First published 2008
Daria Gradov lives quietly as an elderly grandmother in the rural American West in 1989. Her neighbors believe she is the widow of a poor Russian immigrant. Her own children know nothing of her true past. She was born Grand Duchess Tatiana, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. As a young woman, Tania lived in extraordinary wealth at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and the royal family's private retreat. She was one of four imperial daughters. Her younger brother Alexei's birth brought joy and terror. The boy suffered from hemophilia. His survival depended on the strange abilities of Rasputin, an illiterate monk. War erupted across Russia. Revolution destroyed the monarchy. The family was dragged from their palaces and locked away in Siberian captivity. A young soldier enters Tania's world during this chaos. She saves his life. Together they plot to rescue the doomed imperial family from execution.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, russian-literature, russian-revolution
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Siberia
Period: 1989, World War I, Russian Revolution
325 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: violence