Book Review: Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Pages: 337
Publish date: May 7th 2019
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 9780785217244
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them, and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are to either release the spell and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya has only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction to Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her.

That is until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

Romanov:

Romanov by Nadine Brandes has been on my radar even before it was released. I’m a massive history buff and I’ve been looking for a new historical fiction read for some time. So I managed to pick up a copy while I was in the US and I’m so glad that I did. I don’t know too much about the Romanov family history, I’ve only watched and read a couple of things, but after reading Romanov I so want to find out more.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes follows Anastasia as the last of her family falls apart. With her family now in exile in Siberia, Nastya knows that she has to protect the only thing that can maybe save her family. But it’s a dangerous journey, and the leader of the Bolshevik army knows what he’s looking for. But now Nastya needs to decide if she would release the spell or enlist in the help from Zash. He doesn’t act like the normal Bolshevik soldier but can she trust him?

I really enjoyed the concept of Romanov. The thought that Anastasia didn’t die along with the rest of her family has always been really interesting to me. And Nadine Brandes really plays with that in Romanov. I think why I liked it so much, was because it reminded me of And I Darken by Kiersten White. In that while based on true events and people, they put their own twist on it.

Erwan Hesry

Nastya was a really interesting protagonist, while I did have a hard time trying to connect with her. But that didn’t really change my reading experience. Nastya came off as a younger protagonist as well as “innocent.” However, that is what also made her really interesting. She knew that she was her families last chance and she would do anything to keep them safe. I really enjoyed Nastya’s character development throughout Romanov. The reader is able to see her grow and take charge of everything around her.

The notion of family was a massive theme throughout Romanov and it was fantastically executed. There really isn’t a happy ending here. We as readers already know that most if not all of Nastya’s family were going to die before the book finishes, so that made the relationship she had with her a little more heartbreaking. In saying that, I loved getting to know the family through Nastya’s eyes. Even though this family goes through hell and back, they stick together, they love each other and Nastya will stop at nothing to keep them safe and healthy.

Ryan Hafey

The relationship with Zash was very heartbreaking and it really tore me apart. They are both on totally opposite sides in this war. And his isn’t just a soldier. He is one of the people keeping her family prisoner. But Nastya sees something different in him and she puts off her faith in him. It was really interesting seeing the interaction between Nastya and Zash, two very different people, on two very different sides. The reader is able to see them both struggle with who they are.

There were times throughout Romanov that I really struggle to read, especially towards the end. I knew what was going to happen, but gosh it still broke me when it did.

I really enjoyed the magic aspect of Romanov. It was tied so effortlessly throughout the book that it neither overtook or was hidden in the background. Magic blended so nicely into both the time of the novel, as well as things that happened in real life. Magic was a really interesting element to the book and loved finding out things here and there.

Photo by Francesco Paggiaro from Pexels

Overall, I really enjoyed Romanov by Nadine Brandes. It was a great twist on historical fiction. With magic, romance and the fight for family on the backdrop of war, Romanov is a fantastic read. Nastya is such an interesting protagonist that really captures the reader from the start. She is captivating in her innocence and her persistence to do the right thing for both her family and herself.

Have you read Romanov by Nadine Brande? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite historical fictions with a twist? Let’s Chat!