Tsarina

Gr 9 Up—Natalya Kutepova and Alexei Romanov are in love, and though she is not of royal blood, everyone expects that Tsar Nicholas II will allow them to be married. Alexei reveals to her a magical secret: before Rasputin was murdered, he poured all of his power into a Fabergé creation known as the Constellation Egg. The power of this egg miraculously protects the Romanov family, including healing Alexei from his hemophilia. But the egg is unable to protect the royal family from revolution: the year is 1917, and a civil war is on the horizon. Alexei and his family are taken by the Reds. In an attempt to reclaim power for Russia, Natalya and her highborn friend Emilia try to retrieve the egg, but they are deceived and captured. What ensues is a desperate search for the egg in order to claim the power for either the White or Red faction-but there is a dangerous third group at play that cares nothing for politics and everything for power. The characters in this novel don't quite live up to the clearly well-researched historical detail: they're flat and under-nuanced. The two romances in this book are presented as deriving from Natalya's genuine affection for both Alexei and a young revolutionary named Leo, but neither are well developed enough to address the complicated feelings that would likely arise when one begins to have feelings for the enemy of one's true love. The story is fascinating, however, and the details of the Russian Revolution that are included might inspire students to research Russian history and such characters as Alexei Romanov and Grigori Rasputin.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO