In this harrowing novel perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Elizabeth Wein, two girls from separate worlds flee across the Russian countryside at the height of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Russia, 1918: With the execution of Tsar Nicholas, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war—the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a bourgeois girl, narrowly escaped the massacre of her entire family in Yekaterinburg. Desperate to get away from the Bolsheviks, she offers a peasant girl a diamond to take her as far south as possible—not realizing that the girl is a communist herself. With her brother in desperate need of a doctor, Evgenia accepts Anna's offer, and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the war.
Anna is being hunted by the Bolsheviks, and now—regardless of her loyalties—Evgenia is too.
Daughters of a Dead Empire is a harrowing historical thriller about dangerous ideals, loyalty, and the price we pay for change. An imaginative retelling of the Anastasia story.
Historical note. Pronunciation guide. Author’s note. Bibliography.
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Gr 10 Up-An Anastasia Romanov reimagining: Russia, 1918. Tsar Nicholas is dead, and there is a civil war between the royalist White Army and the Bolshevik Communists. Anna, a bourgeois girl, escapes a massacre that killed her entire family. Desperate, she offers a diamond to communist peasant girl, Evgenia, in exchange for help. Despite knowing that Anna is bourgeois, Evgenia is desperate for money to help her ill brother. As the Bolsheviks hunt Anna, Evgenia realizes that despite being a Communist, she is also now seen as the enemy. The two young women must work together to stay alive, and there is danger from all sides. O'Neil provides an unflinching look at the brutal realities of the Russian civil war through the complexity of the two main characters. By changing perspectives, the author creates two strong narrative voices in Anna and Evgenia that allows readers to see the strongly rooted beliefs in both sides of the Russian civil war, and how these beliefs were shaken by atrocities committed during it. Even with the changing perspectives, the plot is fast-paced and compelling, although there are a few scenes of graphic violence near the end. An excellent option for fans of historical fiction. VERDICT Perfect for readers who enjoy Monica Hesse and Elizabeth Wein.-Kaetlyn Phillips