I have mixed feelings on this book as a whole, somehow both loving and hating it at the same time. 
 For one thing I can never decide if I like the main character Georgy or not. I think, for the most part, I liked the old man he BECAME (as the book spans many decades) and I think hearing the story from his POV is very interesting, but I don't totally sympathize with YOUNG Georgy. It's not so much that he was passionate and selfish (even as an old man he has these same qualities to some extent), I don't think, as he was just kind of a stupid idiot. That sounds harsh but I dunno, maybe reading about similar characters (like MC from The Kitchen Boy, or Sasha from Anastasia's Secret) gave me less tolerance for Georgy's ignorance in comparison. Honestly, I felt a lot sorrier for Georgy's sister when he turned her away (I know he himself laments this as an old man, but it was still a really awful thing to do) than I felt for Georgy himself through most of this book. Also the gay Rasputin thing just felt like a dumb plot-thread to lead angst-filled young Georgy to want to kill him and thus be in the right place at the right time so he can tell the readers when Rasputin dies. Whatever. 
 And then there's Zoya. I like her a lot, actually, but considering (view spoiler)[ she's really just grown-up Anastasia (who survived when her family was killed and changed her name) (hide spoiler)] I think the author should have made her a little more fun and playful and stuff. I get that she's changed a lot growing up and that she was depressed over everything she went through, but her "I just wanna die and I don't care anymore, and watch me randomly cheat on Georgy" nonsense was a little heavy handed for me. (view spoiler)[ Not to mention that her escape from the house of special purpose was not particularly well thought out. She just sort of walked out and wasn't back in time to be shot at cuz...um...reasons... (though the scene where she sees her family through the window was heartbreaking, I'm not gonna lie!) (hide spoiler)] 
 My last complaint is that the book leans more to showing the Romanovs as being very spoiled. Yes, they had luxuries; but where are the portrayals of all four girls sleeping on camp cots or having to take cold showers? Not here. It's all fancy trains and picnics and trips to the roasted chestnut stands. For some reason, however, it didn't bother me as much as in "The Tsarina's Daughter" (maybe because the family love in this book was stronger and offset it a bit), but it was still irksome. 
 That said, I found much to like about the book as well which makes it hard not to love despite its many flaws. The romance/love story didn't exactly blow me away (I think the author was going for a Romeo and Juliet thing where Georgy and Zoya fall in love at first sight) but it WAS pretty cute and really did have its little "Aww" moments. Yeah the relationship does seem somewhat based on looks which is kind of shallow but obviously there was something deeper there that kept them together through the decades, and Georgy WAS faithful to her his entire life (except for that little gay episode and that was before they were married, not to mention he was a stupid teenager and was also drugged, so...); yeah, anyway it was nice in a semi-believable way. 
 And the friendship between Georgy and Alexei was ADORABLE. I wish the book had taken a little more time to focus on that because they are really stinking cute together as buddies. Somehow Alexei brings out the best even in young, stupid Georgy; and when he's old (and a much more likable person) he always lights a candle on Alexei's birthday to remember him by. 
 My favorite scene was something of an oddity but it was so well written it basically made the book a keeper for me. It was the wedding between Zoya and Georgy (view spoiler)[ when the Russian priest recognizes Anastasia but doesn't say anything. His awe and delight just fly off the page and it was very moving. I also had a strong love of the ending scene where old Georgy has finally lost Zoya to cancer and is talking to his grandson who looks a lot like Tsar Nicholas did. The grandson leaves and he watches him get on (a bus, I think?) and fight with somebody over the fare and it looks so much like the Tsar doing this that he laughs and then he starts crying and the book ends. (hide spoiler)]