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EDIT 12/3/19: I think that it is best to change my overall rating to three stars, for now, seeing as the more I sit on this the more problems I find with it: (view spoiler)[Nastya and Maria's childishness when they were being imprisoned, the boring sections while Nastya and co. were traveling to escape the Bolsheviks, the loose plot thread concerning Zash's grandma, etc. (hide spoiler)]

3 Stars // 74%
This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and while it did not meet my expectations, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. In my opinion, the first half was by far better than the second half, mostly because it was full of dread, tension, and immersive to the extent of me feeling just as suffocated as the Romanovs. The second half was like a different book entirely.

The magic was truly nonsensical and I was not able to suspend my disbelief as much as Brandes might have hoped—dare I even go so far to call the magic system messy? Another nitpicky thing: How is it possible for Nastya to have so much pain endurance (mentally and physically) that she is able to think clearly even with (view spoiler)[broken ribs and seeing her family killed in front of her? (hide spoiler)] Deus ex pain Machina, methinks.

Other than that, Romanov is an entertaining book that deals with a lot of heavy themes including forgiveness, love, hope, family, and redemption. It has a tough subject matter, so I suppose I should give it more credit for so skillfully balancing the light and dark elements. For now though...I think I'll stick to Fawkes.