Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm
Release date: January 10, 2012


My Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

Imperial Russia.  Grand Balls.  Fairies.  Vampires.  An Undead Army.  What else do you need?

     Katerina is a Duchess in Imperial Russia with a gift that she sees as a curse, she can raise the dead.  She discovers her “gift” at a young age and is so frighten that she doesn’t tell anyone.  In a time where most girls her age are trying to find a husband with a good title, Katerina just wants to go to medical school.  In an attempt to stop Elena, a dark princess from Montenegro, from casting a spell on the tsarevitch Nicholas, the heir to the throne of Russia, Katerina’s “gift” is revealed to the grand duke George (Nicholas’ brother).  George has a secret of his own and he is not happy with what he sees in Katerina.  This event sets larger events into motion that Katerina will not be able to undo.

    Not only does Katerina have to deal with knowing that her gift has been revealed to others who want to use her, but she faces new dangers at school and in her social life.  In her attempt to keep her gift a secret and her curiosity about medicine, she continues to find herself in dangerous situations, all the while trying to keep up with social appearances her mother is forcing her to attend.  With members of the tsar’s guard being killed, she is forced to make a decision because she feels it is the only way to keep her family safe.  Though she soon realizes it won’t work and is desperately trying to find an alternative and a way out.  In a city where the only person Katerina can truly trust is herself, she must learn more about how to use her gift for good, if being able to raise the dead could be considered a good thing and stay true to herself.

     I was immediately drawn into the Russia Katerina knows and couldn’t wait to see what side she would choose.  The description of Imperial Russia’s palaces and beautiful balls mixed with a strong heroine who doesn’t want to give up her dream for what society sees as right, and fighting faeries, vampires and other unnatural beings makes for a wonderful story.  If you like historical fiction with a touch of paranormal then I think you’ll enjoy The Gathering Storm (KaterinaAlexandrovna #1).

You can find Robin Bridges online here:
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Class of 2k12

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine were you can share a book you are anxiously waiting to be released.  It's also a great chance to find new books to add to your list.

This week I'm waiting on a Class of 2k12 book that is scheduled to be released on January 10, 2012

 

 The Gathering Storm 

by Robin Bridges

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

IMM

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren and gives you a chance to share the great books you have received in the past week (or in my case, two weeks).




My IMM this week actually covers the last two weeks or so.  Life got a little crazy for me last weekend and it seems to be getting closer to normal now.

For review via NetGalley I received:

 

Thanks to Random House Children's Books for:

May B. a Novel by Caroline Starr Rose

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

From my Spooky Swap buddy I received:

I was The Kill Zone winner and added these two signed books to my collection:

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1) by CC Hunter

Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2) by CC Hunter






 
I also won a signed ARC of The Mapmaker and the Ghost by Sarvenaz Tash

And the wonderful girls at Sash & Em added the November book I've been most excited about to my collection: