Tsarina A Novel By: Ellen Alpsten

ARC provided by publisher & Netgalley in exchange for honest review. 

This book is not for the faint of heart. Many controversial topics: torture, graphic sex scenes, rape, abuse, alcoholism/drug use, oppression, war, slavery, the list goes on and on.  Much of this is described in shocking detail. 

The 1700s were filled with people who were ruthless, uninhibited, and had a willingness to betray others for their own betterment. Peter the great was no exception. This appears to be very well researched and is very interesting to say the least. 

This book centers around “Tsar of all the Russias” Peter the Great, the wars he fought, the women he loves and closest companions, the family hierarchy, and his visions for building and ruling a thriving Russia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Surrogate a Novel by Toni Halleen

Image
 I enjoyed this debut novel from Toni Halleen.  I also admit to one situation in the book being quite far-fetched in my humble opinion. I put that situation aside and continued on because I just needed to know how it all ends! My hunches about where the plot was going, changed a few times, due to the fact that the author was pretty sly at allowing the reader to enjoy the characters & then let us change our mind about the characters in a back and forth way and it really worked.  This story is about a couple who marries and becomes a “blended” family because Hal, the husband, has children from a previous marriage. Ruth, the wife, really doesn’t feel wholly connected to her stepchildren and battles the feelings of being an outsider. Ruth desperately wants to have her own child with her husband to complete their family. They negotiate a contract with Cally, the surrogate, and the story unfolds from there. It’s an interesting look into the challenges of surrogacy and I fel...
Read more

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Image
Thank you to #Netgalley for the voice galley of this forthcoming young adult romance #Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry” in exchange for an honest review.  This is an excellent, realistic debut from Joya Goffney. I certainly hope we have more stories from her in the future. The romance & high school drama in the book are spot-on and the book has appeal for adult readers as well. There are educational moments regarding cultural diversity which is very important. Books such as these help people to understand how they can be more thoughtful in their speech and their gestures. So in that regard, I would compare & highly recommend this book for those who enjoyed Angie Thomas’s debut, “The Hate U Give” or “Such A Fun Age,” A debut from Kiley Reid.   The storyline revolves around Quinn, a high school senior who keeps a journal of lists. Many, many private lists, such as “lies people believe about me” or “boys I’d like to kiss.”  The journal is misplaced and falls into the hands...
Read more

A Long Time Comin by Robin W Pearson

Image
 If you’ve read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett go ahead and give this novel a look. Commonalities: family secrets and exploring the how/why family members become estranged and how that vibrates through the generations. In this novel An old and sick Granny B struggles with her granddaughter Evelyn when she starts asking questions regarding her past, the history of the family, and if it can be shared, can it be mended?
Read more