I didn’t know I loved reimagined pasts until I read this. It tore at my own belief system and mixed history with the potential story it left behind. I just wanted a little more of an ending. 

It starts out very slowly. The plot is urgent from the jump, but the constant bickering and shallow “Communism will save us!” or “Tsarism is good!” debates are nonstop and grow tiresome because both characters are just repeating the same talking points about their ideologies which is just boring to read as neither girl says more than the same few quips over and over again. At about 45% the book really starts to pick up and becomes much more interesting to read.

Anna being THE Anastasia isn’t some great reveal. Anyone with even a fleeting grasp on Russian history can figure that out less than five pages in.

The ending also felt very rushed. I think another chapter would have helped. The story is an interesting one! The characters feel a little flat but their ordeal is compelling to read and you still are rooting for the main heroines even if their identities don’t feel particularly fleshed out. It’s a solid premise with genuinely harrowing action sequences. It’s hard not to get sucked in.

The animated movie Anastasia came out when I was in their demographic sweet spot and the fascination with Russian history (and later, Russian literature) has always stuck with me. Seeing that there was a new YA novel coming out set during the Russian revolution easily captured my interest. I was curious to see how the conflict and popular mythology around the deaths of the Romanovs is being portrayed in YA today. Carolyn Tara O’Neil’s upcoming Daughters of a Dead Empire alludes to many elements of the debunked but still popular myths about Anastasia while delving deeper into the opposing sides in the conflict – what their philosophies were and why, how that affected their actions, and all the shades of gray that colored morality during that time. At the same time, O’Neil’s novel maintains an active and engaging pace that helps hold the reader’s interest.

Evgenia travels her usual route selling small wares in the hopes of earning enough money to pay for a doctor for her injured brother. As the villagers of the town she’s passing through threaten to burn a girl alive, Evgenia intervenes and the girl, Anna appeals to her for more help – she’ll pay Evgenia to help her get safely south to the White army who support the restoration of the monarchy. Though Evgenia considers herself a staunch Bolshevik, she’s desperate for the money. But when she and Anna try to sell a gemstone for the ready cash they both need, Evgenia discovers that it’s more than just a reckless and angry mob after Anna. One of the key officers of the Bolshevik secret police is after her and now he’s after Evgenia too for helping her. As the girls are forced to rely on one another for their mutual survival, they challenge each other’s understanding of who and what is right for Russia and wrestle with what the best way forward will be. Can they form a true and lasting friendship – even when the full truth of Anna’s identity comes to light – or are they and Russia doomed to a future of conflict and self-destruction?

For the rest of my review, please visit: https://wp.me/pUEx4-1au