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 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..) ( )

This book is so heart breaking! The main character would do anything to have save her family by marrying someone, a sadist, she doesn’t love. The person she loves would “betray” (forced to) her for her dear friend. I absolutely hate the empress and prince. I hope they die!! ( )

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 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 ( )

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Upon her arrival at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst immediately begins her quest for the hand of Grand Duke Peter, heir to the Russian throne. Marrying the prince will secure her family's lands and titles and save her from an unwanted marriage to her uncle. Surrounded on all sides with potential enemies, lovers, and political allies, Sophie struggles to reconcile her duties with her desires. This historical fiction tale provides a compelling, if fanciful look at the early years of Catherine the Great. A brief author's note outlines the liberties taken with the story. An entertaining, racy read that will spark an interest in the history of Catherine the Great, about whom not much has been written for this age group previously.—Sara Saxton, Wasilla Public Library, AK

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. ( )