publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
date of publication: January 10, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 395
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository
From Goodreads:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.
An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.
The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
What I Thought
The Gathering Storm is one of those historically-based novels that just really draws you in and makes you want to learn more about the time period it is based upon. When you add supernatural elements to such a book that gives you a new lens with which to view that period through, you have an especially interesting read. Everything from the setting to the characters were attention-grabbing and absorbing. There is so much to say about this book that I am worried I will miss something important. However, I will definitely do my best to cover all of the best attributes of the book.
The setting was quite possibly my most favorite aspect of this book. I haven't often had the chance of reading novels set in Russia (I know, I'm an English major who has never read Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky; shame on me!), but after reading The Gathering Storm, I definitely want to change that. Tsarist Russia is interesting, to say the least, and I found myself intrigued by the ways in which court life were portrayed in The Gathering Storm. From previous history classes I have taken, I had learned a little about the influence of French customs upon the Russian court, but to see it put to action added an entirely different nuance to it. Not only that, but Ms. Bridges did such a great job of describing everything from the housing to the schools to the outdoors that I almost felt as though I was walking alongside Katerina throughout the book. The descriptions of lush and glittering balls juxtaposed against the dark and mysterious shadows that exist alongside the light made for an epic read that I was sorry to see come to an end.
Another fantastic aspect of The Gathering Storm is its characters. In many ways, Katerina is ahead of her times. She isn't content to go with the status quo and fall in line with what is expected of young women in 1880s Russia. She has dreams of becoming a doctor that make her less than willing to settle with her prescribed role. In other ways, however, she is a contradiction to these dreams in that she still thinks she needs to be saved from time-to-time, which reflects the mindsets of other young ladies of her time. Katerina, however, shows much promise. I think she has great things ahead of her in the next installment and beyond. She is much too dynamic as a character to not progress. Grand Duke George, on the other hand, remains as much of a mystery to me now as he was when first introduced into the story. I am intrigued as to where his character is going, however, so I will be looking forward to seeing what else he has to offer in later books. In any case, from the good characters to the bad to those in between, there is much to discover in The Gathering Storm that will leave your head spinning and eager for more.
I adored the storyline almost as much as the setting. Threats to the Tsar, rampant murders in the court, and the supernatural creatures that surround it all make The Gathering Storm the spectacular and riveting story that it is. Though there are vampires in this book, they are vampires as you have likely never experienced before. There are many different species of vampire in this book that made for an especially interesting journey through eastern European folklore. As if all of that weren't enough, there are also additions such as necromancers, wizards, and faeries hidden right in the midst of the Russian court. With such vivid and intriguing subjects, it is hard not to find yourself caught up in the wonder of this story.
Fans of historical fiction and paranormal romance alike will find The Gathering Storm to be a force to be reckoned with. I didn't want to put this one down, although I didn't want it to end, either. Robin Bridges has given us another fantastic contribution to the beginning 2012 with this book. I can't wait to see what she has for us in the future.
Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.
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