Anastasia Romanov lives a charmed childhood—her father is the czar of Russia and she is one of its grand duchesses. She grows up among the aristocracy, and elaborate palaces are her and her many siblings’ playgrounds. However, those familiar with Russian history also know that her family is quickly heading toward its demise. Dunlap (The Musician’s Daughter
) steps boldly into this famous historical narrative, envisioning another possible future for Anastasia—one that includes a handsome suitor-soldier named Sasha, who falls in love with Anastasia and hopes to save her from the doom awaiting her family. The author’s prose is heavy on telling, largely because she packs it with an impressive amount of Romanov and Russian history. The romantic dimension of this novel sparkles when it appears and Dunlap’s treatment of Anastasia’s family is full and tender, but as the years pass and revolution appears on the horizon, the story grows expectedly bleak. Dunlap persuasively inhabits the thoughts and emotions of her embattled protagonist; her magnetic reimagining of Anastasia’s story has the potential to reach a broad audience. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)
