Anastasia

Product Information

If you read her biography, you'll see that her contemporaries described her as very boisterous, vivacious and childlike. No but for someone writing fantasy for the first time, the magic system was solid even if I wish it had a bigger part of the story. 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. The softening of his heart towards a troublesome but bright girl who he just can't help but be drawn to.

I wanted the heroine to grow up already and get to the adult fantasy I thought this was going to be. Of the five books I’ve read this is her only fantasy-retelling and her most recent work, the others were dark mafia romances that I liked a lot, even though the subgenre isn’t exactly my favorite. I highlighted most of the thoughts Damien had about Anastasia, because they’re love for one another was so undying. We do stick with Anastasia throughout the story, when the story starts she is 11 and we are given her 1st person POV for the book and then eventually do have some chapters from the hero’s POV (we first see the hero when he’s 14). There's a couple of interactions throughout the years and then off scene letters between the MCs that we were showed a couple of them that were as bland as they can get and then there's the big reunion that left me unimpressed.We even get glossed over some moments in his POV of times they spent together and I found myself thinking it would have been nice to see the development of that friendship/connection on-page. She loved trading jokes (for which she often got punished), playing pranks and had an acting talent. 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.

All of that said, I am excited for the paranormal/vampire trilogy that will be coming in the future. Not only is Anastasia one of the best books I've read in 2022, it's also one of my favorite books Sophie Lark has written. That NEVER happens lol, I just wanted Damien and Anastasia to have everything because they deserve the absolute world. Being a fantasy reader and Sophie Lark fan, I never had a second of worry that I wouldn't enjoy this book. And I get with her staying that young for so long of the story there was obviously not going to be romantic times happening, I didn’t need that.But the most important aspect to differentiate the genres is that Romance, especially mafia/contemporary doesn’t need a lot of world building since it’s based in reality while fantasy whenever involves magic, folklore and magical creature, needs to have a well crafted scenery to wrap and surround the characters and it needs a credible magic system. However, it is a journey for them to truly understand just why the gods intended for them to walk the paths of life together. What happens when you are faced with the version of yourself that is consumed and corrupted with power? Do you want to read a book with interesting worldbuilding, a sizzling romance and a story to die for?

I loved the friendship between her and Damien- the undertone of their rivalry and bickering in the early days only highlighted how much it was inevitable to have a soulmate and romantic relationship. But the whole "power hungry dictator princess" narrative that starts to gain more and more momentum as a story progresses? I know, I'm pretty late joining the praising party for this story, but in my defence, it was a pretty long story to get through and was worth it.

I’m impressed to say the least, that she wrote a book like this, and I’m sure she’s capable of writing whatever she wants and succeed. I'm not sure which I loved more, Anastasia's complex relationship with her parents and siblings or her slow burn enemies-friends-lovers romance with Damian.