I received a free copy of this book for review from the publisher. Tsarina is an excellent novel about Catherine the I of Russia. Catherine was the second wife of Peter the Great, raised in extreme poverty as Marta. Her life led her ultimately to the tent of Peter the Great as a young Tsar during war. Catherine bore 12 children of which only 2 ultimately survived. This novel presents the reality of Russia during the building of St. Petersburg and does not shy away from the horrible acts of violence and human misery during this time period.

The story is engaging and pulls at emotions from love to lust, brutality to mercy and everything in between. There wasn't much that I didn't like about the book.. Although it is a long book it kept moving and was not a particularly difficult read. I received an uncorrected version so there were a few obvious mistakes that will be corrected in the final copy.

This book is a recommendation for anyone who loves to read historical fiction. I rated it a 4 out of 5 stars because of the ability of Alpsten to stir emotions for the characters in different situations. As a debut author, Ellen Alpsten did a superior job with this historical novel. I look forward to reading more future books.

480 pages

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Russia in the 18th Century. A time of war, poverty and uncertain futures. Peter the Great is on the throne. Peter is an educated, well-traveled man who has certain ideas about governing Mother Russia.

Marta was a woman who was sold into servitude in her mid-teens. She was uneducated and from a very poor family of serfs. Her life was very hard, until she was taken in by a Lutheran family. The father was the local pastor and he and his wife were very kind and good people. But this did not last.

Russia and Sweden were at war. Two proud rulers who were only trying to one up the other and driving their countries further into poverty and strife.

Marta meets the companion of the very wealthy best friend of Tsar Peter. The two women get along famously well and when the decision is made to return to Moscow, her new friend asks Marta to go with her.

The rest of the book is Peter and Catherine Alexeyevna's (as Peter renames Marta), enduring love for one another. This is where I got frustrated with the book.

I understood that the book was a biography of Peter's second wife Catherine. However, it devolved into something else. I don't care for romance novels and the tone of the book was not to my liking. It was well written and plotted, however. It read logically as it laid out Marta's life. It illustrated well the ruling classes' attitudes toward the serfs of Russia. The abject poverty and dire living conditions of the peasants and the total disregard that the “haves” had for them. It sowed the sheer scope of the country and the vastness of the empty plains. It was very good in describing the background.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten is an excellent historical fiction (with a dash of biography as well but mostly fiction) of the life of Catherine I Empress of Russia.

We find that she came from humble origins with the given name of Marta, a Polish peasant, was able to escape a troubled and rough life, and ended up becoming not only the second wife of Peter the Great, but also Empress upon his death in 1725. I already knew a great deal about the Romanov dynasty, however it is always exciting to read about these historic figures in more of a fictionalized setting that is a bit more relaxed, then another history book.

Catherine, I feel, was a smart, creative, resourceful, cunning, feisty, and amazing woman that came from peasant/serfdom to a successful marriage and other half of what some consider to be one of the greatest leaders of Russia’s history, and then the first female leader of a difficult and vast land.

The 1700s were a volatile and difficult time in Russia, and for a woman to be able to navigate through these preconceived gender roles, rise through the ranks, maneuver through the backstabbing and aggressive politics of aristocrats, and become one of the most powerful women in history, is nothing short of awe inspiring. Was she perfect? Nope. But there is no way she could have been and succeeded.

This book has it all. History, strong, real-life characters, romance, and intrigue kept my interest throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed.

For anyone that loves historical fiction, romance, Russian history, and power, this book is for you.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this excellent ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

There's very few things in the world I love more than Russian History so I was very excited for this one. It's not what I expected, but I like it nonetheless! It follows a peasant girl who would change history's course and the entire political scenario of the time. It's more historical romance than biographical, but if you go into the read knowing that you should be able to enjoy it for what it is.

I enjoyed Tsarina. It was an interesting, solid read. A little more romance/bodice ripper than I was expecting and some of the language used was definitely more 21st century. I was expecting a fictionalized biography, but instead it read as more of a historical romance. I enjoyed it, but it let me feeling a little flat. Like when you want a Coca Cola but end up drinking a Diet Coke.

It was well written and detailed, with interesting characters and plot lines. I do recommend.

I would like to thank the author, publisher, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for fair and honest review.

Tsarina
1725, St. Petersburg and Peter the Great is at the Winter Palace about to die. What follows is a story about his second wife, Catherine I. You could certainly call this a "rags to riches" story, but this is no fairy tale novel.
Marta, born out of wedlock, was a peasant and as such lived in a hut with her father, stepmother and half siblings in devastating poverty. Sold by her family at the age of 15, she goes into servitude. Although illiterate, Marta is by no means unintelligent, she is quite the opposite, cunning, smart, shrewd and passionate are just some of the adjectives that describe her personality..her beauty speaks for itself. Yet many things are expected of a servant girl and not the least was how her master exacted his lust fulfilled, taking what he wanted, leaving her humiliated and frightened. Until, until one night Marta fights back for her life, leaving him dead and bloodied. With that her journey begins.

We see the world of 18th century Russia through the eyes of Catherine I. It is a world of filth, violence and crude living. It is a world where there is a country divided in half....the serfs/peasant who live from hand-to-mouth or even less at times, to the building of St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Russian court infused with a lack of morals, jewels and abject cruelty.

I have read about Russia before in other novels, about the Romanovs, Nicholas and Alexandra, et al. For me this book did not exactly hold my interest, unfortunately. While this is the first effort by this author and was translated from its original language, I would hope her next endeavor is more successful. Truthfully, if you like lust, violence and sex, don't hesitate to read this.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley and St. Martin's Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

A fascinating fantasy read about Catherine the first of Russia. How a peasant girl who grew up to become the second wife of Peter the Great. At a time of violence and cruelness in the streets, how she survived and became tsarina.

How in the end she might be responsible for her husband death and affected the course of Russia’s royal history. As he husband lay dying, she ignored his wish to see someone who might have been made the next heir instead.