Romanov by Nadine Brandes

This YA novel answers a fascinating question: “What if Antastasia Romanov, the teenage Russian princess, survived the massacre of her family using magic?”

 

Historically accurate in many ways, Romanov provides an education on many of the true events surrounding the imprisonment and execution of Tsar Nikolaus and his family during the Russian Revolution. The 16-year-old princess, nicknamed Nastya by her father, is the teller of the story. She is a delightfully spunky heroine, boldly pulling pranks on her family members and even a handful of her captors. Nastya has a deep love for her family, something that is so seldom celebrated in novels written for teens. 

            

At first I had negative reaction to the magical system used in the books, mainly because it involves using “spell ink” that actually spells words. (I see what you did there, Mrs. Brandes.) Anastasia’s main goal is to sneak a Matryoshka doll, with this ink hidden inside each layer, past the guards. Nastya has been told by her father that this magical object will open and release its power at just the moment they need it most. You can guess that the results are not exactly what she was hoping for. 

                                                                                                                                                                                          Because of the subject matter, the story can’t help being somewhat dark. Much of the tale reads like a diary detailing the harsh realities of the royal family’s incarceration. In this way, parts of it are reminiscent of The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom’s true story of surviving a Nazi prison camp. But with magic. And romance. The romantic angle involves Anastasia’s enemies-to-lovers relationship with one of her Bolshevik guards, Zash, but it was one I had a hard time rooting for.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Romanov is rich with much-needed book themes, but the strongest one is the need to forgive those that have hurt you. There’s even a reader’s guide at the end of the book with questions that address this important topic and others brought up in the story.
 
If you’d enjoy a more realistic take on the Anastasia story than what’s in the animated movie, but with a thread of magic running through it, this is your book. I give it four informative yet magical stars.