Customer Reviews

Dreaming Anastasia: A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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?

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.

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

Title: Dreaming Anastasia
Author: Joy Preble
Grade: A
Ideal Audience: Boys & Girls, 14+

Summary: Whether or not the Russian princess Anastasia truly died in the early 1900's along with her family has been debated for years. What most (or all) people didn't guess is that the witch Baba Yaga swooped the princess up into the sky with her (Baba Yaga's) giant hands, because of ancient magic performed by persons unknown that compelled her to do so. Since then, Anastasia has lived in a hut with Baba Yaga, never growing, never changing.

Now, it's modern times, and our heroine Anne couldn't care less about a dead Russian princess. Until a mysterious guy named Ethan- who could quite possibly be a creepy stalker- starts telling Anne that it's up to her to change history and save and release Anastasia. Usually Anne would tell Ethan to visit a mental facility, but there are other factors: her dreams about being trapped in a hut, a Russian box with a hut painted on it that seems to move...

If Anne does agree to help Ethan rescue a princess who should, by biological standards, be dead, the danger involved would be enormous. With unknown enemies around every corner, and their time running out, will Anne be able to find and save Anastasia before it's too late?

My thoughts: I remember reading a (nonfiction) book about the real princess Anastasia a few years ago, and I was absolutely enthralled, so when I heard about Dreaming Anastasia, I was thrilled! The novel did not disappoint, and I ended up absolutely loving the mix of reality and fantasy.

The book is a bit slow at first, but once it gets going, it's impossible to put it down! The adventure is so irresistible that almost all teen readers will enjoy this book.

Every once in awhile, a book comes along that frustrates me. This one did.

I wasn't in the mood for slipshod writing, convoluted perspectives, wooden dialogue and a heroine who was not so much endearingly vulnerable as not-so-bright.

The book just doesn't work. I applaud Preble for her renaissance of a subject a lot of YA readers would easily jump on a bandwagon for: the Anastasia legend is embedded in intrigue, mysticism and romance and, with that platform, competent and imaginative writers can spin many a lustrous web.

Unfortunately, this web was tangled. Too tangled.

Anne is a lithe ballerina and typical high school girl who is still grieving the loss of her brother while trying to come to terms with a new and eerie presence at school ( the brooding Ethan: trying so hard to be Edward Cullen it made my eye twitch), midterms, ballet class and dreams about a Russian duchess.

That's right: the lost Duchess is alive and well and infiltrating Anne's dreams.


Intermixed with this oft confusing and bordering on sheer ridiculous tale we have infusions of Anastasia's letters. Now this is not at all the author's fault, but, in ephemera-gone-bad, Anastasia's "cursive" is nearly illegible in print and I had to squint ( with reading glasses on) to decipher this code.


Far be it for me to stomp on a first novelist. I know, I KNOW how difficult writing intriguing and different YA can be --- especially when infused with history and I applaud Joy Preble ( a high school teacher, at that) for her creativity.

It just doesn't work. Perhaps if all of the different patterns had been sewn in a different quilt....


The problem is I read a lot ( hundreds ) of YA books a year and I like finding those that fit into my handful of "DROP EVERYTHING AND READ!"

I ended up looking up from the last page while reading on the subway this morning thinking: "I just don't have time for this."

In trying to be original and at the same time appealing to the Twilight-audience, Preble has set out to unravel a gorgeous and illustrious facet of history and, ironically, fashioned herself a cliché.



This doesn't mean I won't try Joy Preble out again in the future: she HAS potential.

From the very first few lines, you know this will be an amazing book. "I didn't always dream about my family. Still, they haunted me for the longest time." And then there's my favorite line, at the beginning of the third paragraph: "I understand now what it means to be hidden like that - so tucked away that no one knows I am here."

This is a book that will keep you up past your bedtime. A perfect mixture of love, Russian history, magic, and dreaming that sent me to look up more information about the Romanov family. I especially like how the story is told from three different people. It keeps the book's pace moving quickly. Anastasia's letters are put in exactly the right place and add so much to the story. With the old fashioned font that was chosen for these, you can almost see her writing them.

A beautifully crafted book!

I was really excited when I saw this book because I took Russian language and Russian History in high school and always was interested in the idea that Anastasia Romanov actually escaped that fateful night. The story had a wonderful premise mixing modern day, magic and Russian fairy tales but I felt like sometimes the story took the easy way out. There was great build up and then I was left with a feeling of let down at several parts of the book. For instance, I loved hearing about Anne and her older brother and really felt for the family as they had to deal with his lost to cancer but I didn't feel like the overall storyline made much use of it. It seemed to be more of a great mini story line that is still waiting to be developed. Despite that I zoomed through this book and found it an enjoyable read. It makes me want to go back and re-read my Russian fairy tales.

I am not going to lie, I had HUGE expectations for this book. And I am very happy to report, Preble did not disappoint me. The book features an intriguing premise that is sure to captivate any reader with an interest in Russia history and folklore. This book drew me in rather quickly, and did not let go. The plot is very well paced. It is not too fast, but not too slow. In addition, every aspect regarding Anastasia and her life has been wonderfully researched and blends together seamlessly in this debut novel.

Preble's blend of fiction, history, and folklore is spellbinding. Throughout the novel, I would find myself thinking, "Ooh, I did not know that. Wonder if it is true?" Case in point, Viktor's heritage. The only flaw I can point out within this enchanting novel is Anastasia's journals. To clarify, this is not a fault of Preble's but rather the font used. The font was in a cursive format, which I had a hard time reading. While distracting, it does not actually take away from the writing; if any thing, it actually give it a more realistic feel.

Overall, I am smitten with this debut novel and its author. It has everything that I love in a historical novel. An original premise featuring a heroine that any reader can be proud of. Anne is spunky, and not afraid to get her hands dirty. Ethan sounds absolutely yummy. Tess is fantastic, and exactly what a best friend should be. There are just too many amazing elements to gush about. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

An excerpt from my blog:
Being a fan of Anastasia lore, I had high hopes for this book. Fortunately, it did not let me down. The writing is somewhat simplistic - which is suitable for a young adult book, but at the same time, the content is high in detail and vivid imagery. Dreaming Anastasia is well developed and creative. It covers the same topics as many books that have come before it, but from a new angle. The story is dark and has many sad moments, but it has humorous points as well.
To read the rest, look for PaperbackGoddess on blogger.

Ok first off i disgree with "rachel" on her review saying the plot was silly an what not. I thought this book was great! I just finished reading it a few minutes ago. Ethan entertained me becuase he is.. somewhat like Edward *twitch twitch* in a way i suppose but to me he was Ethan and Twilight did not once pop into my brain as i was reading this. I love Anastasia and how Preble made out her personality, just how i always thought she would be like :-) I did sort of cry at the end of this book! It made me tear up Lol just... ugh.. i guess you havta read it to understand. The only reason i gave this book a 4 instead of 5 is becuase of the few journal entries of Anastasia's that seem to be randomly littered throughout the book. I didn't understand there purpose there and think the book would've been a 5 without them. Other than that one thing i loved this book and i'm going to buy the second one! Lol which is called Haunted for anyone who wishes to know.