Prologue - David Newman (from Anastasia)

The Gathering Storm
The Katrina Trilogy, Book 1

Author: Robin Bridges
Pages: 386
ARC Acquired from: Delacorte via NetGalley

Brief Summary:In an alternate history, Katerina lives in Romanov Russia, but a very different one from the one studied in school. In this Russia, witches, necromancers, wolf creatures, vampires and other paranormal nasties abound. Katerina's secret is that she is a necromancer; she can bring the dead back to life. All her life, she has struggled to hide her powers, and avoided using them. Unfortunately, a couple people see her use her powers (to save someone) and she becomes a pawn in the political maneuverings of both the dark and light courts.

Review:
There's no doubt that this is a unique book. I certainly haven't read any other books with a similar subject. Honestly, I do not yet know how I feel about this book. I definitely enjoyed reading it, and I found the story compelling. However, the setting and the mythology here is also really weird, so weird, in fact, that I had difficulty settling into the rhythm of the story.

Also, I do not really like Katerina. I do like her passion for medicine and the fact that she is determined to become a doctor, even though it seems pretty much impossible for her to do so. However, why does she always almost swoon when anything gross happens? Umm, as a doctor, she'll need to not do that. Another good quality of hers is that she doesn't want to be forced into marriage or fulfilling her social role. What bothered me, though, was that for all her lofty ideals and moral fortitude, she didn't apply herself. She has so much power, but does not make good use of it. To be a doctor, she must be smart, but she doesn't act that way much of the time.

Still, I did really like Georgi, the Grand Duke. He has a very Darcy air about him that, unsurprisingly, thrills me.

I definitely plan to read more of this series. Hopefully, Katerina will make better use of her awesome qualities, there will be more Georgi and the paranormal stuff will be further explained.

Rating: 3.5/5

"In the dark of the night evil will find her
In the dark of the night just before dawn!"