“Don’t cry, Nanny. We are safe now. The worst is behind us.”
“I think you’re wrong. I think it’s only just beginning.”
Lana Kortchik, The Countess of the Revolution
Title: The Countess of the Revolution
Author: Lana Kortchik
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 352 (Paperback)
Publish Date: March 28th, 2023 (US)
My Rating: ★★★★¾
Read: 3/25/2023 – 3/28/2023
Happy US publication day!
Review:
I always forget what an exciting setting this time and place in history makes for novel settings. I’d hoped to be posting this review before the US publication date, but I was so invested that I took my sweet time.
As the Tsar begins to fall and the revolutionaries rise, The Countess of the Revolution follows Countess Sophia Orlova, her family, and her friend Regina. Thanks to her husband Dmitry’s brother Nikolai, they are spared execution early on though the brothers save opposing views on the revolution. Inspired by his efforts, Sophia helps Nikolai set up a hospital. Working side by side and getting to know him better, problems aside from both of their lives being in danger arise for them.
I liked so much about this book, but the pacing is my highest praise. I didn’t find that the story dragged anywhere. Another thing I enjoyed was that the characters each had morally grey areas all the while maintaining a likableness. I was invested within the first few pages and maintained my interest from start to finish.
A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC to read and review!
Likes & Dislikes:
What I liked:
- Magnificent flow of the story.
- Sophia’s moral struggles both political and spiritual.
- Each character had at least one unlikable trait, making them feel more human.
What I didn’t like:
- Though the brutality of the revolutionaries was a constant theme, to me it still minimized the evildoings of those in charge. Granted, cases were made for each side from different characters’ perspectives.
- I’m not a huge fan of the infidelity themes. I was grateful the romance was not a detailed focus of the book.
Afterthoughts:
Sometimes I’m wary of titles with words like ‘countess’ in them as they tend to be (in my experience) sappy. I took a chance with this one because the plot sounded interesting and I’m so glad I did. I’m writing this review later than I’d intended because I was thoroughly enjoying it and wanted to take my time to annotate. Thank you again, Harper360!