So good, but tough to read, very heavy.

Another couldn't put it down book

I thought if they weren't together most of the book it would be annoying and boring but I was wrong. I really liked how it goes through scenes with Alexander in war. I found them to be really interesting.

After thoroughly enjoying the first book I was told the second did not follow in its footsteps. Unfortunately, I have to agree. Although the book was good, I did not enjoy the format of changing narrative between Tatiana and Alexander. Nor did the ending appeal to my liking as I feel the characters (mainly Alexander) really changed from being compassionate in book 1 to quite cold and uncomforting in book 2. However, this ending could lead up to a good storyline in book 3 which I will read.
Also, Simmons subplot of reintroducing Pasha wasn't to my liking as I wished Tatiana and him would be reunited. I always thought he might show up eventually as we were continuously reminded of him, and when he did I was over the moon. His death left me devastated, and sad as I longed for a happily ever after, but maybe that's just my optimism talking. Overall, I would recommend if you are interested in what happens to Tatiana and Alexander.

June 2021
3 stars
I guess I'm just re-reading the whole series again! I also forgot how much I don't really like the second book as much as the others. I skimmed most of the Alexander backstory chapters.
Trigger Warnings: war, violence, death, loss of loved ones, and physical assault

March 2015
4.5 stars
Once again my heart has been snatched and thrown into the ocean of feels...sigh.
Greyland Reviews

Reviewed on: Ashes Books & Bobs.

Book blogging has given me so many things in life, but there has been one major downside since I started reviewing books over two years ago. My love of long books has taken the backseat to shorter, quicker reads for the sake of posting reviews more frequently. In this way, the Goodreads Reading Challenge has also prevented me from reading the lengthy books I wanted to get lost in for the sake of quantity. This year, I decided I'd drop my reading goal a bit and get to the books I've had my sights set on for years. That brings us to Tatiana & Alexander, the second book in The Bronze Horseman Trilogy. I read the first book close to two years ago and was blown away. It became an instant favorite, but I had to wait a while before I could order the next two books in the series. By the time I received them, I was deep in the trenches of ARCs and scheduled reading, unable to find the time to make my way back to Tatiana and Alexander.

Here we are nearly two years later and I'm amazed. I'm astounded the first story stuck in my mind like the book was written from my own memories. It is rare for me, as is true for most readers, to clearly remember every detail of a story, especially when years have elapsed. This is obviously attributed to the amazing detail in which Paullina Simons writes. As I mentioned in my first review, "[The Bronze Horseman] made me feel as if I was living the life of my characters."

Back to the topic of long books, I have to say, in some ways, social media has done us an injustice. Many readers, like myself, have forgone the tomes due to shorter attention spans, intimidation, and the time it takes to get through one book. Luckily, Tatiana & Alexander reminded me why I love the lengthy ones in the first place! Only in novels like this one are readers able to grow with the characters and experience life with them in a way similar to a real-life relationship. It's precisely the reason fictional characters can become the best of friends to readers.

This novel was slow in the beginning and there were times when I had to adjust my wandering mind, knowing I needed to settle in for more detail in this large book. Sometimes I found the parts about Alexander's war experiences to be less intriguing than I hoped for, but even the slowest parts were essential to the story. I did enjoy reading about Tatiana's experiences far more. As a woman, it was simply easier to relate to her point of view and the life she was living. I appreciated her resiliency and her determination to go to the ends of the earth for her husband.

My favorite thing about this book, besides well, everything, was the loyalty the characters showed to one another. This is something so rarely found in fiction and in reality. People are always looking for the next best thing, and these characters denied their fundamental human desires in favor of promises made to one another. I think this trait truly made the book everything it needed to be. By conveying this loyalty, the author was also able to fully made the reader understand and feel the longing the characters had for the other throughout their unfortunate separation.

Though this book began where the last book left off, still in the throes of World War II, I most enjoyed getting a look at post-war Europe. This is a part of history I had longed to know more about but isn't something often covered in school history books or in World War II fiction. I always wondered about reconstruction and how the world was affected by such devastation in the years to come. Paullina Simons made this time period feel personal, while still being incredibly informational.

I love the ways this epic love story triggers my empathy and understanding of the past. Even still, it's hard to fully imagine how hopeless things must have felt during this time in history. So many lives were lost, communication was immensely difficult, and maintaining relationships must have been most challenging.

I have already started the next book in the series, while also reading an ARC of another book, so I'm hoping I will be able to have more reviews to come soon. I'm eager to see what happens to Tatiana and Alexander in a way I've been missing from the books I've read recently. I'm completely hooked by this series and will be sad to see it come to an end.

I finally finished this book! The last half had me practically bouncing in my chair wondering what was going to happen. I love how this book shows a part of the WWII story but in a completely captivating way. I found myself truly hoping they would find each other again. The people of that era were strong and tough and endured so much, it really touched me. Only 1 more book in this series and I'm finding that these charachters are going to be hard to say goodbye to when it's done!

Ok, spoilers.

Spoiler

What did I remember from the first reading:
- Tatiana got to NY, worked as a nurse, had a son, and it took forever for them to meet
- Alexander was sent to penal batallion, he met Pasha, Pasha's fate
- Tatiana found him almost at the end of the book, they escaped
- Orbeli

That's it. For the first time I was so disappointed the book took forever to reunite them that I maybe might have skipped few pages. I just waited forever to read the second book a finally find out what happend with them.
This time I knew what I was getting into. And it was surprisingly good. I enjoyed Alexander's passages more, mainly because Tatiana did basically nothing. However I did have some issues. I just don't like the scenes from Lazarevo (the conversations are so cringy, who speaks like that?), I didn't much like the fact that Tatiana was so reckless with her life. I can't imagine leaving my child without a mother, plus she always puts Alexander first. That's just wrong in my book. I'm not saying the husband is not important but when you have children, you have responsibilities, you ought to put them first. And she just leaves her small son with a friend and goes on a trip that might as well have end up with her death.
I'd edit the book a bit.
Also Alexander is a bit of tool. I know war changes you but his behaviour is just... not acceptable to me.
Plus I miss some scenes. I'd love to see Tania explain Orbeli to Vikki. I'd love to see the scene where Alexander meets everyone for the first time. I wanted to see Alexander explain Pasha to Tatiana.
But after all, it was much better than I remembered.
Also Tatiana's English doesn't make sense. She knows all the complicated words and structures but keeps missing simple to be in present simple. That's like the first grammar rule you learn.