Review: The Witches of St Petersburg

Title:  The Witches of St. Petersburg

Author: Imogen Edwards-Jones

Publisher: 25th October 2018 by Head of Zeus

Pages: 206 (400+)pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 2.5 cups

Synopsis:

Two Montenegrin princesses, Militza and Stana, are married into the Russian aristocracy of the last Tsar by their father. Initially shunned by society and, in Stana's case, married to a man she detests, life isn't easy.

Fascinated by the occult, the sisters soon become close to the Tsarina Alexandra who is willing to try anything to precipitate the birth of the son and heir the country longs for. If she puts her faith in them, Militza and Stana promise they can help the Tsarina produce a boy.

The girls hold seances, experiment with a variety of rituals and bring various men to the Tsarina who they feel have spiritual power. Their closeness to the Empress and power in court is undisputed: until, that is, Grigori Rasputin arrives. Militza and Stana, along with most of female Russian society, are intoxicated, but by bringing Rasputin into their lives, have they taken a fatal step too far?

My Thoughts

This is a really difficult book to review - so much potential but it did not really deliver. Delving into a little bit of everything, yet ending up just going round in circles. I also seriously question the ebook page tally of 206 - try doubling that at least. It adopts two main themes, Russian court drama combined with the supernatural - but it never really hits the mark.

It is a deceptively large (remember the questionable page tally) read with a vast array of characters (listed in the beginning) all pertaining to the dying days of the Romanov family rule in Russia. The author has most certainly done her research as she details the shallowness of the Russian aristocracy. The many characters provide a great insight into the cut throat life at court. If the tales here provide any indication, it is no wonder a revolution ensued.

‘There was distinctly more than a whiff of revolution in the air. It was a stench. Like the smell of smoke before a fire, people could sense it coming.’

Secondly, the book deals with a lot of supernatural themes. A lot. It’s so overt that some readers are bound to be put off with explicit sordid details. Once more, the author does not feign the details of character traits, sexual activities or occult outcomes. Dark or black magic is certainly at play here. I love reading about the Romanov’s but found their portrayal here sad, said to be driven by drugs and the influence of Rasputin.

‘But I am the reason Rasputin is not here!’ ‘To hell with him!’ ‘He’s the only one who can help.’ ‘You don’t really believe that! You’re much more powerful than him. You made him!’

There is such potential, but it is never fully realised in this opulent tale. It’s a strange read - really strange. The pace was slow which does not bode well for a large book and the repetition of the sisters attempts to influence the royal family become boring. Conceptually there is most definitely a story, but in fruition it failed to deliver. Without doubt, the author is most passionate and well informed with a plethora of facts and details from this period. So if the final days of a dying dynasty appeal to you then this window into Russian court life is the book for you.

‘No wonder my family are haunted by death, no wonder they hide in their palaces, fearful of assassination. No wonder they cower when they’ve been hunted and shot like dogs over and over again, for centuries.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release