Rasputin introduces himself as a monk and a humble servant. And then there’s this dark mysterious figure that is Rasputin. Sophie Lark writes in the first person for both characters therefore she gives different approaches to the same story given that Anastasia is a Rusyan princess and Damien a captive, with privileges but a captive all the same. So we get to know his thoughts and his feelings about himself, his life and the people around him.Īnastasia and Damien speak for themselves.

One of the conditions of the treaty was that Damien became a ward under the Tsar’s cousin’s supervision but no matter how long Damien spends being educated and having a military career amongst the Rusyans, he will always be considered a filthy barbarian. Damien is the son of the king of the Cossacks, his father was at war with Rusya (alternate name for Russia) and then signed a peace treaty with the Tsar. We also have Damian’s side of the story to complete the full picture of what is to come and why. She loves being outdoors, wearing men’s clothes, flying her gyrfalcon with which she can communicate and she’s in love with a Cossack prince named Damien who is her uncle’s ward. Being second to last amongst the Tsar’s children is hard, seeking for her parents’ attention and approval Anastasia isn’t the demure ladylike princess that the photos seem to portray. In the same manner of other favorite writers of mine who also do fairy stories, folklore and history retellings like Juliet Marillier or Katherine Arden, she doesn’t recreate history but the legend of Anastasia, which says that she was the only one of the Romanovs who survived the Russian Revolution. History is what it is,There’s only so much Sophie Lark can change to keep the story still recognizable, and she does a perfect job of it. That is a very powerful magic talent and it was expected that the tsarevitch, prince Alexei would inherit that, but he didn’t. Anastasia inherited her powers from the Tsar, she can slow time for everyone except for herself.

Anastasia and the last Romanov Tsar’s family, as well as some other historical figures like the courtiers and, most especially, Rasputin, are the characters in an alternative coming of age fantasy story where some people develop magic powers. If you are looking for a biography of Anastasia or a recount of the last years of the Romanovs in a photographic kind of way, this is not the book for you.

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