Tsarina

A richly woven tapestry of royal intrigue, ruthless ambition, deadly desires, love and war, Ellen Alpsten’s Tsarina is an evocative and enthralling historical novel that brings 17th Century Russia to vivid and glorious life.

Alpsten’s colourful narrative does full justice to [Catherine I's] extraordinary career.

...a vivid page-turner of a debut.

Tsarina evocatively explores how far one woman would go to stay alive, even if it means serving a man with unbridled power and then picking up that mantle herself.

The story is brilliantly descriptive and leaves nothing to the imagination, be it the lives of the peasants from whom Catherine came; the social lives of both rich and poor; the sexual mores of the time; and the sheer cruelty of the Emperor.

A vicious, bloody, sexy romp. This is fearless historical fiction with a sharp contemporary frisson which offers a thought-provoking vision of the brutal, knife-edge lot of women at the time.

Fast-paced, brimming with atmosphere, menace, intrigue and brutality, this is destined to be one 2020’s most exciting and sumptuous historical novels. Tsarina is epic in every sense of the word and puts Alpsten firmly on the reading map.

Tsarina should come with a health warning- once you start reading, it’s impossible to stop.

Intrigue, rivalry, and sumptuous decadence leap to vivid life in this fascinating story of Peter the Great’s second wife—a woman whose passionate resolve to survive carries her all the way into the bed of the Tsar and a lethal gambit to seize the throne. Conjuring the gorgeous marble of the Winter Palace and deprivation of Russia in the 18th century, the perilous ascent to power of the first woman to rule as empress is a gripping and unforgettable journey.

Luscious: Alpsten has clearly done some brilliant research. It reads like Game of Thrones without the dragons.

The extraordinary life and career of Catherine I of Russia is brought to life in Alpsten’s colourful novel.

What begins in a picturesque manner veers powerfully, displaying magnificent sequences at court, intrigues of the first order, jealousies between ladies, bloody battles, blending it all in an epic cloaked in ice and snow that will not fail to conquer countless readers.

Alpsten shines...Lovers of Russian history, strong women protagonists, and sweeping historicals will savor this vivid portrait.

Tsarina is luscious. As detailed as the jewels and enamel inlay on the creations of Faberge, Ellen Alpsten writes the story of Catherine Alexeyevna, born poor with a lust for power and riches, who sets her mind to achieve both, and sets in motion all that will follow in Russian history, including the reign of Catherine the Great. You will marvel at this crisp, elegant fictional account of history, woven with emotion and brio.

What an astonishing bodice ripping borscht of a book. This is the ultimate Cinderella story of an illiterate peasant girl who becomes the empress of Russia. It makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme.

What a gripping read! In Tsarina, Ellen Alpsten brings to life the incredible story of Catherine I, arguably the most compelling Cinderella saga in history, in all of its gorgeous, glorious complexity. Love, sex, and loyalty vie with war, intrigue, and treason to create an epic canvas as exotic and powerful as eighteenth-century Russia itself. Masterfully researched and beautifully written, this is historical fiction at its best.

Ellen Apsten’s Tsarina brings to life the dramatic life of Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, and afterwards Empress of Russia in her own right. She recounts this remarkable woman’s colourful life and times in the form of a novel, drawing however throughout on documentary evidence. As Catherine’s career was as melodramatic as that of any heroine of romance, this proves a highly effective approach

With its sprawling canvas and huge cast, it rivals a Russian winter in length, but it’s an entertaining romp through the endless intrigue, violence and debauchery of court life.

Hugely enjoyable – a fast-paced, full-on, moreish reimagining of the life of Catherine I.

A fascinating and extraordinary ride from slavery to royalty...[for] fans of historical fiction, Russia, political intrigue, and powerful women.

The narrative moves at an engaging pace and the reader feels invested in the protagonist... People who enjoy a good Cinderella story of rags-to-riches and romance with a dash of Game of Thrones should enjoy this book.

This is without a doubt a gripping saga which outlines a woman of extraordinary intelligence ... It is a hefty tome of more than five hundred pages but I devoured it in less than a week. This is story-telling at its finest.