Title: Queen of Always
Series: Stolen Empire
Pages: 280
Genre: YA Historical
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Date published: September 15, 2015
Format: ebook
Source: author
Synopsis:
If her time at court has taught Catherine anything, it's that there is no room for weakness in Imperial Russia. With the Empress' health failing and rumors of a change in the line of succession, her place in the royal line is once more in jeopardy.
Tormented by her sadistic husband and his venomous mistress, Catherine must once more walk the fine line between pleasure and politics—between scandal and survival.
When her young son becomes the target of those rebelling against Peter's reign, Catherine will have to rise up to protect herself, her child, and her nation from his unstable and potentially catastrophic rule. This means putting herself at odds with the most dangerous man she's ever known, trusting those who once proved to be her enemies, and turning a nation against its sovereign. In the ultimate battle for the crown, new alliances will be forged, loyalties will be tested, and blood will be shed.
Don't miss this breathtaking conclusion to the Stolen Empire series!
Queen of Always is a YA historical fiction based on the life of young Catherine the Great. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most dynamic women in history.
Review
I was so excited when I had this on my kindle. Am I the only person who gets so excited about a book that they're afraid to read it? Because that's how I was with this one. I adored the last two, and I was worried I had hyped myself up too much.
Then I started it. I couldn't put it down, and it was finished that same day.
I know the story of Catherine the Great, so it wasn't even as if I shouldn't have been expecting certain things... but I found myself so immersed in this world that Ficklin created that there were many times what I knew of her story was far from my mind. I let the story captivate me, and it did a fantastic job.
Much like the last two books in this series, there is a lot going on. The protagonist is trying to stay alive and keep as much of herself as she can, despite the overwhelming amount of hardships she struggles with. There is really not a dull moment.
I felt this to be a wonderful retelling of Catherine the Great, and I highly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction.