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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting premise with a bad execution,
This review is from: Dreaming Anastasia: A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams (Paperback)
I didn't really know what to expect from this book. I'm drawn to books about the Romanovs, so I thought I'd like this story.
Unfortunately, this is a badly edited book that uses the currently popular YA theme of the very-old-but-smokin'-hot man lusting after a teenage girl. The plot had promise, but the characters were so one-dimensional that they all but killed my interest in the story. I liked the inclusion of the Baba Yaga element, but that sort of fell flat for me, too. For a much better novel that incorporates this folk tale, try Orson Scott Card's Enchantment. After reading this book, I'm left with a fairly sour taste in my mouth. But at least I know that Ethan's eyes are blue. How could I forget that fact, after Anne mentions it more than 30 times?
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Needs an editor in the worst way,
By Lena (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dreaming Anastasia: A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams (Paperback)
Singularly bad--if this was a book for younger children, the quality might be more understandable, but no excuses on this one. There's too much beautifully written YA out there nowadays for that.
Someone suggested this book to me because I have an advanced degree in Russian Studies, so it seemed like it would be up my alley. From the description on the jacket, it sounded promising, but alas, it was not to be. For the people who are liking the Russian culture lesson...eh. Almost every single Russian word or phrase she used in the book was misspelled to the point of changing the meaning of the word, mistranslated, or misused...unfortunately, all three in some cases. Here are two off the top of my head: it's matryoshka, not matroyshka. "Ya khachu videt'" means "I want to see", not "I want." And Etanovich? Really???? The Russian folklore and culture bits read like she pulled them off Wikipedia and for Romanov history, I suppose she probably read "Nicholas and Alexandra" (or watched the movie). There's no deeper understanding of any of the Russian cultural bits that she tries out, it's all very American and very, oh, it's Russia, let's throw in some gratuitous mentions of the ballet and Tolstoy! Leaving history and culture aside, the writing is not good. The characters are complete cardboard (except maybe Anastasia, but it's hard to tell, because reading the impossible cursive font that most of her entries were written in was just too annoying after a certain point). Tess and Anne's dialogue is a sad approximation of how adults think teenagers speak--it all comes off stilted and unfunny even when it's trying to be witty. And it never ends--the plot is heavily reliant on dialogue, and the dialogue is the worst part! The story pacing is just...weird. The plot was ridiculous and it didn't have to be. The ending might have been poignant (which is what I think it was going for) if it were written a little better. It's not all terrible. I really feel like there were the components of a good story here...some individual elements of the story had real potential, and I think the basic premise of weaving "Vasilisa the Beautiful" with the legends surrounding the Romanovs could have worked beautifully. I don't think the writing necessarily had to be bad, either...there were paragraphs that were beautifully worded in places (like the first paragraph of the first chapter). It was just that those bits were so few and far between. I think the main problem for me is that it needed an editor desperately (first-time author???). The way the book as a whole came off was wooden, stilted, and at times bizarrely offensive to the actual Romanovs, who were decidedly not fairy tale characters and were actually all murdered...exploitation through snuff fiction non-withstanding. Even that awful animated movie with the singing bat seemed less egregious of an offender, I think because that movie didn't dwell on the executions and the author of this mess is obsessed with them...she lovingly describes the shootings approximately 34575897854 times in this book in just as many different varieties of romanticized purple prose. Ugh. Those are real people's deaths!!! For a much better book featuring variations on Russian folklore motifs (including a version of the same Baba Yaga tale mentioned here), try "Enchantment" by Orson Scott Card (now this is meticulously researched). I wasn't the biggest fan of "Firebird" by Mercedes Lackey, but it's along similar lines to the Orson Scott Card book and written at about the same reading level as this one...and a much better book all around.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dreaming Anastasia: A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams (Paperback)
Anne is a typical American high school student. She is more worried about what college she will get into than Russian history.
But she keeps having a strange dream over and over again. This dream is about Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tzar Nicholas. Nicholas was the last reining Tzar of Russia and his whole family was gunned down in the basement of their house. Then in walks Ethan. He is an attractive stranger who seems to know Anne and is stalking her. Add a lacquered box that depicts the fairy tale of Baba Yaga along with the mention that her mother used to enjoy the stories of Russia as well, and you have a compelling story full of romance and mystery. Oh, and did I mention the blue light coming off Anne's hands, or the arms that come from the sky to try to take Anne away, or the house on chicken feet? I really enjoyed this book. It made me want to research the Romanov family and the fairy tale character of Baba Yaga. I loved the characters, especially Anne's best friend, Tess, who seems to be in the right place at the right time. She defines the expression, "I've got your back." DREAMING ANASTASIA is easy to read and an enjoyable story. Thank you, Ms. Preble, for a great read. Reviewed by: Marta Morrison
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