Review: Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil

• Title: Daughters of a Dead Empire
• Author:  Carolyn Tara O’Neil
• Publisher: Roaring Book Press
• Publication Date: February, 22nd 2022
• Genre: Historical fiction 
• Targeted Age Range: YA
• Content Warnings: Fire, blood, family death (on and off page), war, murder (on and off page), attempted murder, grief, ptsd, survivors guilt, guns and gun fire, mentions of anti-semitism, graphic depictions of torture and abuse
• Rating: ★★★★.5

It’s been a little over two weeks since I finished reading Daughters of a Dead Empire, and if I’m being completely honest, I’m still kind of reeling from it. My favorite film as a child was Anastasia — okay, it’s still my favorite film — and since the film’s release when I was four years-old, the story of Anastasia Romanov and her family is one that has stayed close to my heart.

The film inspired my love of history, and I’ve spent many many hours researching the Romanov family from a young age. While I’ve read lots of non-fiction about the family, I haven’t read much fiction surrounding the Romanovs, but when I first heard of Daughters of a Dead Empire, I knew that I had to add it to my TBR.

Daughters of a Dead Empire begins after Anna (Anastasia) has escaped from Ekaterinburg after the slaughter of her entire family at the hands of the Bolsheviks. When a peasant girl, Evgenia, saves Anna from a group of communists looking to attack her for being a Tsarist, Anna offers her a diamond to help her travel as far away from Ekaterinburg as possible. Swayed by the promise of payment that could help her brother get the medical attention he needs, Evgenia agrees, not knowing that she is helping the last remaining Romanov child. The two girls, though on opposing sides of this revolution, form an unlikely friendship as they fight for their survival. 

Oh friends, this was quite an emotional ride. As I mentioned above, the story of Anastasia (not just the fictionalized version of her story) has been a huge part of my life, so I knew going into this story that I would be emotional, but I truly couldn’t have anticipated just how emotional this story would make me. In fact I started crying during the first chapter…

While I personally do not have a deep knowledge of the Russian civil war, it is clear that Carolyn Tara O’Neil is quite well versed in the subject. O’Neil has a way with words that makes you feel as though you’re experiencing everything right alongside Anna and Evgenia. This novel has definitely piqued my interest in the Russian civil war and I think that I would like to find time to learn more about it. I’m excited to take a deeper look at the bibliography in the back of the book to find some recommendations!

“I carried my family’s legacy with me. I was their legacy”

Anna and Evgenia are two of the strongest characters I’ve read about in a long time, as both truly have been through hell and back. They continue to be pushed to their limits and each time they come out the other side stronger than before. Their resiliency is inspiring. 

When we first meet Anna, she’s escaped from the Bolsheviks after her entire family has been slaughtered and buried. She’s scared and traumatized but she is determined to find a way to get to her only remaining family in Chelyabinsk. Anna has experienced things that no one should ever have to go through, and the horrors of her experiences continue to haunt her. There are mini flashbacks to what she experienced in the Ipatiev House and the execution of her family that were truly heartbreaking to read. She’s suffering from severe PTSD and survivor’s guilt, but because she’s in an area that is filled with Bolsheviks, she can’t speak to anyone about it — in fact, there is an instance where she expresses sympathy for the Romanov family and she is almost killed by members of the Bolshevik party. She is truly alone and it’s…incredibly difficult to get through. Throughout the story you see her realize that, although her family is no longer alive, they’re still with her and part of her, which was very beautiful.

One of the most emotional moments for me was when it clicked for Anna that the night of the execution, the jewel encrusted corset that she was wearing — that ultimately saved her life — was actually supposed to be worn by her sister Maria, or Masha, as Anna calls her. Anna’s insurmountable grief poured off the page and it was an incredibly powerful scene. 

Evgenia is a great second main character and counterpoint to Anna. Her general personality reminded me a bit of the musicalized version of Dmitry — kids who have had difficult life experiences and had to grow up faster than they should’ve, which made them a bit prickly, but underneath that surface they have the kindest hearts. I really admired her strength and tenacity. She was fiercely loyal and would do anything to protect those that she loved. She also cared deeply about her community and I loved seeing the little moments when she interacted with those from her village as you could see the bonds that they shared.

The friendship between Anna and Evgenia is one of my favorite parts of Daughters of a Dead Empire. Although on different sides of this war, the two form an unlikely bond as the story progresses. They go from enemies using each other for personal gain, to tolerating one another, to eventually becoming good friends and risking their lives for one another. The growth of their friendship felt realistic and understandable. Because of their backgrounds and being on opposing sides of the war, there was nothing easy or simple about their journey. However, the two were able to look past their initial prejudices and realized that in the end, they were far more similar than they were different. I also really enjoyed reading a YA story that was focused on a platonic relationship as opposed to a romantic one, especially since I think that any sort of romance would’ve watered down the material.

The attention to detail in this story was really exemplary. I’ve done a lot of research on the Romanovs over the years and there were many details that O’Neil included that helped this story feel very grounded and realistic even though it’s a fictionalized version of Anastasia. I loved that the story alternated between Anna and Evgenia’s points of view, as we were able to learn more about each of the girls and their lives that way. I think that it would’ve been very easy to turn this into a biased story — from either the side of the Reds or the Whites — but having the story told from both sides prevented that. While Anya and Evgenia may have been biased in their views, the dual POVs make the reader look at the situation as a whole which I did appreciate as I think that the issues were very complex and there wasn’t a black and white answer. 

The writing flowed seamlessly, in fact, one of my notes was “I don’t want to put it down” because of how well it was written. I think that had it not been such an emotional read for me I could’ve read it in one sitting.

Daughters of a Dead Empire is a raw and heartfelt story that doesn’t shy away from the cruelty of war. Instead, this story dives headfirst into it and confronts our preconceived notions of others and how no situation is as black and white as it may initially seem. This is a masterful debut, and if you enjoy historical fiction and are looking for a story that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, this is one I think you’ll want to check out.

Links for Daughters of a Dead Empire: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound