I am not exactly a Charlaine Harris fan, but one would have to be dead to not have heard of her, and brain-dead at least to not acknowledge that she is an extremely popular writer. So when I was offered an opportunity to review this book, which is part of a series but features a new narrator, I decided that I would need to make room in my schedule.

As it turns out, I didn’t need much room, because I believe I finished this one in 3 or 4 days. That’s a pretty decent turn around since sometimes it can take a week or more for me to finish a book if it doesn’t capture my attention. I didn’t fall in love, but the alternate history of a broken USA and a still-living Russian royal family is certainly interesting. I know I missed out on some world-building by starting with this fourth book in the series, but not enough that I couldn’t tell what was going on.

I found the ending a bit anti-climatic, the big resolution tying up a little too neatly for my taste. It left me in an “Oh. Well, okay then,” kind of mood instead of wanting more. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I did find it unexpected. It’ll be interesting to see if the narrative stays with Felicia in the next book or goes back to her half-sister Lizbeth’s point of view. I honestly think knowing that would affect my rating. If Felicia’s story is done for awhile, then I’d probably give this an additional half star.

If you’re already a fan of the series or the author, I recommend this book. If you’re not, I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it.