The Tsarina’s Daughter came up on my Facebook feed a couple of months ago and I was intrigued. I am familiar with the Last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas and his tragic family, and Catherine the Great, via TV series and books, but did not know much about Elizabeth, other than she was the daughter of Peter the Great and a bit of a trial for Catherine the Great. So when this novel became available on Netgalley I quickly requested a copy. I am glad I did.

The Tsarina’s Daughter takes you on the journey of spoiled Tsarvena Elizabeth a daughter of Peter the Great with a charmed childhood, to Elizabeth the Tsarina and Diplomat who wins the throne through machinations and intrigue. I had always assumed that Elizabeth had inherited the throne from her father, but like Elizabeth the 1st of England she had to survive several relatives and conspiring courtiers to win the throne. I really enjoyed reading about the time period and the Russian court as it transitioned from a backwards country to.a more enlightened one. Of course there were still the issues of the serfs and the power of the Church with all the superstitions thereof, but it was interesting to see how Elizabeth carried on her father’s attempts to drag Russia out of the middle ages. Elizabeth proved a fascinating character and I am glad that she is finally getting the recognition that more often is give to her successor Catherine. I did not realize when I requested this book that the author has also written a book about Elizabeth’s mother, Catherine the first, a woman whose life really did encompass a rags to riches story. I will definitely be reading that book as well,

Thanks to Netgalley, St . Martin’s Press and the author, Ellen Alpsten for the chance to read and review this book.

A fascinating and entertaining look at Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova. Most historians and readers only see her as the domineering evil genius who forced Peter III to marry Catherine of Anhalt-Zerbst and ran their lives in pursuit of an heir. They don’t remember that once she was a Princess fighting for survival in a harsh and lethal court.

After reading Tsarina, I was caught in Ellen Alpsten’s world, and I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. “Tsarina” had all the right elements: suspense, twists, ups and downs, and one of the most improbable tales in history. Unfortunately, “The Tsarina’s Daughter” did not capture my interest the way the first book did.

Elizabeth is the main character, and we follow her through her years of trials and tribulations as she continually comes close to being next in line for the throne while one misstep away from being shorn and exiled to a convent. While the story itself was enough to keep me reading, it was the character herself that never solidified and seemed to change throughout the book. It was almost as if the author knew that showing more of Elizabeth’s unattractive characteristics might cause readers to lose interest.

I have a feeling that there will be another book in this series. I have not lost hope that Ms. Alpsten will return to the heights she reached with the first book and will probably read that book also. Even with my feelings about Elizabeth, the plot and characters that move in and out of the scenes will keep you interested. Three-and-a-half stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

Tsarevna Elizabeth, the daughter of a serf, Catherine and Peter the Great, has a bright future. But, when her father dies her world is turned upside down. She discovers her friends are actually her enemies and she has no idea who to trust or if her life will ever be the way it is supposed to be.

This story started out strong. With a strange prophecy and some crazy characters, I just knew it was going to take off. But, this one fell a bit short for me as it moved along. I did love the first novel in this series. You can read my review here. But, this one is a bit wordy, long and has some mundane details not needed for the story. However, I enjoy anything about the tsars of Russia. So, if this is something you enjoy…this is a book for you. It is very well researched and covers a very obscure princess of Russia.

Need a unique story about Russia…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten is a sweeping historical fiction tale that takes us back to when the Romanovs ruled Russia. This is the second in the series, but I read this as a standalone. Be prepared for many nicknames for characters, as common in Russian books. I enjoyed the escape into the past with this atmospheric one.

✨Book Review✨

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress and @ellenalpsten_author for the eARC for The Tsarina’s Daughter.

I am always intrigued by books that follow the Romanovs. This book follows the life of Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova, the last surviving daughter of Peter the Great.

This book has everything a great historical fiction novel entails. Elizabeth has fantastic character development as well as the vast majority of characters in the book. Keeping in mind this is Russia, there is a lot of bleakness and hard living. Elizabeth is a such a resilient woman and rises above everything thrown at her, showing the amazing woman she is in the end.

She does visit the Ukraine 🇺🇦 at one point in the book and it reminded me of how heartbroken I am about what’s happening currently in the world. Alpsten’s descriptions of the land are nothing but favorable of this currently war-torn land. 😢

If you’re in the mood for a slow burn historical fiction with a character driven narrative, this is the book for you! This book reminded me how much I love historical fiction. I’ll definitely be reading the book prior to this one, Tsarina, which follows Elizabeth’s mother (the very first tsarina of Russia!).

Pub Date: March 15, 2022 (tomorrow!)

This was a like, not a love.

I know nothing about Russian history so enjoyed googling the various characters and reading about them and comparing it to the story line. However, this took me forever to get through. The pace was extremely slow. Sometimes I had no idea how much time had passed and then it would be mentioned that years had passed. Also, for as long as this book is I didn't connect with Elizabeth at all, I didn't feel like there was much growth until the very end.

Creative historical fiction...
I enjoyed Tsarina and looked forward to reading the sequel (though this book can definitely read as a stand-alone).
It’s an interesting time in history and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Russia and Royal families, but I think both these books need some editing. It kind of runs on and flows all over the place. I found myself confusing “characters” and losing track of “timelines.” I often couldn’t focus and this took me a while to get through, but it’s beautiful and interesting.

I have found The Tsarina's Daughter to be mesmerizing. The story of Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I and Peter the Great, was just exciting and thrilling. The cover drew me to this book then the blurb. i had really fun reading this dramatic story and want to read Ellen's other book Tsarina now. I will be buying this book in paperback i really want it.

This book is a beautiful blend of triumph, tragedy, and everything that comes in between. It has the perfect combination of history, folklore, superstition and creativity to make it a dreamlike world you can fall into. The visual story telling is some of the best I've ever read and I can't help but just take a deep breath as I read some of the descriptive paragraphs, the winter palace, summer palace, Moscow, St. Petersburg they all come alive on the page and are really another character in this stunning novel.

Elizabeth will go through every emotion you can fathom in this book, despair, love, grief, revenge, you see someone that seemingly had it all, a Romanov Princess, a Tsarina, at one point and a woman who has her heart broken in deepest of ways at another but through it all you see her as a woman, a sister, daughter, friend, someone that seems so complete as a character.

All of the characters are well written, complex, insightful, and of course bring life to a story so many people find fascinating. Who hasn't heard or read of the Romanovs and the things they did both good and bad, who hasn't wondered what it would be like to live that life? However if this story showed me anything it's be careful what you wish for, because sometimes, being on top really only means you're the one in the most danger from the most people, even the ones you least expect it from.

Our story starts with a gut wrenching decision and in the pages that follow will show how every small decision, every scheme, every betrayal led to that one decision, and how it ends, well, I for one wasn't ready for that ending but it was perfection.

Alpsten has created pure magic with this one, it's visual story telling at it's absolute finest, for me the best books are the ones I can get totally absorbed in, to the point that I can feel what's being written about, I could imagine the taste of the food, the feel of the water in the grotto, the feel of a falcons feathers, everything was described in such detail that it truly made the book come alive, and for me that is what reading is all about.

Such a wonderful series. I had the privilege to read the first book in this series, Tsarina, and review it. Alspten has done it again and encapsulated a beautiful time in history. She has not made it dry, or boring or unrelatable. Instead, she has made it come to life and created an entire beautiful and lush world for the reader. I was immediately sucked into the tale of Russian royalty once again, following the story of Elizabeth, Catherine the Great's daughter. Once again, the tale draws in courtly intrigue and betrayal as always. I won't spoil anything but to say that this book was well worth the time and effort to read. I definitely think it is not necessary to have read the previous book since this focuses solely upon Elizabeth, and the previous offering was centered around Catherine. However, I do think it brings an extra level of understanding where the story is coming from and helps to create a good background.
Highly recommend!
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Tsarina’s Daughter is a sequel to Ellen Alpsten’s first book, Tsarina. I read it as a stand-alone and it worked well, as it focused heavily on Elizabeth’s story, but still included some of her mother, Catherine I’s, story. I enjoy learning about this period in Russian history, and loved Elizabeth’s resilient character and courage throughout her childhood and in her rise to power as a female ruler of Russia. There are so many twists and turns in Elizabeth’s story and if you’re a history buff, I think you’d really enjoy this! Despite the content, I struggled to get through this book, because it was just really long.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for the advance copy of this book!

This was another epic story. It follows after the previous one but can also be read as a stand alone. I did think it was a little too long and draggy in spots. Anyone interested in Russian history will enjoy this book
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The daughter of Peter and Catherine of Russia fights for her heritage. Elizabeth is thwarted along the way to the throne by her family and those who do not wish her well.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I can't deny it's worth because the plot is full of twists and turns and would definitely be interesting to someone who enjoys historical fiction.

4 Romanov stars

This sweeping historical fiction tale takes us back in time to when the Romanovs ruled Russia. You’ve heard of Peter the Great, this is the story of his daughter, Elizabeth. Filled with palace intrigue and everyone trying to get ahead, this one kept me engaged, but it was long, 512 pages!

Elizabeth’s circumstances changed several times, from the privileged upbringing as Peter’s daughter to being ostracized and cast out of favor because her parents weren’t married when she was born. She was threatened several times that she’d be sent to a convent for a life of misery.

You never know who to trust at court and there are several regime changes. There’s all the opulence of the court contrasted with the poverty and pain of the people of Russia. There’s even a little magical realism in this one with several prophecies for Elizabeth and her sister.

This is the second in the series, but I read this as a standalone. Be prepared for lots of nicknames for characters, as common in Russian books. I enjoyed the escape into the past with this atmospheric one.

The Tsarina's Daughter tells the story of Elizabeth, Catherine I's daughter. I have to say that the delivery of the audiobook ARC really was what made this book work better for me than book 1 did. Elizabeth lives her life as a princess and heir to the throne, yet she is always kept one step away from it by the partiarchal oligarchs that surround the Romanov dynasty. Once again, Alpsten's world-building is masterclass and meticulously researched as we delve into the world of early 18th century Russia. I will confess to not knowing about Elizabeth before I read about her in this book, and I walked away from this book particularly impressed with her resourcefulness and resilience, two things that were absolutely crucial for women in power during this time period. She was a character who experienced so much loss and betrayal but still remained true to herself and loyal to her bloodline and country above any else no matter the cost to her. Watching her rise to power was really something satisfying. Also I love author's notes in books like this because you go on to learn more about her reign and her legacy, a legacy that produced the famed Catherine the Great. THE TSARINA'S DAUGHTER is a story of remaining true to oneself in a world that wishes to rob you of power. It's romantic, thrilling and scandalous, and it was a really great read for me.

I enjoyed The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten. I had Russian history in college and I believe this book will stick with me much longer than that history class. Tsarevna Elizabeth is the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine. The book talks about the cruelty of the Tzar's in Russia. They killed people so they could not ascend to the throne. The book starts when Elizabeth was a child and the trials and the fear she had to live through to one day take the throne. I believe this book closely followed the history but was enjoyable because there were stories of love and cruelty that brought the history together.

I would not say this book explains anything going on today in Russia, other than some things in history do repeat. If you are interested in Russian history, this is a great read. It is a slow read so expect to invest some time in this book.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheTsarinasDaughter #EllenAlpsten, #NetGalley

Ah, I love all things Romanov. This book is technically a continuation of the book Tsarina by the same author, but can definitely be read alone. As a preface, Tsarina was about Catherine rising from a serf (horrendous stories) to marrying Peter the Great and becoming Tsarina, Russia’s first female ruler. Elizabeth is their daughter.

I loved reading the intricacies of their royal lives. Especially breaking boundaries into the first Tsarina rule and what that entailed. Elizabeth’s life had multiple ups and downs as many people ruled after her parents. To me, Elizabeth was the obvious next ruler but politics, bloodlines, self-interest and influential people deemed the next ruler more often than not.

“In the past five years the Russian throne had been vacated three times.”

Growing up, I’ve always heard of the Romanov curse. I now feel as if I understand this more! There were many deaths and tragedies along the way. Some were astonishing and happened so quickly, on very influential days. Being able to check the facts and google while reading just solidified the story for me.

As I said in my previous review of Tsarina, “I feel I know her Russia. I feel I know her as a person.” Alpsten’s ability to surround you in the intricacies of the time period are astounding. Her ability to wrap you in her every day struggles and give you the most realistic feeling of royal life are some of my favorite aspects of her writing. Another favorite I have is the research. She takes the information she is able to find and has to fill in the blanks, but it is very detailed and true to the time period.

“You are Russia. Your father was the Tsar anointed by Heaven, your mother the Tsarina, a daughter of the Russian soil. Legend and lore, law and logic, are combined in you. The Russian people worship you. For any soldier you are the Tsar’s daughter. But more so, you are the Tsarina’s daughter! Your mother has reigned. Why shouldn’t you?”

The expanse of the book entails the highs and lows and self examination as Elizabeth readies herself to take the throne. I do wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly. I wanted more information about her takeover for the throne, her reign, her refusal to kill anyone, her heir but also her nephew and his life. I have many questions! I still need to do more research but Google just doesn’t fulfill my questions like Alpsten does! Hopefully more will be in an upcoming book. I also wanted more information about their ages. I had a hard time picturing a few scenes due to this. I know this was a problem I had in Tsarina also, but I’m very picture-oriented when I read and placing their age is a big part of that.

All in all, a very impressive read. I will continue to read Alpsten’s books and anxiously await the next one!

Tsarina was my first read by Ellen Alpsten and I really enjoyed it. The beautiful, winters setting in the first book stayed with for a while after reading and the same is true of The Tsarina’s Daughter.

The Tsarina’s Daughter follows the store of Elizabeth, daughter of (Tsarina) Catherine I and Peter. To be honest, I thought I would breeze through this book since I read and learned so much about the hierarchy and history of this time period in the first book. That was not the case lol. There are still a lot of characters to keep up with but luckily this book can be read as a standalone.

I love this type of historical fiction and I love reading about dynasties and royalty that’s not about the British throne. Sigh, I see that there are new covers for Tsarina and The Tsarina’s Daughter and I’m going to have to buy physical copies of because they are so gorgeous.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC.