Author: J. Nelle Patrick
Pages:352
Pblished:February 27th 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Natalya knows a secret.
A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia's Winter Palace.
It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics.
A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov.
Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.
But it's not in the right hands.
Before reviewing this book I would like to tell people that although the book is Historical Fiction the author took some creative liberties with people and events that were involved in the Russian Revolution, so if historical accuracy is important to you please feel free to go read something else.
I wanted to love this book, I really did it started amazing but after the Romanovs left the stage it went downhill; on paper it had many elements that I loved, the first chapter blew me away and I think is responsible for my low rating. The truth is the first chapter totally mislead me because after reading it I expected to see how the Russian Revolution affected the Romanovs but I only got to see them for one chapter and after that they never seen again.
The Pros:
-That wonderful scenes that showed the Romanov Family. I know Alexei was 13 when he died in real life but he is portrayed older in this book I got the vibe he was about 18-20, but I really liked this age change it was like seeing a “what if” and would have loved to see more of this.
-The fact that it takes place in Russia was another thing I liked. About 99.9999% of Young Adult books take place in the US hence my love to have a new place to read about.
-The writing: The prose is absolutely lovely; I really did feel like I was in Russia.
Cons:
-Natalia: I felt she was written very inconsistently. She has lived all her life close to the Romanovs, grew up with two of the Grand Duchesses and is in love with the Crown Prince but knows very little about his family. *Spoiler Ahead* But the thing that made me want to slap her was the fact that she promised to tell no one about the magic egg and a few chapters later she was telling the freaky fortune teller lady, seriously Natalya?? You tell a sketchy looking woman the best kept secret of your country?
-The Romance: Natalya had two loves Alexei and Leo. I disliked both relationships with Alexei I felt that Natalya was more in love with the idea of “marrying Russia” and being the Tsarina, I didn’t feel that she loved the person Alexei was but that she loved what he represented. As for her relationship with Leo it felt more like Stockholm syndrome than love, it was also unnecessary you don’t need to fall in love to change your beliefs, I would have preferred if Leo had stayed only as a traveling companion rather than a love interest.
-The “Magic” Egg: at first I liked the idea of the egg; it was a very original concept but then its magic was twisted in a way that its powers worked perfectly for what Natalya needed.
Final Rating: 1.5/5
I wanted to love this book, I really did it started amazing but after the Romanovs left the stage it went downhill; on paper it had many elements that I loved, the first chapter blew me away and I think is responsible for my low rating. The truth is the first chapter totally mislead me because after reading it I expected to see how the Russian Revolution affected the Romanovs but I only got to see them for one chapter and after that they never seen again.
The Pros:
-That wonderful scenes that showed the Romanov Family. I know Alexei was 13 when he died in real life but he is portrayed older in this book I got the vibe he was about 18-20, but I really liked this age change it was like seeing a “what if” and would have loved to see more of this.
-The fact that it takes place in Russia was another thing I liked. About 99.9999% of Young Adult books take place in the US hence my love to have a new place to read about.
-The writing: The prose is absolutely lovely; I really did feel like I was in Russia.
Cons:
-Natalia: I felt she was written very inconsistently. She has lived all her life close to the Romanovs, grew up with two of the Grand Duchesses and is in love with the Crown Prince but knows very little about his family. *Spoiler Ahead* But the thing that made me want to slap her was the fact that she promised to tell no one about the magic egg and a few chapters later she was telling the freaky fortune teller lady, seriously Natalya?? You tell a sketchy looking woman the best kept secret of your country?
-The Romance: Natalya had two loves Alexei and Leo. I disliked both relationships with Alexei I felt that Natalya was more in love with the idea of “marrying Russia” and being the Tsarina, I didn’t feel that she loved the person Alexei was but that she loved what he represented. As for her relationship with Leo it felt more like Stockholm syndrome than love, it was also unnecessary you don’t need to fall in love to change your beliefs, I would have preferred if Leo had stayed only as a traveling companion rather than a love interest.
-The “Magic” Egg: at first I liked the idea of the egg; it was a very original concept but then its magic was twisted in a way that its powers worked perfectly for what Natalya needed.
Final Rating: 1.5/5
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