Sailing in a Sea of Words

Book: The Tsarina's Legacy

Author: Jennifer Laam

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Political

Summary: Then. . . Since the moment he first saw her on the night she seized the throne, Grigory "Grisha" Potemkin has loved Empress Catherine of Russia. Their love was forged first from passion and then from friendship, as they began a long and prosperous political association. Now older, they face treacherous new threats, both from outside of Russia and from within their intimate circle. Haunted by the horrors of his campaign against the Muslim Turks, Grisha hopes to construct a mosque in the heart of the empire. Unfortunately, Catherine's young new lover, the ambitious and charming Platon Zubov, stands in his way. Grisha determines that to preserve Catherine's legacy, he must save her from Zubov's dangerous influence and win back her heart.

Now. . . When she learns she is the heiress to the Romanov throne, Veronica Herrera's life swiftly turns upside down. Even as she gains a noble legacy, she loses everything she once thought important. Heartbroken and seeking purpose, Veronica agrees to accept a ceremonial position as the new tsarina and to act as an advocate to free a Russian artist sentenced to prison for displaying paintings critical of church and government. For her efforts, she is both celebrated and chastised. As her political role comes under fire, Veronica is forced to decide between the glamorous perks of European royalty and staying true to herself. -St. Martin's Griffin, 2016.

For my last book of 2019, my choice could have been a lot worse. I had read the prequel to this book and had mixed feelings about it. I bought this book before I even read the first book (a mistake I have yet to learn from) and because I'm a perfectionist, I determined to swallow my pride and just read it, despite my misgivings. Sadly, they were not put to rest. Minor spoilers ahead.

Despite Laam's note saying she wanted to focus on Catherine the Great, she really set out to write a commentary on Russia's treatment of members of the LGBT community. She acknowledges this in the end notes as she wanted to have her characters address what was, at the time, a prevalent topic (and it probably still is today). However, she is no Charles Dickens. While Dickens is able to both comment on society's failings and darker tendencies while at the same time weaving a good story, Laam fails to do so here.

Any plot, both in the present day and in the past, is completely skewered in her attempts to comment on Russia's treatment of homosexuals. Because she is so focused on the commentary for the present day section, the chapters of the past suffer as a result. Events happen, but the characters in the past are treated more as a commercial break to be placed between the present day chapters. Nothing really happens to show growth with the historical characters and the reader isn't given any opportunities to care about the characters. It was a waste of time and waste of plot.

The present day chapters reveal the flaws in Laam's writing. She's so focused on the social commentary that there is a lack of any real plot. Sure, Veronica goes to Russia, but does she grow? Does she triumph over her adversaries? No. She remains unchanged and regrets every action she takes while in Russia. She's a contradictory character. She tries to be strong and independent, but fails miserably every time. She can't even make her own decisions in this book. Everyone makes the choices for her. She wallows in self-doubt and self-pity. She reminds me of that meme where a character says, "And now my work here is done." and a second character says, "But you didn't do anything." The first character is Veronica and the second character represents the Russian people she supposedly aides. By the way, the summary is inaccurate - Veronica never shows a desire for the perks of royalty and is actually quite disgusted with them from the beginning; she finds them abhorrent.

By the end of the story, has Veronica made any real impact? Has anything changed? No. Laam implies that change will come, but she doesn't seem to have the courage to make it happen. It's almost like her editior said, "Okay. I know you wanted to criticize Russia, but don't actually change too much. You might get slammed." So Laam comes out swinging hard, but by the end of the book, her words are little more than a slap on the wrist.

To be frank, she was better off writing an essay or a short story to criticize Russia, rather than try to write a full novel about it. When a writer wants to include activism in their story, they better make the story good enough to balance the activist message or it all falls to pieces.

I give The Tsarina's Legacy a D-.

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I honestly wouldn't even recommend buying this book. Borrow it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you in 2020!