Writing and atmosphere - I've read Miss Lark's Birthright series and although they were not the best that I've read and some were better than others, it's one of the few series that I still remember so I wasn't surprised when she came up with an amazing atmosphere for Anastasia, the writing was on point, the descriptions so realistic and vivid that I felt the cold of St. In my opinion the best executed part of the book were the characters because Damien apart, Miss Lark managed to breath life to all of them and give each and everyone a unique personality that makes them in some way or another unforgettable. I’m not versed in Russian history or know much about the Romanovs or Cossack people but it’s always a bit of a struggle to imagine “real persons/ events” to be fictional. this is one of the most interesting/sad times in Russian history so i kind of wanted a little more of that.

On the bright side: some facts about history and culture are correct, but whenever a reader (versed even a lil bit in the subject) stumbles upon general lack of understanding of Russian culture (read: the author looks at it from an American standpoint), it gets annoying since retelling and misinterpreting random historical facts is a big part of the book. I have not read many fantasy books but it did remind me of the feelings you get with many well known fantasy stories.Their moments as a couple are touching and meaningful, but again I do not think their relationship is the biggest story line. There are many driving factors in this book that those familiar with the story of the real Anastasia will recognize.

It kind of makes me think of that quote, “you can’t pick and choose what parts of her you love” I think it’s from tog but of the top of my head I can’t remember. Damien and Anastasia have a somewhat tumultuous initial meeting but there is some kind of connection that even at young ages they understand is important.As a small example: the author confuses the poor woman Anna Petrovna — the daughter of Peter the Great who died at the tender age of 20 💀 and was never even a Russian empress in the first place, with Anna Ioannovna (who was indeed an Emperess: a weird mix of something unhingedly merry and cruel in her personality), and SLANDERED the innocent woman who didn't even do anything wrong during her short lifetime, poor thing. Maybe an open ending would've worked, with an insinuation of better times to come in the distant future. Everything was very clearly described through the lens of a western author with their own idealogies in mind, which is to be expected, since this is aimed at the same audience. I would've also loved to see glimpses from his relationship with his father, that man who seemed love Damien to no end and would sacrifice anything for him but sadly, was barely on scene three times and on passing. I'm not saying Imperial Russia was sunshine and daisies, and everything that came after (Lenin, communism, the bolsheviks, De-Cossackization) was a dark time in our history that ultimately shaped the post soviet countries on so many levels apart from just political.