Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I really wanted to like this book, I have long been interested in the Romanovs and their brutal end. But this overly long and sometimes contorted tale took sheer willpower to finish. As others have outlined the plot, I won't repeat that. The book's started off interesting enough ,but around half way through ran away with itself , at times losing plausibility, focus, and character development or motivation. At this point, I lost interest in the characters, who had become shallow, the plot, which became confused with so many storylines, and the weak thread that held it all together. My only motivation to slug through to the end was to get to the ultimately predictable resolution. The most disturbing part is the many rave reviews this utterly less than mediocre book has gotten. My advice is to read the three star and under reviews before you make a decision. Those reviews are far more discerning, especially for the reader who appreciates a well written, carefully crafted and executed book. This was not that.