half. I didn’t connect with the autor’s pen nor the storie.

Of all the historical fiction I have read, Russian historical fiction is probably the time period I have read about the least. That is a shame because Russian history is absolutely fascinating and Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten highlights this fact quite beautifully. It is daunting because the story toggles back and forth between the birth of children and war. At first, glance that doesn't make sense, but when you think of it from a historical aspect those were two of the most important events in historical times, particularly when you are dealing with royalty. The successes of a monarch's reign can be measured by the wars they fought and their outcomes along with the children they sired and who survived to carry on the legacy/dynasty either by their own rule or by entering them into dynastic marriages.

Tsarina does what good historical fiction does and takes the people from history and turns them into characters that you can identify with. They are no longer just names and dates in your history book, but living breathing people with hopes and dreams.

This book was amazing!! The storytelling in this book was top notch. I was so entranced by the story I didn't want to put book down!

Ever since Doctor Shivago, I've been a sucker for Russian stories, and Tsarina is no exception. At first, Tsarina charmed me like an adult fairytale, but quickly swept me into the royal world of Peter the Great, full of intrigue and debauchery. Themes of self-reliance, survival and betrayal intertwine with a lusty and twisty plot. Kept me turning pages to find out Catherine's fate. Impressive debut novel!

I'm not sure if this supposed to be a historical fiction with erotica or erotica with historical fiction. In either case, this book fails both. It doesn't do any justice to the the real life historical figures (and it felt like the research was done straight out of Wikipedia) and it surely doesn't do any justice to sex or the sexual relationships. The only positive thing I can say is that the audiobook was narrated by a speaker who knew how to pronounce Russian names and words. That was a pleasant surprise for me and made listening to this book much more bearable.

I love historical fiction. I haven’t read anything on the Russian royal family before. I really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was a very interesting historical fiction. I really enjoy this genre, though this book had more sex and gore than I expected. I admit I did skip parts of the book as I found them hard to read. I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I LOVE historical fiction and consume a lot of it, so when I say that this feels fresh and enduring know that I mean that very seriously. This is one of my new favorites!

I stopped reading this book due to the ridiculous amount of graphic sexual assault depicted in it. This book needs a content warning in the beginning and the publisher should make reviewers aware of the disturbing content when asking them to participate in blog tours/review/promoting this novel. I was very upset and disturbed this book's content.

This was a very interesting take on the Russian Royal family. So much research and time must have gone into this work. With that being said the author did a great job making the content light and enjoyable to read.

Wow - what an incredible ride. I sometimes forget how much I leave history. It's always fun to find books that remind me, especially historical fiction novels such as this one. I think the author tells the story well. I will say there are many trigger warnings that need to be said for this book, such as sexual assault. Those portions are incredibly uncomfortable to read. However, sexual assault will always be uncomfortable.. It's also something that happened with frequency during those times and are incredibly important stories to tell, so I'm glad the author did so. I loved the unique point of view as well. I did feel the story moved a bit slowly at time, however. If you like a good historical romance, this is a great choice.

I was initially intimidated by the length of this but once I got into it, I found it delightful. It was a quick flowing story with well-drawn, remarkable characters and a very intriguing plotline. Parts of this made me cringe, but that's to be expected with Russian historical fiction. This would be ideal for book clubs.

I really debated on how to rate this one. With my Russian major hat on, I didn't find any glaring problems, which I often do in fiction set in Russia or with Russian characters. Peter I was well known to be a cruel, sadistic person, and this story holds to that character. The author has really done her research, incorporating real figures like Mary Hamilton into key scenes. Although we have some conflicting sources on Marta/Catherine's early life, the author proposes a plausible life story... and depicts the way a female serf may have been treated. In graphic detail. When even the positive reviews compare a book to Game of Thrones, you might guess there is some rape, murder, incest, etc., but there is a lot more than I was even expecting. It was overall just sad and exhausting to read about this group of people. But it might be someone's cup of tea. Or vodka.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.