Anastasia’s Secret by Susanne Dunlap

From the back of the book:

The life of a Russian princess rests in the hands of her secret love

For Anastasia Romanov, life as the daughter of Russia’s last tsar is about to be torn apart by the violence of revolution. Ousted from the Imperial Palace when the Bolsheviks seized control, Anastasia and her family are exiled to Siberia as the rebels determine their future. But even while their captivity stretches out and the threat to their lives grows more menacing, romance quietly blossoms between Anastasia and a sympathetic guard named Sasha. Will their secret love be enough to help her and her family avoid the firing squad? Inspired by the mysteries that have long surrounded the fate of Russia’s last princess, this is a compelling and romantic vision of what might have been.

The first time I ever heard of Anastasia Romanov was from Disney’s movie. I even have a wand my parents bought for me at the Disney store in the mall. To date, she’s my favorite Disney princess. However, since Disney wasn’t exactly out to put together a thorough history lesson, my knowledge of the actual princess is slim.

This book taught me a lot about her family and the places that Anastasia lived during the times directly before and during her imprisonment, as well as the people who surrounded her. Anastasia’s Secret is an exceptionally well-researched novel. You can tell that Susanne Dunlap must have put a lot of work into it, and it’s one of the novel’s strongest points.

However, I had a hard time getting into this book. Even though it comes with a handy cast of character’s page, it’s still difficult to place everyone, and throughout the entire book, I’m still not sure whether I had everyone straightened out in my mind, especially the secondary characters.

The romance in this book was by far my favorite part. I often wondered what would have happened if Anastasia’s life hadn’t been so viciously interrupted and she lived the life that she was expected to.

Maybe because of the fact that I knew, more or less, what Anastasia’s fate would be, this novel wasn’t very suspenseful for me. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn’t one of those books where I felt the need to rush to the end. The ending is satisfying, though sad, and it, along with the author’s note at the end, gave me a good amount of closure.

It’s easy to see what was so fascinating about Anastasia’s life, and the mystery that has surrounded her death. This novel offers an intriguing look into what may have happened. You never know, right?