In case you haven’t guessed it already - I do hide it so well - I am a nerd. As such, I enjoy lots of nerdy things like astronomy and computers. One nerdy thing I absolutely love is history. World War I, World War II, the Middle Ages: you name it, I’ve studied it - in depth. But the one area of history I love above all others is the history of Russia, especially the Russian Revolution that took place in 1917.
Which is why I chose to read Dreaming Anastasia. The Anastasia in the title was a real girl who, along with her father, Russian leader Tsar Nicholas II, her mother, three sisters, and little brother, was executed in a totally gruesome manner in the middle of the night. Finding it hard to believe that anyone could do something so completely disgusting, people began to spread a story that Anastasia hadn’t actually been killed. It was suggested that she had been saved and smuggled out during the night. Over the next few decades, several people came forward and said that they were the real Anastasia. Fast forward to the present day and, as a result of some very complex scientific tests, we now know for sure that Anastasia was really killed with her family. A tragic ending to a very interesting story.
Dreaming Anastasia suggests another end to Anastasia, one way too complex for me to explain here. Let’s just say it involves a modern day teenager named Anne who seems to be channeling Anastasia in her dreams, a Russian secret society, and a fairy tale character named Baba Yaga. There’s also the mysterious hot guy who follows Anne around. Hint: he’s a lot older than he looks.
This is a topic that I love so, naturally, I really enjoyed some aspects of the book. It was, however, a little slow at times, and could be somewhat confusing if you don’t know much about the topic. It’s definitely a very original idea, and well worth looking into.
LAME FACTOR: As I said, in my opinion (and you should definitely find out for yourself), the story was a bit slow sometimes, especially when Baba Yaga gets involved. I’ll give it a 3 out of 5.
YOUR PARENTS WILL FREAK FACTOR: There’s a minor amount of cursing but not much of anything else that could be objectionable. Oh yeah, there's some stuff about her friend losing her virginity - but there aren't too many graphic details.
BRAIN POWER: The story is well-written with a respectable vocabulary. For some readers, the struggle may be with following what is going on as the characters switch back and forth. Give a try, though. It’s good exercise for your brain!
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