{"product_id":"tsarina-9781250214447","title":"Tsarina","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Makes \u003ci\u003eGame of Thrones\u003c\/i\u003e look like a nursery rhyme.\" \u003c\/b\u003e--\u003cb\u003eDaisy Goodwin, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fortune Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore there was Catherine the Great, there was Catherine Alexeyevna: the first woman to rule Russia in her own right. Ellen Alpsten's rich, sweeping debut novel \u003ci\u003eTsarina\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of her rise to power.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSt. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna, as ambitious, ruthless and passionate as Peter himself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBorn into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter's powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life--the lavish feasts, glittering jewels, and candle-lit hours in Peter's bedchamber--she knows the peril of her position. Peter's attentions are fickle and his rages powerful; his first wife is condemned to a prison cell, her lover impaled alive in Red Square. And now Catherine faces the ultimate test: can she keep the Tsar's death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the sensuous pleasures of a decadent aristocracy, to the incense-filled rites of the Orthodox Church and the terror of Peter's torture chambers, the intoxicating and dangerous world of Imperial Russia is brought to vivid life. \u003ci\u003eTsarina\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of one remarkable woman whose bid for power would transform the Russian Empire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlpsten, Ellen:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - ELLEN ALPSTEN was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands. Upon graduating from L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, she worked as a news anchor for Bloomberg TV London. Whilst working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work and a nap. Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStandpoint \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eCN Traveller\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in London with her husband, three sons and a moody fox red Labrador. \u003ci\u003eTsarina \u003c\/i\u003eis her debut novel.","brand":"St. Martin's Griffin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50670288601362,"sku":"9781250214447","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a3e8e4f1-f9b8-4010-8c4d-e10fdc5eb48a.jpg?v=1733775281","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/tsarina-9781250214447","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}