I absolutely loved this book. The writer made Elizabeth come alive for me - I connected with her and became invested in her story. This is one book I could not put down and I look forward to reading the author’s next work.

This was a great jump into the period of the Romanovs! Technically this is a sequel but I read as a stand-alone and still enjoyed it.

I was definitely impressed with this book after finishing it. Historical fiction is my favorite genre of books to read, and I was excited to give this book a try after reading the synopsis of it. The Tsarina's Daughter follows the story of Elizabeth, the daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great. I was not aware that this book was a sequel, and it did not really read like one to me. I was a big fan of the author's writing style and her descriptions of the characters and settings of the novel. This story does not come across as the author just telling us the facts of history; it is an interesting and engaging account of Elizabeth's life. The only issue I had with this novel was the pacing, because it seemed a bit slow at times. I think fans of the historical fiction genre will enjoy this book, as I definitely did.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

Ugh. I hate when I get a book and it’s part of a series. I didn’t realize this book took place after Tsarina. It sounds great, but I obviously need to read up on the first one in order to know everything going on and mentioned. The folklore is right up my alley. Trying this again after reading the first.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title. It's the follow-up novel to Tsarina that was about Catherine I. This book is about her daughter, Elizabeth. It can definitely be read as a standalone novel but if you don't know much about Russian history like me, I think it would be better after reading the first book. It's a very tumultuous time for the Russian throne during this book - the throne needs to be filled several times in a pretty short period of time. That was quite exciting and seeing Elizabeth's position shift from leader to leader was interesting as well. The writing didn't quite draw me in as much as it did in the first book though and I found parts to feel slightly repetitive but that may be because of the aforementioned turnover of the throne! I didn't find Elizabeth in this novel to be as strong in character as Catherine and I quite missed Catherine! This book is about the daughter but it also felt more YA to me at times. I still think it's quite an addition to the historical fiction genre - makes this period and this family accessible to people who aren't as familiar with this part of history.

I didn't realize this was a sequel until after I read it, but I enjoyed it so much that it makes me want to go back and read book 1. I'm a sucker for historical fiction about royals, especially royals that aren't from the British isles. Alpsten wrote such a beautiful story full of depth and character, and I felt like I was right there experiencing life along with Elizabeth.

I cannot help it, but I found this book very hard to read. It was not the story, it was purely the writing. I had to reread sentences to grasp their meaning, which completely disconnected me from the story. The book held such a great promise.

This was an interesting book about Tsarevna Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. I don't know much about Russian history and this was a way to get a glimpse.

This was pretty long though. I listened to it on audiobook and I listened at twice the speed so I didn't have to commit nearly 18 hours of time. That might be my one complaint. The length. And there were some pretty graphic descriptions of violence. But it was interesting.

I probably wouldn't recommend this to others unless they were big into Russian history though.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book spoke to my love of historical fiction, court maneuverings, and the aristocracy. I was not aware that this book was technically part of a series so I felt like I was missing something every once in a while. However, I think it still works well as a stand alone. The writing was beautiful and rich creating a constant feeling of tension and anticipation that helped me stay engaged despite how long the book was. I appreciated how closely tied to real history this book was. It was like watching names and facts from history books come alive around me. I will probably go back and read Tsarina to add more context to my enjoyment of this book. I expect I will enjoy it just as much as I did this one. The length and heavy nature of the story make it a book I wouldn't recommend to everyone, but for anyone interested in learning more about the Russian aristocracy this will be perfect.

Peter the Great's daughter, Tsesarevna Elizabeth, tells her story in The Tsarina's Daughter. This book follows the novel Tsarina, Alspten's tale of Tsar Peter I and his second wife Catherine and Elizabeth's mother. Although Tsarina has been published in the U.S. after The Tsarina's Daughter was released, the reading experience suffers if you read them out of order. Tsarina's Daughter overlaps some when Elizabeth recalls her home life with her powerful, ruling parents, the dilemma of succession, and the death of her father. The illegitimacy of her birth is always brought into question because of the circumstances of her parent's marital status. The question of who inherits the throne creates a lot of conflict and one of the driving forces of this narrative. Elizabeth expected to marry Louis XV as her father desired, when this doesn't happen, at age 17 she falls deeply in love with a Holstein princeling, but he dies just before the marriage. Elizabeth's life is full of sorrow, lots of enemies plotting her demise, court intrigue, vast wealth that turns suddenly into extreme poverty, a passionate love affair with her courtier, and so much more. This saga is all engrossing and vast. I loved it! The times she lived in were extremes of poverty and wealth. The brutality and cruelty towards anyone who falls out of favor with the current ruler was unimaginable. This also portrayed so much of Russian culture and mind set of the time. I am looking forward to the third book in this planned trilogy.

I'm not a big historical fiction person, but I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to learn about a country and a time period that was so different from mine. My only problem was that my knowledge of Russian history is a bit rusty, but that's my own fault. A great book!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Ellen Alpsten for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

This is the sequel to Tsarina by Alpsten, the story of Tsarina’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, that turned out to be the Empress of Russia for 20 years. Being a Russian and history lover, I could not pass this one. I did enjoy the first book, so I assume that the second would be fine as well.

It is fine, plot-wise it was interesting and intriguing at parts (though I know the history quite well, I enjoyed a few twists by Alpsten). I found it a bit too long and at parts too detailed, though it was still quite compelling novel to read.

I understand that Tsarina’s Daughter is a fiction based on true events, however, I found that the character of Elizabeth was not historically accurate. Alpsten made Elizabeth not only strong willed female character (which she undoubtedly was in real life as no weak person can held power in Russia for that long), but also compassionate towards her people, towards Russians. Let me be clear on that - Elizabeth, Yelizaveta Petrovna was a true daughter of Peter The Great and Katerine the First. She was cruel, vail and mean. She did not care one bit of her people and left Russian Empire bankrupt with a palace full of dresses and costumes as she was a fan of balls and masquerades. She didn’t hesitate to kill in order to gain power and make the rest of elite afraid of her. She was a disaster for Russian Empire.

On the other hand, Alpsten was completely right on how power-hungry people were not afraid of blood baths they created in order to obtain power. How cruelly imaginative they were toward everyone, including elderly and children. Alpsten created the atmosphere of Russia in the middle of 1770s so clearly and vividly, it is astonishing.

I am wondering if the next part would be about Katherine the Great and I am looking forward to it.

THE TSARINA’S DAUGHTER
Ellen Alpsten
Historical Fiction / Russian Fiction

Following the ups and downs of Tsrevna Elizabeth in the 1700’s. Then her rise to power and her protection of her nephew until he can become the rightful heir to the House of Romanov.

This book was a bit long and slow in places but I throughly enjoyed it. As a Second generation born in America Russian, it really fascinated me to learn more of the history of Russia. While this book is based on a true story, authors often take liberties. I researched a bit but haven’t had the time to take a deep dive into the historical aspect. This was definitely a five star read for me. I recommend this book to any history buff and anyone who has a special love of Russian history.

Ellen Alpsten does no disappoint with this follow up book to Tsarina. This is an epic story of Elizabeth who is the daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great. She beautifully describes the Romanov dynasty with all the glitz, turmoil and conflict of this family.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

Another great book in this series by this author. This books focuses on the daughter of the previous book and her family and personal struggles and ascent to the head of Russia. There is a lot in the book - romance, war, treachery. This makes for an interesting account of part of the history of the Romanov family in the 1700's.

You do not need to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one, but I would recommend it.

I did not realize that this was a sequel, but it did not seem all that necessary to read the first book to understand this one. The descriptions in this book were stunning and really drew me in as a reader. I felt like I was actually there experiencing what was going on with the people. I loved the Russian history and how different people were portrayed. There were quite a few characters that took some time keeping track of, but it was worth it in the end.

I thought this was good but not great. It can be read as a stand-alone but I think that having the context of Tsarina really gives more to the story. The world of Russia is still a terrifying game of thrones, filled with opulence and snakes that will bite you without a moment’s notice.

I think these books have both been well researched. I thought the frankly dynamics in this story were more twisty (in a good way) where Elizabeth had to navigate familial relationships very acutely.

I am not sure I would want to learn more about this time in Russian history but it definitely is an intriguing picture of what life was like in the varying courts.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this novel!

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten is the first book I've listed to/read by Ellen Alpsten. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version, which is brilliantly narrated by Anna Krippa. Her Russian accent is beautiful; also, trying to read those Russian names? Forget about it! I felt totally immersed in the freezing Russian winters, palace life, love and the heartbreak of the Tsarina's daughter.

Tsarevna Elizabeth, born into the House of Romanov is the coddled daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine I, who was once a serf. She and her sister Anna are extremely close and lived in the lap of luxury. Peter had big plans for his daughter Elizabeth: He planned for her to marry King Louis XV of France and rule by his side in Versailles. But for royals, just not the rest of us, life doesn't always go as planned. Elizabeth receives a strange prophecy by an old crone/creature in the woods, and soon those prophecies begin to come true. Her beloved father Peter the Great dies, and Catherine I takes the throne. Trusted people of the Court become enemies and try to bend Catherine I to their will. When her mother dies, Elizabeth is not named heir, and her life becomes one of danger. She is strong, however, and soon overcomes being a victim and learns the rules of survival. When the Imperial Crown is left to an infant Tsarevich, Elizabeth must make a horrible decision; will the last part of the prophecy come true?

I had great interest in this book, as my paternal grandmother's family is from Russia and she was related to Tsar Nicholas II. Also, my husband and I, along with my parents, visited Russia a number of years ago; it was a fascinating and strange journey. The author apparently did a huge amount of research for this book and I was duly impressed. Elizabeth lived a life of great luxury and also dismal poverty, but she was a fighter. Things became very difficult for her after Peter the Great died, and her fortunes went up and down. This book is not for the faint of heart. People were punished in horrible ways; the torture of one of Elizabeth's lovers was gruesome, but such is the way of a lot of history. (Hope we've all learned something from that.) It was heartbreaking when Elizabeth lost her beloved sister. They had become estranged, but found each other once again before Anna died. The book began suspensefully in 1741 when Elizabeth staged a coup d’état to take the throne of All the Russias, and the infant emperor's fate was being decided. We then go back and see the events that led to that pivotal moment. I admit I was very confused with trying to keep track of who was who; the confusing Russian names didn't help. But I eventually just let that go and went along for the ride. I loved the afterword when we learn the fate of the true characters in the book; it was simply fascinating. I was very impressed by the narrator and would love to listen to more books which she narrates. I also want to go back and read Tsarina, Ms. Alpsten's previous book.

I received an ARC of this book/audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

In Tsarina my mind was opened up to a world I did not formerly know.  Immersive, tragic, and at times painful to read, I was expecting The Tsarina’s Daughter to bolster that same fire as its predecessor, but sadly it fell flat for me.

The Tsarina’s Daughter tells the tale of Elizabeth in her formative years, leading up to her becoming Tsarina herself.  Though I love learning more about Russian history, I felt like Elizabeth’s story dragged on, and I didn’t feel that same hunger to stay within the pages like I did with the first installment.  Honestly, I could’ve seen this story wrapped up much more quickly, and feel like this would’ve made this read more enjoyable. This is supposed to be a three-part series and I can’t help but wonder if Elizabeth’s life, including her reign, would’ve fit better in one novel.   It also doesn’t help that this time period is not one of my favorite era’s to study, which could have also contributed to my lack of luster.

I really wanted to love this novel, but it felt uninspired, with rote repetition, and a subject matter that really didn’t appeal to me.

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten was a fascinating and intriguing historical fiction. The story was rich in details and I couldn’t seem to turn the pages fast enough. I was completely enthralled with this story. I highly recommend this story for any fans of historical fiction.

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy.