Goodreads Blurb:
"ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES...
Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.
Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.
Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.
In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?"
Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.
Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.
Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.
In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?"
Review:
To be totally honest, the only reason why I picked this book up when I did was because I saw I hadn't reviewed (or read) any books starting with Q. Otherwise, I'd be powering through my R&R and Spring Fling wins. Which I am... now that I finished all these library books and have to write reviews for them all. But anyway, now I'll have a Q book!
I really like political, monarchy sort of books so I enjoyed reading this one. The politics were pretty realistic (from what I know) and I enjoyed figuring out each character's motivations and such.
I guess the reason why this is 4 stars instead of 5 then is because... it just didn't stand out. Right now, I'm writing this review like 2 weeks after I finished the book (terrible I know...) and looking back it just blends right in. That doesn't make it a 3 stay 'okay' book either because while I was reading it, I loved every minute and finished it in one sitting. It's a good book to pick up when you know you'll get consistent goodness and don't have to skip around. And it doesn't take too long to read which is another bonus for rereads.
Despite everything, I did enjoy the setting and the characters. I don't think I've read any book set in Russia (or the USSR or Prussia) so it was a nice change. I did read the author's notes and she mentioned it isn't a historical representation but I wasn't really looking for one. I can learn history from a history book. And it did get the big events right (again, as far as I know which isn't much but it seemed right). The characters were wonderful and quite realistic and portrayed even the nasty but true sides of people. For instance, Sophie's mother. Everyone thinks either awesome mom or evil mom but Sophie's mother was somewhere in the gray area and I could understand where she was coming from.
The Final Verdict:
Not the most memorable book but still very enjoyable and very well done. The plot, politics, characters, and setting held my attention.
4 stars
Quotes:
“Why do all these Russian men have to be so devastatingly, frustratingly handsome?”
“I think that love can indeed be many things. But the one thing it will never be is practical. Love is irrational by its very nature. It demands passion, fire, and no less than absolute surrender. It is a longing, a burning that consumes you, leaving you without reason, or defense. When love comes, nothing can stand in its way.”
“For you, dear Sophie, I would rope the moon itself and drag it to your window.”
“Sometimes, we must learn to open our hearts and grow to love someone we think we might not be able to.”
“I know that while I care for him deeply, he could never break my heart. For my heart rests in no one's hands but my own now.”
“Books are one thing I love above all else. In a story, I can become anyone, travel any place. In those pages lives my only true freedom.”
“No matter how many romantic poems you recite, no matter how many glorious tales of love you read, how can you really understand the condition if you've never found yourself in it?”
I heard really good things about this one. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it if/when you get around to it! Thanks!
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