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.