✦ PLOT ✦

“Romanov.
For that name alone, bound to my blood like a Bolshevik is bound to the Russian Revolution, I am destined to die. Because not even royal blood can stop bullets.”

Romanov, Nadine Brandes

Anastasia, the girl who is also called Nastya in the book was given one task – to hide the Matryoshka doll on her way to exile in Siberia. The Matryoshka doll contains magic spell and even Nastya doesn’t know what’s the purpose of it. Nastya was told that this kind of magic might be her family’s rescue.

However, things get complicated when the leader of the Bolshevik army comes after them. Nastya must release the spell in order to survive. What makes this story more interesting is the fact that Nastya meets Zash, the attractive soldier who is entirely different from the rest of the Bolshevik army.

“It is if you separate the two – old life and new life. But once you learn that it’s all one life and each day is a new page, it gets a bit easier to let your story take an unexpected path.“

Nadine Brandes, Romanov

✦ CHARACTERS ✦
I love Nastya so much, she is so caring, smart, and understanding. She would give her life to you if she could. Her family was her everything and she proved it so many times. When her Papa tells her that this kind of magic will save their family, she isn’t looking for explanations, she just.. She just believes him. And I think that’s beautiful.

Alexei is a 13-year-old boy suffering from haemophilia and he is very sick. However, he is so funny and brave and I love him for that reasons. I think the author of this book has done an amazing job here because I could feel all that love and care when it comes to this character. I think Alexei would make a perfect leader, just like his Father.

Another important character in the book is Zash. He is troublesome, but attractive young man who is a guard of the Romanov family in their home. Most of his time he spends talking with Nastya. However, things change when Zash must choose between Nastya and his own life.

I would like to mention Joy – Nastya’s adorable puppy! It followed her on her journey because that’s what loyal friends do!

✦ OVERALL ✦
This book was really interesting and I liked it so much. I liked Nastya and she is my favourite character there. If someone else were in her shoes, they would probably give in and break. She is so strong and I wish everyone knew about her! Also, I liked the romance between Nastya and Zash because it is so soft and beautiful.

Here, my focus was more on the characters rather than on the plot itself. While reading this book, I felt a bit awkward about Zash and I was more interested in Nastya and Alexei. Moreover, I liked the elements of magic, it is so incredible! I love how you can learn the words and write the spells and the way they sink into your skin – it was really amazing!

I highly recommend this book to everyone! There’s a lot to learn from this story and the characters are so good that they will leave you speechless. Can’t wait to read more books written by Nadine Brandes.

★★★★ (4/5)

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