Rating: 
Author: Joy Preble
Publication: September 1st, 2009
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Description: What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.
In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good collegeuntil the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams.
Via GoodReads.
My Review:
When Borders closed (R.I.P.), I bought a huge stack of books for a very good price with only the descriptions on the backs to guide me. This was one of the books that I got. The description sounds good, doesn't it? But if I had even glanced at it's less than stellar reviews on GoodReads I would've known to skip this one. Now I will add to those reviews. Fair warning though, I didn't finish this book and I'm here to tell you why.
With the story of Anastasia, an evil witch, and a hot Russian guy, the description made it sound awesome. I think this story could have been good if it had been executed differently. The narrative switches between the point of view of Anne, our main character, and Ethan, the hot Russian. I didn't like having Ethan's perspective because it completely sapped all the mysetery that had piqued my interest in him during Anne's view. (It didn't help that during his point of view he talked about how he was "dying for a cigarette".. Not attractive.) Along with the constant switch between Anne and Ethan, every now and then there were long letters from Anastasia to her family. Talk about getting confusing.
Speaking of long, Prebale's sentences got to be overwhelming. Look at the size of the paragraph above. In this book, that'd be an average three sentences. I kid you not. They would go on about random information and eventually my eyes would just sort of glaze over until I saw a bit of info that actually mattered. But maybe that was just me. Don't get me wrong, there were normal sized sentences thrown in there as well, but there were just too many of the long ones about random nonsense for me not to get annoyed.
These things bothered me enough to not finish reading the book, but I think that others could like it. If you really like Russian fairytales and culture, then you might want to check it out, since that is what the book focuses on. And if confusing shifting POVs and bothersome sentences don't faze you, then you will definately like it more than I did.
Well there you have it. I didn't finish Dreaming Anastasia because I didn't see a point in reading something I didn't enjoy when I could be reading something that I would. Obviously, I will not be continuing with this series.
Summed Up:
I didn't like Dreaming Anastasia. The storyline sounded interesting and I hadn't ever read anything simular, but the constant switching point of views, the less than desireable love interest, and confusing writing was too much for me.
About the Author
Linny is the 18 year old girl and self-proclaimed mastermind behind Linny's Literature. She enjoys reading, designing, and spending time with her family. Learn more about her on the Meet Linny page.
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