Welcome to Litsy!

Anastasia was one of my favorite movies as a kid and I've always been interested in the Romanov family. I really liked this retelling because the author managed to turn it into a YA fantasy, while also maintaining a lot of historical accuracy. I think I preferred the first half of the book which was all about the Romanov family's relationships with each other.

My parents bought a Star Wars crochet kit for my kids to give me for Christmas, resulting in half the family putting in requests - my dad thought it was hilarious... 🙄
Seemed like a good night for #audiocrochet so I'm starting on a Yoda for my son.

Santa has officially made it to our house, so I can finally sit down and start one of the books @LittleMouse5708 got me for Christmas!

A really thoughtful exploration of the bonds of family, what love really is, and how to stay true to yourself in the face of evil. And a spark of magic to leaven the tragedy. The characters were well drawn and the plot, if constrained somewhat by historical facts, was engaging and moved well. Really enjoyed it!

The strength and purpose of the characters so far is remarkable...

Halfway through Sunday chores, I feel justified in a coffee break with my Mother‘s Day present...
#ya #sundayreads #curlupandread

I would recommend Romanov, although I feel it should have either been completely balls-to-the-wall fantasy or remove that element completely and make it a purely historical tale as it felt somewhat incomplete as is.

I have really mixed feelings on this book. The premise was awesome and had so much potential. I just felt like there was so much more that could be done with the concept than what was. It just left me rather underwhelmed. Gorgeous cover though.

While I wait for my library hold on Blood & Honey to come through, I'm jumping into this one. Super excited!

Being in quarantine has given me the opportunity to read so much more than before. Romanov was a slow burn, but I enjoyed the historical facts and the magic woven into it.

This one I wanted to love but I. Just. Couldn't. I don't know. I wasn't interested until chapter 16 and for any book thats tough to recover from. The only reason I didn't bail on this book is because I follow the author on Instagram and adore her. Plus growing up I wasn't allowed to abandon a book unfinished. Other than that, this book would have been tossed aside. Nadine said she excels more when not under deadline. Example. This book.

Although I doubt much of this book is historically accurate in regards to Russian history, it did make for a fun YA novel full of family, secrets, and magic.

Finished the second book of this readathon! Both were audiobooks, so ngl, I'm not feeling super duper accomplished with my reading so far. However, I am about 150 pages away from finishing my physical read and I have definitely learned how fast (or slow) of a reader I actually am, which is valuable knowledge for future readathons! 😂🎧📚 #febs2dayathon

Finally less than 3 hours on this one! Liking it a lot, it's mostly just painful to have headphones on to listen to it properly 👂🎧 The final part promises to be interesting to say the least 😉 #febs2dayathon

Today marks the beginning of the #febs2dayathon which is an idea created by myself and @okthislooksbad ? It is a two day readathon, starting today at 11 AM ? The aim is to not only read a much as possible, but also to make a serious dent in our personal TBRs because they get out of hand ? So here is my (very ambitious) TBR for this readathon, including "Romanov" by Nadine Brandes as my audiobook ? Let's see how this goes! ?

A few more #JumpStart2020 reads

-Romanov ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
-Heidi‘s Guide to Four Letter Words ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Forbidden ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The review of this beauty went up on the Blog yesterday! Definitely one of my new favourite books! Check it out at:

Www.reademandeatblog.wordpress.com

@Cinfhen thank you so much for your sweet note, the book, soaps, talisman and bookmarks - it was very kind of you & I'll treasure everything. I'm afraid I had to open early as it was coming unwrapped!

I‘m in love with both of these covers, couldn‘t help buying myself some books when I went out gift shopping 😅

#TBRread #wintergames #slaybells @Clwojick @StayCurious
Finished this last night! I thought it was very historical and the parts that strayed (magic is involved) still made up a interesting story. This story pulled me right in.

I really loved this book, the beginning was slow but once it picked up I really loved it and had to make it to the finish. I love how it focused on family and Nastya instead of a love story like alot of other YA books.

My TBR for December!
1. Romanov by Nadine Brandes
2. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
4. The witch doesn't burn in this one by Amanda Lovelace
5. The nutcracker and other Christmas tales by unknown
6. The Wicked King by Holly Black
7. The princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
8. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septys
#wintergames #slaybells @Clwojick@StayCurious

My next read and I‘m really excited about this one 😊

#7covers7days #covercrush

Day 5

Excited to read these!

A historical retelling of Anastasia and the Romanovs with the promise of magic and an absolutely gorgeous cover - how could you not want to read this, right? What I got was a blatantly biased and vague historical retelling, with no explanation or real development of the magic and spell making process until the very end. This might be more suitable for a younger audience, not necessarily knowledgable of Russian history. ⭐️⭐️ #reviewathon #netgalley

Switching back and forth between my many current reads. 😂 Loving this one so far. 😍

This book was made for me. I am a sucker for wary 1900 Russia, romanovs, ya, and magic. This one used some real facts and added in a sci fi element. The magic had no real rules, which was frustrating. But I was all in.

The last days of the Romanov family in exile, from the perspective of Anastasia. But in this version there is magic and romance with one of the guards, because YA. I liked the idea but the execution lacked world-building and left me with a lot of questions.

I‘ve really fallen behind on the prompts this week. It‘s just been so busy and chaotic here! I definitely cannot make up for all of them but I really wanted to do this one since I am so excited about this book that I purchased with my birthday gift card. This is one of my favorite topics to explore is history and historical fiction.

#russia #letsflyjuly @OriginalCyn620 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I strive to take nice book photos but not everyone here is supportive of my work.

I didn‘t know much about the Romanovs or Russian history before reading this book and i don‘t think i can say differently after finishing it. These characters could have been random people in a fictional story, but for occasionally references to royalty and hemophilia. The story was alright but nothing earth shattering. Very basic, presumably designed for a YA audience, as there was no nuance to anything and heavy focus on the romantic interests.

While I enjoyed getting swept away to a magical Russia, I couldn‘t overlook the biased view of the Russian Revolution, the lack of explanation of the magical system, and the too neat ending. It was a quick read, and I really liked the imagined character of Anastasia, but I missed some nuance.

I GREW up on Anastasia + the magic and romanticism of the monarchy helped me see this as fictional play on one of my fav movie rather than the Romanovs of history. I like how this book took the ill fated Romanov's and gave Anastasia a character. A personality. Sure, the plot and history and politics seemed VERY biased but whatever. It however does struggle with defining the magic system. That aside, I see myself rereading this 🤷🤷🤷

Please don't suck. Please don't suck. Please don't suck.

If my Russian history background ruins this, imma be PISSSSSSED.

Weekend mornings done right 👌

My bf is still snoozing, and in trying to ignore the fact that it will be 29 degrees today, by reading a retelling of the story of Anastasia Romanov.

#currentlyreading

I thought I would love this so much, but alas, I didn‘t. It wasn‘t paced well and I had a hard getting through the book. Also, I really wish more had been explained, especially about magic.

“For the name alone bound to my blood like a Bolshevik is bound to the Russian Revolution I am destined to die,because not even loyal blood can stop bullets.” I absolutely adored this book so much it was PHENOMENAL! And AMAZING! Romanov was so beautifully written I just loved it,Alexei was amazing he was adorable and just a boy,I cried happy tears when it ended,Zash and Nastya are just so cute!!! Awwwwww!! 💕💕💕💕I totally recommend to anyone!

I just started reading Romanov and it‘s just so GOOD! So far I‘m only like five pages in though but I‘m seriously going to enjoy it though,if you‘re wondering I‘m a huge Anastasia fan and I absolutely adore the broadway production of Anastasia it‘s phenomenal! And the songs are just so great I‘m just going to read now!!
Happy Reading!!📚📚
#Anastasia #Romanov

A perfect blend of history and fantasy are woven together to create an intriguing tapestry of tragedy and hope in this unique retelling of the Romanov family. This story has a perfect balance of dark and light. A somber read yet the author did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life with such clarity and compassion, that she created a far more beautiful story of humility, courage, loyalty, love. The narration is wonderful

Book mail! Perfect on a rainy day!

Well, I‘m certainly a lucky lady today! Somebody, and I have NO IDEA who, has sent me some surprise #bookmail, which I‘m super excited about! I just really want to thank the person, who has been so kind, so please, let me know if you are the generous Litten ❤️❤️

#Littensarethebest

I enjoyed Nadine Brandes‘ reimagination of Romanov history in a world mixed with magic. The magic system is not explained in details, which is a shame, but it plays a wonderful role as a background element to the revolution. The characters felt very real, so their pains and struggles touched me deeply.

Book Mail 💌 📖
ROMANOV 💛♥️
‘Not even royal blood can stop bullets‘
Soooo excited to start this, definitely know what I‘m doing for the rest of my day now 😁
•
•
•
#newbook #romanov #preorderbooks #bookstagram #bookworm #bookphotography #bookcover #bookblogger #nadinebrandes #bookaesthetic

Picked this up from the library today after putting it on hold and I just couldn‘t wait to start it! Two of my favorite genres in one book so I‘m very excited!

I‘m not a fan of historical fiction, so I was skeptical about this historical fantasy. But, as I and those who recommended the book hoped, I was sucked in from the first chapter!
The characters are wonderful, their struggles are real, and the ink magic is intriguing. I typically buy books I‘m not sure I‘m going to like on Kindle. I‘m going to have to purchase a physical copy now!

#bookmail #preorder I received my extra goodies for preordering Romanov! A recipe for Russian Borscht, signed book plate, sticker, and bookmark. Also got a sweet note from the author. So cool!

Read from 5/7-5/26

Characters- 5 stars

Everyone from the Romanov family you know to Zash, the Bolshevik who was their guard was a delight.

Plot 5 stars

So the plot of this book takes a new direction about halfway thorough the book, and this is great because otherwise it would be like a rehash of what you already know, and would have no original story paired with it.

Pace 5 stars

The was of this book was excellent.