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A review by bringmybooks
The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
anybody else completely & totally obsessed with the Romanovs as a kid or ……
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨
This book had so much freaking potential it’s unreal … but I just honestly didn’t feel like it every found it’s footing. It felt more like it was trying to be too many things at once - historical fiction, romance, mystery, ghost story?
There was a massive plot point that was pretty integral to the story that was … explained(??) in a way that made absolutely no sense. I really had to go back and reread multiple times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, because it just didn’t track.
I liked the past storyline more, and maybe if it had just been set in that era following Valentin & Tonya I could have enjoyed it a bit more. That being said, even the past timeline skirted over a lot of the Russian history that was so integral to the context of what was happening and why it all mattered.
I dunno. I wanted it to be what it * could * have been so badly, but unfortunately it just … wasn’t.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Genocide, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail