Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges. Book One of the Katerina Trilogy.

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 2012
List Price: $17.99
ISBN-13: 9780385740227

Review: The book I am reviewing is called The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges. This 387 page book is a fictional story based on Russian culture and history with a magical twist! The Gathering Storm is a very intriguing story and I would like to give you a little insight on it.

The story takes place in Russia in the early 1800's. The main character, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, has a deep dark secret that she has kept for many years. She can raise the dead. Katerina considers herself cursed and tells no one, but pretty soon her secret starts to leak out. In the kingdom, evil forces are rising and threatening the tsar. Katerina's power draws to her side George Alexandrovich, the tsar's son, who repelled by her gruesome powers, feels she could play an important part in saving Russia. Prince Danilo, heir to the Montenegrin throne, takes a sudden interest in Katerina and tries to win her over with his dashing looks and persuading words. Katerina knows she cannot hide from her fate any longer and must choose a side, either light or darkness, and to whom she will give her heart. The fate of Russia lies in her hands.

This haunting yet romantic book was very well written and thought out. Each character was very detailed and had an interesting background. Each scene left you wanting more. The writing is very powerful. You will find yourself cheering on Katerina as she struggles to distinguish what and who is good or evil, and where her heart lies. This book is so well written that as I read it I forgot it was fictional and didn't question characters coming back to life. It draws you in and you find yourself becoming Katerina. I enjoyed reading this fascinating book! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a classy intriguing dark romance story.

When I finished this book I found myself checking to see if there was a second book that went along with it, it was that good! This was a wonderfully chilling book, which is indeed the first book in the Katerina Trilogy, is now officially one of my personal favorites! If you're looking for a haunting yet beautiful story then this is the book for you!

Review written by Rachel (7th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Gathering Storm for this review.

Have you read The Gathering Storm? How would you rate it?