The Tsarina's Daughter    by Ellen Alpsten Order:  USA  Can Griffin, 2022 (2022) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Ellen Alpsten's The Tsarina's Daughter is an intriguing historical about a little known Romanov, Tsarevna Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. Readers watch her mature from a carefree child growing up in luxury to a wary young woman, struggling to survive the perils of the swirling ambitions of the Russian Court. The novel opens on a dilemma for Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova, the only surviving child of Tsar Peter's fifteen offspring. She must choose between taking the throne herself (through the deposition of her adored one-year-old cousin Ivan) or being banished to die in a convent or Siberia. This moment, amongst other trials, was prophesied for her, but we wonder how events got to this point - and read on. Elizabeth grows up close to her older sister Anoushka. Their mother Catherine was a serf and they were both born before her marriage to Peter, when they were proclaimed Tsarevna. The Tsar was in conflict with Old Believers, who were against his leaning to the West. He had his eldest son executed for his association with them and had sent away his grandson Petrushka, of whom Elizabeth was fond. Though her father hoped for Elizabeth to wed King Louis XV of France, this does not materialize. Then her father dies with no designated heir and her mother takes the throne. Courtiers joust for power, rise and fall. Lizenka enjoys love and suffers loss. She lives, 'surrounded by a pack of wolves', her personal situation fluctuating wildly. Then finally comes the moment that began this novel - what will Lizenka choose and at what cost? Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews