Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridge is the first book in The Katerina Trilogy, a series set in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1888. This novel blends historical fiction with the legends of the area seamlessly. Katerina is a Duchess, hiding a mystical secret amid the aristocracy of balls and finishing school. One attempt to prevent someone else from casting a spell she releases herself to a few members of the court. While she wants to forget and deny her gift, those that have discovered her secret either fear her or want to harness her power for their own evil intentions. Some of their plans do not include anything like a happy life for Katerina, and no one is ready to share the whole truth. It is scheduled for release on January 10 2012.

Debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, the Duchess of Oldenburg, is hiding her gift, or curse from the world. She has not told her friends or family that she holds a terrible power. She can raise the dead. She considers the power more of a curse than a gift, but there are those around her that would love to harness her powers. The Montengro heir, and his sisters, wield their own dark secrets, as do some of the people she might otherwise depend on. The intrigue increases as people reveal some of their nature, and others seem to change. The tsar, and entire country, are in danger and harnessing her powers in the right way is the only way to save the day. While saving the tsar and country Katerina also needs to save her future, caught between the enthralling Prince Danilo and the tsar's son George Alexander. Which will make her happy and which will only use her for his own ends?

The Gathering Storm held a perfect balance between intrigue, romance, magic, and the normal conflicts of teenage life. Katerina is caught up in a storm of court intrigue and mystical power struggles that would leave the typical citizens of Russia at the mercy of whatever comes out on top. I liked the fact that Katerina's desire to protect her family, but still make them proud, was realistic. Despite the supernatural aspects of the story, she still has the normal concerns about family, friendships, and the future that I think most teens would feel in her place. Katerina felt like a real person, and the friends and family that surrounded her were well fleshed out. I am greatly looking forward to seeing what comes I the second and third installments of Katerina's tale.

I recommend The Gathering Storm to young adults and adults that enjoy historical novels, local legends coming use, and intelligent heroines stuck between a rock and a hard place. I greatly enjoyed the book as a whole. Fans of Libba Bray, and her blends of magic and real life, will be thrilled to discover a new trilogy that uses the pairing to great effect. While the setting and characters are different from those created by Bray, the sense of wonder and ability to get completely drawn into the story are very similar.