This book almost tries to be too much-- historical fiction, horror story, paranormal romance. There's a lot of world building, some of it very interesting, but it's often delivered in an unfortunate, rather clunky fashion. That said, once past the first third of the book, it was very exciting and engaging. It wasn't un-put-downable, but I found myself continuously picking it up again. Some of the plot threads were dropped and then picked up again at odd places; the story didn't flow quite as well as it should have. 
 But I have to say, I'm looking forward to reading the next part, especially since much of the setting will hopefully be established enough the exposition won't have to be so intrusive. 
 I did like most of the characters a lot, and I think Katerina is a good, realistic heroine. And this St Petersburg felt very real to me, and there was just enough description of food and palaces and dresses to keep me satisfied without going overboard. 
 I think the writer has real potential, and the book is worth reading, especially if you like Russian history. Like I said, the most important thing is that in the end, I'm craving more.