Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC of this novel in 2019 in exchange for an honest review. My deepest apologies for my review being so egregiously late.

I tandem read a physical library copy of this book while listening to a library copy of the audiobook.

I knew of Anastasia from the heartbreaking and hilarious animated movie from my childhood. You know the one, with the haunting ‘Once Upon a December’ song that gets ingrained into your soul, and the little bat who famously said, “I’ll give her a ha, and a hiya, and a wooah, and I’ll kick her, sir.” 

Despite this movie being a childhood favorite, as I got older I never looked further into the history of Anastasia. When this book popped up on Netgalley many years ago, I was excited by the prospect of learning more about this character that I had so deeply loved growing up. Fast forward to the present, and instead of excitement, I now felt an intense sense of anxiety at the prospect of reading Anastasia’s story, especially once I realized the book starts with her entire family still alive. 

At first I could only read this book in short bursts, naturally stopping a page or two before tragedy struck, instinctively knowing I wasn’t ready to see Anastasia’s world torn apart. It wasn’t until my own world, and the external forces that had been heightening my own anxiety in January 2025, had crested, that I was able to sit down and read two thirds of the novel in one go. 

I highly recommend the audiobook of this novel. While the writing is masterful, weaving history and fantasy together as if they were a recollection of actual historical events, the narrator should be credited for bringing the atmosphere of this story to life. They expertly added what I assume are Russian accents, and spoke the various languages written throughout this novel. It heightened Nastya’s story in ways I couldn’t have achieved on my own; stuck in my own head with my very American accent, stumbling my way over new-to-me words and phrases.

I had no idea going into this novel that it would feature two disabled characters. Both Nastya’s younger brother, and their mother, suffered from disabilities and chronic conditions that left them confined to their beds, or a wheelchair, more often than not. I appreciated the disabled representation, and the way both characters were portrayed realistically. Physically they were weaker than their peers, but mentally and emotionally they proved how incredibly strong they had become in the face of such physical adversity.

This story was incredibly touching and topical. The message of Nastya’s father, his unwavering ability to show love not only to his family, but also to his captors, was a deeply profound message and theme throughout this novel. While I won’t pretend to have a good grasp on the current politics in today’s Russia, I do believe the political themes that run throughout this novel, including the trials Nastya, her family, and the soldiers forced to oversee their imprisonment, are timeless and still extremely poignant in today’s political climate world wide. 

This was a challenging novel to read. I can’t ascertain whether I believe this has a happily ever after, but it did end on an unmistakable feeling of hope for the future. There are so many beautiful messages and exploration of the human experience woven into Nastya’s story. It left me wondering what I would do in Nastya’s situation? In Zash’s? And above all, it made me ponder if I’m doing enough to send love out into the world, even if in the end the outcome results in unforetold tragedy.