Queen of Someday

3.5/5 stars
I struggled a bit starting my review on this, because I wasn't completely enamored with it, and trying to put my finger on the problem, I skimmed through some of the other reviews.
Which made me feel something I never thought I would. I feel the need to defend a book, which I liked but not loved.

So, after skimming though the reviews after reading the book, I must says it's rather funny. A lot of people say 'don't know anything about Russian history' and then start listing what they hated about this book, which are mostly the most historicly accurate parts of this book.
Sophie (later Catherine the Great) did come to court by invitation of the empress Elizabeth, and her marriage to Peter was arranged (that's how it went in show more those days, children of nobles were married off to eachother to create or strengthen alliances between countries).
That so many of the men at court turn their attentions her way is also understandable (and again, historically based, Catherine did have several lovers later in life), Sophie, after all is Emperess Elizabeth's favourite choice, and engraceing themselves to her (or even winning her hart), mans gain of political power, when she becomes Emperess.

Also, knowing history and knowing what would happen (as in who would end up marrying whom etc), didn't affect my enjoying the story. (Compare it to watching 'Titanic': you know the ship is going to sink but does it really affect how you're enjoyng the rest of the movie?)

That being said, there were parts of the story that were just pushing it too far, like the repeated 'call me Sophie' when meeting new people. Not done.
And one thing that really bugged me: 'Rina'. Not the character, but the name. The diminutive (pet name) for Ekatarina (as is her full first name) is either a form of 'Katinka'(sometimes spelled with an 'e' instead of 'i'), or 'Katya'. It's never shortened to 'Rina', especially not in the day and age the story is set.
Sophie seems to take some social liberties (like meeting men without a chaperone), but if you read some historical accounts, she's not pushing it as far as one would believe, morality was not as rigid then as we now believe it was.

All in all, it's a nice hitorical fiction, where the author has taken liberties on the romantic side, and in the modernicity of the language used, which in my opinion made it more accessible for people who are not history-lovers.
To all those who hated the storyline, I urge you to look up Catherine the Great's history. You'll be surprised, this is actually only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to amourous and political scheming.

Last remark: the money spend on producing the bonus videos would have been better spent on a professional editor. I cam across several typos (tables instead of stables, to instead of too, tour instead of your..) show less

First off, the cover is simply beautiful.

The Queen of Someday is entertaining from the start. We meet the young and courageous Princess Sophie and her mother as they travel to the Winter Palace in Russia. During the trip, however, they are stopped by bandits. What does Princess Sophie do? She pulls a knife from her boot and goes after those bandits. I admire her bravery. It’s refreshing. Of course, her mother was rather appalled. It wasn’t proper for a young lady. Her father was the one who allowed her to join him in hunting, fencing, and even throwing knives. There has never been a character, I believe, that I have ever liked so immediately. Princess Sophie is definitely not your ordinary princess.

I loved this book so much. show more It’s fast paced and wonderfully written. Sophie, later renamed Catherine, is witty, strong, and able to make the best of whatever is thrown at her. Despite losing the one she truly loved, she made herself push forward even though a woman weaker might have faltered.

I would give The Queen of Someday five out of five stars. It is one of my new favorite books and one I would strongly recommend. show less

I received this book from Netgalley and Clean Teen Publishing to review.

Queen of Someday is an enchanting story that is elegantly written to make your heart ache and swoon. I fell in love with Princess Sophie almost immediately. The book starts off very strong and holds your attention the whole way through. This is a story filled with secrets, betrayal and the feuding between the head and heart

There were many lines of this book that I highlighted on my kindle. The writing is marvelous and really conveys the emotions that Sophie feels without spelling it out for you. I loved all of the references to different poems, I found that aspect of this story rather romantic.

Princess Sophie goes through quite the dramatic change, we watch her grow show more into a very different woman as the story progresses. I think that the character development was done very well, as living at court can change a woman drastically.

I feel as if many will say that romance was a little rushed and that Sophie fell too hard and too fast. But I believe that is how love happens, especially young love and especially when you find your true love. We can not forget that Sophie is only 15 years old at the start of this story. I would not say that this book contains the dreaded insta-love that we have all grown to hate.

I was initially drawn to this story because of the beautiful cover, but the words contained once you open it are twice as beautiful. I would suggest this book to nearly anyone. It is a compelling, quick read. I am very much looking forward to a sequel. show less

I received this book from Netgalley and Clean Teen Publishing to review.

Queen of Someday is an enchanting story that is elegantly written to make your heart ache and swoon. I fell in love with Princess Sophie almost immediately. The book starts off very strong and holds your attention the whole way through. This is a story filled with secrets, betrayal and the feuding between the head and heart

There were many lines of this book that I highlighted on my kindle. The writing is marvelous and really conveys the emotions that Sophie feels without spelling it out for you. I loved all of the references to different poems, I found that aspect of this story rather romantic.

Princess Sophie goes through quite the dramatic change, we watch her grow show more into a very different woman as the story progresses. I think that the character development was done very well, as living at court can change a woman drastically.

I feel as if many will say that romance was a little rushed and that Sophie fell too hard and too fast. But I believe that is how love happens, especially young love and especially when you find your true love. We can not forget that Sophie is only 15 years old at the start of this story. I would not say that this book contains the dreaded insta-love that we have all grown to hate.

I was initially drawn to this story because of the beautiful cover, but the words contained once you open it are twice as beautiful. I would suggest this book to nearly anyone. It is a compelling, quick read. I am very much looking forward to a sequel. show less

A Convincing Imagination

I did not realize this was a historical fantasy loosely based on historical events when I picked it up, but i have to say, Sherry did a great job at bringing to life plausible scenarios about what could have made Catherine the Great the person she became. Well done. I'll definitely be reading the next installment.

Sophie the duchess to Peter come to Russia for becoming princess and someday the queen of Russia. She is fiery, adamant, stubborn and good with weapons for her safety taught to her by her father for self defence.
Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is show more necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans. But , someone is there to guide her.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

She decided and had her way with Peter and now she is carrying the royal blood in her womb before she go home and return show less

I received this as an advanced reading copy from Clean Teen Publishing through NetGalley, so first of all I'd like to say a big thank you so much to them!

Did you love season one of Reign? Are you itching for a historical fiction about a younger historical figure? Allow me to introduce Queen of Someday.

I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover of this book, and the interesting summary. This book follows the life of Catherine the Great before she was Catherine the Great, so obviously it's a historical fiction. Who is Catherine the Great you say? Well in this book, she is the young Sophie, who has been invited with her mother as a guest of the empress Elizabeth in Russia.

It sounds so cliche but I could not put this book down. I show more expected to take a week and read this book and it ended up taking me two days. Fast paced, and full of twists, I found myself one-more-chapter-ing all night until I realized that I had no more chapters. I already can not wait for the next book in this series (Stolen Empire). I actually know very little about historical Russia, Catherine the Great, or most of history for that matter, but even I found a few references that I understood. There is an author's note about historical accuracy and creative liberties, and I'm not sure how a history buff would feel, but with my casual knowledge level I enjoyed this book very much.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was the way that the romance aspect played out. It did not feel rushed, or forced, but it was also not drawn out or exaggerated. Sophie's love life felt natural, and of course passionate! Something that I felt was not quite as natural feeling was Sophie's mother. I wasn't sure if I was just frustrated with her, or if it seemed like a skewed point of view.
I would have to say that my favorite part was the beautiful way the author gave the feeling of time drifting past our dear Sophie in the way that she went from a day to day description, to a faster week by week chapter. Well done!

This book comes out on October 7th 2014, and I will most definitely be getting my copy!

Review post on my blog show less