Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself.

Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life—the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter’s bedchamber—she knows the peril of her position. Peter’s attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?

From the sensuous pleasures of a decadent aristocracy, to the incense-filled rites of the Orthodox Church and the terror of Peter’s torture chambers, the intoxicating and dangerous world of Imperial Russia is brought to vivid life. Tsarina is the story of one remarkable woman whose bid for power would transform the Russian Empire."

Review:

Historical novels give the reader a glimpse into how life was like in another time.  And during the period that the novel Tsarina, by Ellen Alpsten, takes place, life is brutal for women.  This book is filled with all the historical details that brings this book to life.  I really enjoyed that.  But this book is also hyper-focused on how men brutally prey on women.  There are MANY scenes of rape, incest, and other brutality in this book.  While I know that it is probably a realistic scenario, it was tough to read through.  

What I Liked:

Historical Details:

The author clearly did a ton of research on life in the late 1600's.  As Marta moves up the social ladder, from serf, to servant, to mistress, and finally to Tsarina, the reader sees how each level of society lives.  The serf's life is one of hard work and servitude.  Marta and her family have a very basic existence.  But everything depends on the whims of the rich landlords.  As Marta moves up the social ladder, she is able to eat, and dress better.  Yet each situation she is in reveals a new brutality, a new humiliation that she must endure.

Story Structure:

I liked the structure of the book.  We see two timelines.  In one, we see the critical moments after Marta's husband, Peter The Great, has died.  Will she be executed?  Sent to a nunnery?  Or will she be able to remain the Tsarina.

We find out more about Marta in a series of flashbacks.  Starting from her childhood, and moving from her time as a servant, to a young wife, to becoming a mistress to the Tsar, we see how Marta has become the cunning, ruthless woman who just may be able to finally seize her own destiny.

What I Didn't Like:

Main Character:

Although I could feel sympathy for Marta being used and abused by men,  I found her to be an extremely unlikable character.  She is a survivor.  But the way she survives is by conveniently overlooking Peter's cruelty, and actively abusing others.  And when a woman tries to come between her and Peter, she has no problem ruining her rival's life.  This made it impossible to root for her. 

Hyper-Focus on Sexual Assault:

I know that Marta lived a life where rape and control was how men operated, but this was very hard to read.  Again and again, Marta is raped, beaten, and brutalized.  I didn't like the implied notion that this was happening to due to her astounding beauty.  Rape is about power and control.  It can happen to anyone.  At one point there is another girl who is being raped, as well.  She was probably beautiful at one point, but due to the repeated sexual assaults, she has become sickly and dangerously thin.  But the overall implication was that Marta's beauty was a curse.  It's only when she learns to "use" her beauty to manipulate others, that she gains any power.  What a lesson, huh?

Ending:

The whole book with it's two timelines (her rise to become the consort of the Tsar of Russia, and her rise even further to become the Tsarina) is a build up to when Marta becomes the sole ruler of Russia.  But the book abruptly ends just as Marta gains control and becomes the Tsarina.  With so much buildup, I wanted to see how she would rule, would she become a more benevolent ruler than Peter?  Will there be treachery?  Will others conspire against her?  There were many unanswered questions that I really wanted answers to.  It made for a very unsatisfying ending. 

 Trigger Warning for extreme violence against women

Rating: 

Release Date:  November 10, 2020

Author:  Ellen Alpsten

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

Page Length:  496 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  Big on historical details, and violence, this book was a mixed bag for me.  If you want to read it,  I would recommend getting this from a library.