THE WITCHES OF ST. PETERSBURG

Two forgotten figures from the last days of Imperial Russia work
their dark magic in this chilling historical fantasy from Edwards-Jones (Restaurant
Babylon, 2013, etc.).

Militza and Anastasia, known as “Stana,” may be princesses, but
their home country of Montenegro is embarrassingly impoverished. Fulfilling
their duty as daughters, they each manage to marry high-ranking members of the
Russian aristocracy but are still ridiculed by the wealthy St. Petersburg
society for coming from a “feudal backwater.” When Czar Nicholas II is crowned
and the social hierarchy is up in the air, Militza seizes the opportunity to
position herself and Stana close to the new czarina, Alexandra. Both sisters,
Militza in particular, have an aptitude for black magic, and with the help of
their unusual talents, they soon enjoy the power that comes from being
Alexandra’s closest friends. But when the long-awaited heir to the throne,
Alexei, is born with hemophilia, the sisters must push their knowledge of the
occult to its limits to find him a healer. One Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin is
happy to answer their prayers, but he may turn out to be more than they
bargained for. Covering almost 30 years of history, the book has spots that
feel rushed and moments where one feels the characters getting lost in the sea
of historical events and political context. But all the same, Edwards-Jones has
done an impressive job of taking what was clearly extensive research and
injecting it with narrative flair. Passing knowledge of the Russian Revolution
will spoil the ending, but the court intrigue, mysterious black magic, and
tense political drama keep the pages turning and the thrills coming.