Tsarina

As Patrick (a pseudonym for writer Jackson Pearce) remarks in an author’s note, the Russian Revolution doesn’t need fictionalization to be fascinating. Still, she plays fast and loose with the facts in her hybrid historical/fantasy novel about 16-year-old noblewoman Natalya Kutepova during the turbulent months of 1917. Patrick merges the February and October revolutions into a few autumn weeks; turns Alexei Romanov into Natalya’s 16-year-old longtime love interest, cured of hemophilia by a magical Faberge egg (he was actually executed at 13); and makes Rasputin’s daughter Maria queen of the Russian mystics. The result is a fast-paced adventure—with the requisite romantic undercurrents—as Natalya and her countess friend, fleeing the violence of St. Petersburg, are kidnapped by a passionate young Red who knows Natalya can lead him to the powerful egg. Undergoing an avalanche of obstacles, the trio builds a curious bond that pulls them closer even as their political beliefs push them apart. Climaxing in a mystical struggle for the magical object, the book’s murky finish confirms Natalya’s deep love for Russia but casts some confusion as to her future. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)