The Tsarina’s Daughter

Ellen Alpsten

Publication date: March 15, 2022 by St. Martin’s Griffin Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Born into the House of Romanov to the all-powerful Peter the Great and his wife, Catherine, a former serf, beautiful Tsarevna Elizabeth is the envy of the Russian empire. She is insulated by luxury and spoiled by her father, who dreams for her to marry King Louis XV of France and rule in Versailles. But when a woodland creature gives her a Delphic prophecy, her life is turned upside down. Her volatile father suddenly dies, her only brother has been executed and her mother takes the throne of Russia.

As friends turn to foes in the dangerous atmosphere of the Court, the princess must fear for her freedom and her life. Fate deals her blow after blow, and even loving her becomes a crime that warrants cruel torture and capital punishment: Elizabeth matures from suffering victim to strong and savvy survivor. But only her true love and their burning passion finally help her become who she is. When the Imperial Crown is left to an infant Tsarevich, Elizabeth finds herself in mortal danger and must confront a terrible dilemma–seize the reins of power and harm an innocent child, or find herself following in the footsteps of her murdered brother.

Hidden behind a gorgeous, wildly decadent façade, the Russian Imperial Court is a viper’s den of intrigue and ambition. Only a woman possessed of boundless courage and cunning can prove herself worthy to sit on the throne of Peter the Great.

My Thoughts: Another wonderfully written epic novel by author Ellen Alpsten. Readers should not be intimidated by the over 500 pages. As with almost every story written about the Romanovs the page count is necessary to do it justice. In this book Alpsten tells the story of the evolution of Elizabeth. This is not a tale about her reign but a tale of how she grew into what she was destined to be. It tells the story of a woman who had to come to terms with all of life’s tragedies and heartbreaks. Elizabeth – who had to learn to accept both the splendors and riches of favor, and the despair and wariness that came with suspicion, overcame it all. This novel gives us a multifaceted woman who loved and was loved, who understood the need to have a circle of supporters, who embraced what it meant to be Russian. Elizabeth who allows knew what her destiny was, just needed to live through the challenges in order to fulfill the role Russia needed her to. Alpsten’s writing is beautiful and she clearly put plenty of research into the lives of the Romanov women.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.