Queen of Tomorrow: A Stolen Empire Novel

Gr 9 Up—This sequel to Queen of Someday (Clean Teen, 2014) is a breezy romance with a thick historical veneer. The author clearly states that she plays fast and loose with historical details and dates. This allows readers to be swept along by the story and not be bothered by the accuracy of events or dates. Grand Duchess Catherine of Russia—the future Catherine the Great—has come a long way since her days as a minor Prussian princess. At the Russian royal court, she must navigate the complexities of court life to keep her hopes of ruling Russia alive. She falls in and out of favor with the empress, who treats Catherine as a pawn useful only for producing an heir. Her marriage to Grand Duke Peter is a sham, mostly due to Peter's completely reprehensible behavior. He is childish and mercurial, which endears him to no one. Catherine comes across as intelligent, brave, and resilient, despite her cruel circumstances. She often sees herself sacrificing personal character for the greater good of Russia. The story moves quickly, and the characters use modern, casual dialogue. Because the author is so straightforward regarding her use of authorial license, historical details blur together. Ficklin does stay true to the large sexual appetites of her historical figures—there are a great number of sexual situations.