Joy Preble – Dreaming Anastasia

Title: Dreaming Anastasia
Author: Joy Preble
Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:
Anne Michaelson is having strange dreams; dreams of a time long since past. Dreams, in fact, of witches and magicians and long dead Russian royalty. Only these dreams aren’t so much dreams as they are memories — she’s present and feeling in all aspects of the events.

Enter Ethan, a handsome and mysterious boy who seems to appear at Anne’s every given turn. Initially thought to be a random teenage stalker Anne quickly learns that her connection to him is much deeper than his seeming obsession with her. They are marked by a mystical destiny to help free the last Romanov standing from the powerful witch compelled to keep her.

Together Ethan and Anne fight for (or is it against?) The Brotherhood in a quest to find the mythical Baba Yaga’s ever moving liar where young Anastasia Romanov is being held captive for eternity. In a series of bizarre events the two struggle against and use magic to investigate the young princesses whereabouts and attempt to free her. The only problem is that in their hunt to find Anastasia they too become the hunted.

Opinion:
Dreaming Anastasia was an enjoyable read from start to finish. So enjoyable, in fact, that it’s gotten me interested in reading more about the Romanov’s and their history. I, of course, know vague high school level details of the events but the plot in this story fictionalized elements so interestingly that I’m intrigued to find out more. This is a testament to Preble’s ability to interweave fact with fiction thus making it entirely believable that this young princess was swept away by magic to live an ageless life until saved from captivity.

Speaking of magic, I appreciated that Preble didn’t bang us over the head with mysticism and magical pyrotechnics. The story was driven by compelling characters who happened also to have these forces inside them — some were for good others for evil . While magic was entirely prevalent throughout it wasn’t a caricature or some outrageously constructed series of laughable actions that people were left scratching their heads over. In this case the magic was all completely relevant and believable in the scope of the story.

The relationship between Anne and Ethan carried with it that invisible bond magic and the mission they were carrying out held over them. She with her initial skepticism over the events transpiring and the struggle to accept her role and power; he the person with all the answers for her yet measuring how to best move forward in providing them. There was just enough to push them together but also plenty to keep them just that much apart. Speaking of which, I enjoyed that Preble didn’t fall into the trap of prolonging the initial distance between the two in the hope of keeping that “who is he” mystery alive. It was clear from the beginning there was a bond and we were kept guessing for just the right amount of time before small details started to trickle out. The timing of that was very well done and kept intriguing me throughout.

The attraction between Ethan and Anne was apparent from their initial meeting. Yet, the budding love story between the young couple is chaste. I never felt like they were completely in or out of love just that they were moving more and more in the direction of figuring it all out. This, in my opinion, makes the book a good gateway for readers moving from Middle Grade to Young Adult. To further the latter point, Dreaming Anastasia is a quick read with plenty of suspense and mystery to keep readers not only interested but invested in the outcome.

The use of mystical storytelling and lore is widely used and certainly effective. The story of Baba Yaga is vivid and creatively portrayed. There is equal parts fearsome monster and sympathetic captive compelled by others to do their bidding. She quickly becomes one of those members of the cast that readers either love or love to hate. Further, the story surrounding the role she plays in Anastasia’s captivity is quite imaginative and makes one wonder if it is truly of real Russian folklore. Yet another area where readers may be compelled to do further research after completing the novel.

In the end Dreaming Anastasia is a story of love and loss on many different levels. It was a wild, fun and sweetly romantic ride.

[This review is part of a blog tour arranged by Sourcebooks]
(book provided via publisher)