The Diamond Secret (Once Upon a Time) [Mass Market Paperback]

Suzanne Weyn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Once Upon a Time | Publication Date: June 2, 2009

After the Russian Revolution, Empress Marie, the czar’s mother, who escaped to Paris, offers a reward for the return of her missing granddaughter, the princess Anastasia. Eager to collect the large sum, two friends hatch a plan to fool Empress Marie and convince Nadya, a mischievous and quick-witted kitchen girl at a Russian tavern, to accompany them to France. Nadya resembles the famous Anastasia, but can’t remember her life before the revolution. Eager for the future, Nadya and her new friends venture across Europe, discovering new terrain of friendship, family, and love.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Suzanne Weyn has written more than one hundred novels for children and young adults, and has had her work featured on the New York Times bestseller list. Her other Once upon a Time books include The Crimson Thread, Water Song, and The Night Dance. Suzanne lives in Putnam Valley, New York.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416975306
• ISBN-13: 978-1416975304
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like the Movie, You'll Like the Book, June 29, 2009

By 

J. Suon (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Diamond Secret (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you liked the animated movie, "Anastasia", then you'll like this book as well.

Ivan and Sergei are in search of the grand duchess Anastasia, so they can gain the reward that was offered for her return. In comes Nadya. Orphaned as a young girl with no recollection of her past, Nadya works as a waitress in a tavern after the asylum she was staying at was shut down. Ivan, who witnessed the death of the Romanov family, felt something familiar about this girl and knew he wanted her to play the role of Anastasia, despite her less than genteel appearance. So they worked and hitched their way towards France, dodging police and a scarred-face man.

There are a lot of similarities to the movie. However, the book doesn't have the magical factor and bats and the main characters are much younger. Despite the similarities, this book was very well written in its own right. I found Nadya to be a charming girl. She was cute and absolutely funny with all the little pranks she played on Ivan. Despite her rough upbringing, Nadya didn't let adversity get her down. Instead, she developed a strength and humor that was admirable. Ivan was an okay hero, with a huge chip on shoulder. Like most soldiers, he was idealistic but soon disillusioned with what he thought would be a brighter future for his country. During their travels, Ivan and Nadya started to develop feelings for each other. And of course, Ivan being Ivan, did his best to downplay his growing feelings. He was a frustrating character but one can't help but feel some empathy for. Sergei was more of a fatherly figure throughout the story. He mostly dispensed advice and helped move the story along. The ending worked out happily with all loose ends tied up.

The chapters were short and to the point. There were enough humor, drama and action that made the story readable. The characters were likable and endearing. Definitely another keeper from the `Once Upon a Time' series.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love the series - So NOT loving the new covers, June 5, 2009

By 

Tint (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diamond Secret (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm a big fan of retellings, especially if they're done right and the author brings something new to the table so to speak. And for that reason I can highly recommend all the books in the "Once Upon a Time" series from Simon Pulse. What I'm not a fan of is the new cover art. The older books have some of the most beautiful cover art and now they're being published with covers that remind me more of photographic "harlequin" romance novel covers. Yuck! So try not to judge these wonderful books by their cheesy covers....

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No transitions, May 15, 2010

By 

Angelette K. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diamond Secret (Once Upon a Time) (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up this story, determined to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the movie, Anastasia. But the way it is written is very stilted and choppy, with no transitions. The reason why Nadya (Anastasia) decides to join Ivan and Sergei was not convincing - why would a girl with amnesia suddenly decide to trust two people she has never met before, one whom she doesn't even have a good first impression of!

The plot also was very jumpy - one minute they're on a train to Moscow, the next, they're already in Germany with anecdotal descriptions of how Ivan and Nadya suddenly don't dislike each other anymore - musical sequence, anyone?
The whole book was not convincing. It was as if the author assumed that all her readers had already watched the animated movie and did not feel the need to write a fully fleshed out story. Every major plot point seemed like the author simply took the easy way out - oh, the characters have spent enough time on the road, how to get them to civilization? Ah, they're camped out on a friend's land in Germany, who by chance, owes his life to Sergei!

And the villian... The villian was absolutely lame. A word I never use, but in this sense, fits perfectly.

An incredibly fast read, but terribly disappointing writing.