Wow! I was hooked from the first chapter. There was so much going on in this book and you felt like you were in the thick of it. The Russian revolution is such a hard story to write about but the author had captured it marvellously to make it interesting and captivating. So many wonderful characters. I did not realise this was the second book in the series so I will certainly be reading the first one. Amazing read

Unfortunately, I was unable to download this book before it was archived and so am leaving this as a review/explanation. I have already bought a copy and will leave a review on places like Amazon, Goodreads, Waterstones, etc, once I've completed it and formed my thoughts on it. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for the opportunity.

It's an interesting take on the last day of the Russian Empire and the characters that were affected by Rasputing.
This is a fast story and the historical background is well researched and the story well plotted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

2.75/5 stars! I adore Rasputin...like not idolize him because he was human garbage. But...I love the time in history he came from and the Russian backdrop of stories featuring him. This book's premise had so much promise but it fell significantly short. The characters just weren't very likable which made it difficult to get into the story. It was adequate and historians who are a fan of magic and history interacting, will likely enjoy this story.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Imogen Edwards-Jones’ new novel, The Witch’s Daughter, is the sequel to 2018’s The Witches of St Petersburg, but I don’t think it’s essential to read them in order. The first book tells the story of Princesses Militza and Stana of Montenegro, who marry into the Russian aristocracy and introduce Rasputin to the Romanov court. This one begins with the murder of Rasputin, then moves on to follow Militza’s daughter, Nadezhda, throughout the Russian Revolution.

As the novel opens in December 1916, Tsar Nicholas II is preoccupied with Russia’s involvement in World War I when news breaks out in Petrograd of Rasputin’s murder. However, the war is soon going to be the least of the Tsar’s troubles because Rasputin has left behind a letter predicting the death and destruction of Nicholas himself and the entire Romanov family. As unrest and violence breaks out on the streets of Petrograd, it seems that the prophecy is starting to come true and Princess Nadezhda finds herself caught up in it all.

Unlike the first book, which took as its premise the idea that Militza and Stana were ‘witches’ who believe they have conjured up Rasputin through black magic, this one – despite the title – involves almost no magic at all. It could be misleading for those who pick it up specifically hoping for a story about witchcraft, but I preferred the more serious tone of this book. I can’t tell you whether everything that happens is historically accurate or not, because I don’t know – the Russian Revolution is not a period I’ve ever studied or read very much about – but I think it works well as a general overview of the situation and the feeling of the Russian people towards the Romanovs and the aristocracy. Edwards-Jones doesn’t shy away from describing the violence and brutality as tensions boil over on the streets and simple demands for ‘peace, land and bread’ spiral into a larger revolutionary movement.

Although the focus is on Nadezhda’s family, and the sequence of events that lead them to flee St Petersburg for the relative safety of the Crimea, The Witch’s Daughter has a large number of other characters and they are all listed at the front of the book in case you have trouble keeping track of the relationships between the various Princes and Princesses, Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses. The character who interested me the most, however, was Bertie Stopford, a British antiques and art dealer who has some sort of unspecified connection with the War Office and engages in some spying and smuggling on behalf of his friend, the Grand Duchess Vladimir. Bertie was a real person, although I don’t think I’ve read about him before; he seems to have led a very eventful life and is the author of an anonymously published memoir, The Russian Diary of an Englishman: Petrograd 1915–1917, which I’m sure must be fascinating.

I’m not expecting a third book in this series as everything seemed to be tied up nicely at the end, but I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to learn a little bit about Nadezhda and her family.

I have yet to read the previous book in this series, but I am familiar with this historical period, and there is a character list to help new readers. The author evokes the danger and devastation of the Russian Revolution and seamlessly weaves it with magic, mystery and romance, making this a spellbinding story. I like the historical detail, the charismatic characters and the atmospheric setting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

“Tsar of the land of Russia, if you hear the sound of the bell, which will tell you that Grigory has been killed, you must know this: if it was your relations who have wrought my death, then none of your children will remain alive for more than two years. … The Russian Tsar, you will be killed by the Russian people and the people will be cursed.”

My thanks to Head of Zeus Aria & Aries for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Witch’s Daughter’ by Imogen Edwards-Jones.

This is a sequel to her 2018 novel, ‘The Witches of St. Petersburg’, and is based on the true story of the princesses of Montenegro, Militza and Stana, who were known in pre-revolutionary Russia for their dealings in the dark arts.

The daughter of the title is Nadezhda, whose mother is Militza. She has never wanted to be a witch yet it is in her blood. In the first book her mother had conjured Rasputin and introduced him into the Romanov court. Early in the novel Rasputin is assassinated though before this occurs he predicts a dire future for the Romanovs and Russia.

The first novel was brimming with the opulence that the aristocracy of pre-Revolutionary Russia experienced, which contrasted with the lives of its workers. Here the devastation of the Great War and the Revolution is depicted. It makes for grim reading and it amazed me that anyone survived.

While I did prefer the ‘The Witches of St. Petersburg’ though I felt that it was important that the author told the whole story of Militza and Stana. The esoteric/witchcraft aspects are less evident here though the women do at times draw upon incantations. It’s clear that their experiences with Rasputin and the following events changed them; especially Militza who is haunted by nightmares of Rasputin.

I appreciated that the novel opened with a cast of characters as there were a lot of them! In the Epilogue and Author’s Note, Imogen Edwards-Jones provides details of what happened to the Princesses and Nadezhda after this as well as details of her research and the reasons why she was drawn to write their story.

Overall, I found ‘The Witch’s Daughter’ an engaging work of historical fiction that shone a light on a fascinating snippet of Russian history and the occult aspects of the closing years of the Romanov dynasty.

It's always enjoyable to learn more history, especially to improve my knowledge of Russian history. A enjoyable read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book

The Witch's Daughter is a sequel to The Witches of St. Petersburg, but can be read on its own. I didn't know these two books were connected when I requested the title, but I did manage to read book one before jumping into this one, and I think my reading experience was better for it.

If you have the chance to read The Witches of St. Petersburg first, then go for it!! You'll have a much better idea of the characters, how they're all connected, what Militza and Stana went through to get to where they are at the start of the book, and you'll also see Rasputin (who's already dead here).

Nadezhda is Militza's daughter and the book mainly follows her, but there are parts where the book still follows her mother, and other important women too.

There's a bit less witchcraft here, in favour of the revolution. I don't mind that, because the descriptions made me feel like I was living through it myself. It was so vivid, and the descriptions of their lives pre and post those events were too.

This book moves just as fast as the first, the writing is smooth (dare I say, even better than it was), the historical facts are there but not info dumpy, and we have a list of character names at the beginning to refer to if needed. It's long, but doesn't feel like it.

What I enjoyed most was the inclusion of romance, between Nadezhda and her husband. They were really cute together and a real love match. We didn't get to see those kinds of sweet scenes before with Militza or Stana, so I wasn't expecting to see them here, but it was a nice surprise.

And lastly, because I have to mention this again, these two books are the only ones where I saw my name!! Milica, but spelled like Militza. I don't know if I would've seen it if Milica Petrović-Njegoš wasn't a historical character worth writing about, but I'll take it. At least I can finally say that yes, I found my name in a book.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

A brilliant story, Imogen Edwards-Jones brings to life a tumultuous period of history. Told mainly from the Russian elite perspective it depicts the changes that unfold after the murder of Rasputin.
The Black Princesses and their families are the focus of the story. This is a well researched book, I love the reference notes at the end that bring the characters to life even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Witch’s Daughter.

The Witch’s Daughter by Imogen Edwards-Jones. I loved this book, I loved the first one, The Witches of St Petersburg and I didn’t know she had written a second one. This follows events directly after the death of Rasputin and Militza, her sister and daughter are all caught up in the Revolution. I loved the way this portrayed the utter madness of the Russian revolution and how wild it got. The contrast between the ruling elite and their serfs was so interesting and it’s Russian history so I know I’m a little bit bias. Even thought there are elements of “magic” in this, I still find it all believable and I loved it. I don’t think they’ll be a third in the series but if Imogen wants to write some more books set in Russian that would be so fine with me. My take away from this book is always keep room in your boots.

An OK read, but for a book with the title of the witch's daughter, there wasn't nearly enough discussion about this

The prologue of the book is dated 1914 describing the current situation of soldiers from Russia, sent to war.
Moving forward the story mentions the murder and death of Rasputin, 1916 St. Petersburg Russia, and of the ensuing ramifications of what unfolded in St. Petersburg, and further afield in Russia.

I didn’t realise until reading the authors acknowledgement at the end of the book that this was a sequel to her book The Witches of St. Petersburg, which I have not read, but now very much wish to do so. I feel because of that I read it and perceive it can be a stand alone.
Based loosely on a true story, the characters were real, with imagination weaved into a story.
For myself I learned such a lot that I hadn’t known about Russia, but it was a more palatable read and easier to understand woven into a story, as history books or documentaries have me zoning out. This said there were some horrific atrocities carried out to the rulers and people living during that awful period of time. An eye opener.
The Grand duchess Militza Nikolayevna, and her also titled sister Stana (Anastasia) who hailed from the impoverished kingdom of Montenegro before marriage, practiced black magic.
The story in this book is also told through Militza’s daughter Nadezhda.
A compelling read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

This is an enjoyable read but I would definitely recommend reading the first in the series before this as I felt I was playing catch up. That being said, this is a beautiful read and transports you to magical Russia. Will be looking for the first book to read now.

This was such an amazing read!

Imogen does such an amazing job of immersing you in revolutionary Russia - the luxury of the court, the suffering and chaos. Princess Militza and Nadezhda are amazing women - resilient in a world gone crazy, making the story engaging! I need to read the first book, The Witches of St Petersburg but I have no doubt I'll enjoy it as I did this book!

Can be read as a standalone book but much more enjoyable if you have read the previous book, the witches of St Petersberg first. A good follow up book covering the years after Rasputins death and the uprisings across Russia.

I found the author very successful at evoking the feel and atmosphere of Revolutionary Russia. This has to be one of my favourite periods of history to read about. I would have loved more about Rasputin at the Russian court but this book begins with his murder. I didn’t realise this was a sequel so it may be that I need to go back and read the first book for those details. Despite my fascination with this era I found the book hard going and failed to connect with the characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

DNF @ 33%

- I didn't feel like the plot was going anywhere
- I was really confused as to what was going on
- Couldn't find any witchcraft
- I really struggled with the vast amount of characters

I hadn't realised this book was a sequel until I started it so I'd like to go back and read the first one. Well written and very interesting although I expected more witchcraft.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and publisher for the advanced copy.

Too many characters too confusing for me at present didn't enjoy the narrative. Reminded me of layout of Shakespeare Ian novels something that filled me with dread at school.