I am sad that I didn’t know much of this history. Shame on you public school system. What a fabulous entry into this historical Russian family. Loved Minnie. What a fun perspective. I’m obsessed. I need to read more.

2.5 stars

Maybe I should just admit to myself once and for all that I am just not that interested in the Romanovs.

I also don’t think the first person narrative worked very well. Empress Maria spent a lot more time discussing the royal jewels than contemplating the suffering of the Russian people that lead to the revolution. You don’t get to understand how and why the Russian people suffered more and more with each new tsar.

I mean who wants to read about starving peasants when there are dresses and jewellery to discuss?

And the most interesting character of all, Rasputin, only gets a few short mentions of his influence over Nicolas and Alexandra.

Even with the few Russian words thrown in here and there the story felt as if it could have played off in any royal court in any country. And my, what is with all the smoking? It was so prevalent that every second scene had Empress Maria or some other character light up to smoke away their angst.

The last ¼ was good and I finally started feeling some empathy for the Russian royals but for me it was too little too late.

There are a lot of people who loved this but sadly this book just did not work for me.

This book is not for the faint of heart. But then, the history of the Romanovs is not for the faint of heart. The story is written in first person, which typically I do not care for. In this instance it was very well done. The first person narration causes the reader to be blind to some things that Minnie herself does not realize until the moment of realization hits. If it were not written in first person, we would've missed out on this interesting aspect of the story.

The story itself is excellent. Full of political intrigue and historical drama, it gives the reader an insight into the temperature of Russian culture at the time of the revolution which may have been overlooked in previous historical study.

Minnie herself is such an interesting character. I found myself sympathizing with her as she foresaw the coming storm and tried so desperately to prevent it. Her frustrations with her limited means to prevent the calamity was heartbreaking. Reading the story while knowing the sadness she would endure at the end was also quite interesting. My heart broke for her.

C.W. Gortner has turned a long, tragic political history into a page turning story. Fans of Phillipa Gregory will doubtless enjoy this lengthy historical. It was quite heavy, but worth it.

This book is not for the faint of heart. But then, the history of the Romanovs is not for the faint of heart. The story is written in first person, which typically I do not care for. In this instance it was very well done. The first person narration causes the reader to be blind to some things that Minnie herself does not realize until the moment of realization hits. If it were not written in first person, we would've missed out on this interesting aspect of the story.

The story itself is excellent. Full of political intrigue and historical drama, it gives the reader an insight into the temperature of Russian culture at the time of the revolution which may have been overlooked in previous historical study.

Minnie herself is such an interesting character. I found myself sympathizing with her as she foresaw the coming storm and tried so desperately to prevent it. Her frustrations with her limited means to prevent the calamity was heartbreaking. Reading the story while knowing the sadness she would endure at the end was also quite interesting. My heart broke for her.

C.W. Gortner has turned a long, tragic political history into a page turning story. Fans of Phillipa Gregory will doubtless enjoy this lengthy historical. It was quite heavy, but worth it.

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Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to read and review!

If you should know anything about me, it’s that I have an obsession with Russia and the fallen Romanov family. So when I saw that this book was coming out this summer, I knew I had to get my hands on it. I was so thankful to receive a copy to read early, and although it’s not the largest book I’ve ever read, it was fur sure a very long one at over 400 pages. Despite the length of The Romanov Empress, I got through it in three days! I read it during a Readathon on Instagram, but I probably would have zipped through it without the Readathon. It was just that good! I’ve read a lot about the last days of the Russian Tsars and the fall of the Romanov Dynasty, but I’ve never read anything from Maria Feodorovna’s perspective.

Maria Feodorovna was born Dagmar of Denmark, and when she was a teen her father became the next in line for the Danish crown after living in practical poverty. From there, Dagmar only went up. She fell in love with the eldest son of the Tsar of Russia, and they soon became engaged to marry. But her life wasn’t the fairy tale she was hoping for, despite the fact that she had realistic expectations about being a princess. I loved so much seeing the fall of the aristocracy through this woman’s eyes. Her character was strong and garnered respect, even through the very end when the Russian Tsar was no more. The Romanov Empress brings out the best of Russia’s Tsarina, despite her flaws.

Obviously, as most of this book covers actual historic events, there isn’t much I can give away that will surprise you. But if you’re unfamiliar with the last Romanov Royal family, then I suggest you buckle up and grab multiple boxes of tissues. I even knew what was coming and I was still a blubbering fool during those last few chapters! And despite already knowing the outcome, I kept wishing that the ending would change and everything would be okay, just like I felt while reading I Am Anastasia.

I adored Maria’s character for all that she was and stood for. But there were so many characters in The Romanov Empress that I absolutely hated, and one of them was Maria’s daughter-in-law, Alexandra Feodorovna. She was an absolute fool, and her character just made me SO ANGRY! So many things could have gone differently if she had just stayed away. But history is history, and there’s nothing to be done about it now.

I obviously don’t know the accuracy that The Romanov Empress exhibits, but I know that I found the story of Maria Feodorovna compelling and fascinating. She had done so much for the Russian Empire, and she only wanted what was best for the country and its people. Unfortunately, countries weren’t ruled by women, otherwise I’m sure she could have done a better job of ruling than most of the men around her. If you’re into historical fiction, whether you know all about the Romanov family or not, this will make for a wonderful summer read!

Very good, enjoyable, well written. The Empress does get annoying in places but understandably so.

Es un libro entretenido, basado en la historia real y muy interesante, pero hacia el final se me ha hecho un poco pesado. Creo que se podría haber contado lo mismo en menos páginas.

My rating may be a little skewed, since I am a lover of all things Romanov. Part of my high rating was also based on that I was able to learn more about this dynasty. I was able to understand what lead up to why this family was eliminated and the survivors perspective to the Anna Anderson controversy. I have to admit that although I knew what the outcome would be I always hope for a different ending.

I gained much insight into the mysterious last Romanov empire. Wonderful historical fiction.

This was such a great book. I love the way the author approaches historical events and figures and tells their story in such an engaging way.