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Mini Reviews (14)




This book is the sequel to The Secret Daughter of the Tsar (which I really liked) and follows Veronica as she travels to Russia to claim the role as the heir to the Romanovs.  The story flashes back and forth between Veronica's story and the story of Grigory Potemkin who was one of Catherine the Great's lovers.  I really enjoyed the Potemkin story line; it was unique and intriguing.  The rest of the story was just okay; Veronica's story was slow and I had a hard time staying interested in what was happening to her.  I also found the past and present stories to be poorly connected so it almost seemed like they were two separate books.  3 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.




This was a fun read and I loved the combination of historical fiction and fantasy!  The magical aspects were neat and I really enjoyed the descriptions of St. Petersburg.  I read a lot of reviews comparing this book to Shadow and Bone which I think is unfair because they are so completely different.  I didn't love the ending (I was hoping it would be a bit happier!) but it left enough of an opening for a second book.  I am eager to see where the story goes next. 3 stars.




A friend of mine gave me this book and I am so glad she did.  My daughter is almost 3 and let's just say that toddlerhood has been interesting.  I loved how honest (and hilarious) the author was about all the 'interesting' things toddlers do.  I laughed out loud multiple times while reading this and I especially enjoyed the sections on sleep (or lack thereof) and eating.  We've had the hardest time with those things at my house and the author's observations were spot on.  I wasn't a huge fan of the sections on parents who don't shower because eww  but otherwise, it was a huge hit with me. 5 stars.


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