The Russian Concubine.

I finished reading this last night, and it was interestingly far-fetched to say the least, and sometimes shockingly so. It felt like the story was just dragging for a while and then nearing the end, the author just sped things up and it finished quickly, with some events that were so bad I think I actually liked seeing where they went next. It could have been better, but it wasn't. And I didn't like how some things just felt untied and on the "left-hanging" side of things at the end. The writing style helped make it worth the read though. It was vivid and imaginative, and at times it even felt poetic, which I very much loved.

It did have some interesting little twists, and there was one character I truly liked: Liev Popkov, even though he didn't play a huge part in the story, he was very likeable. I'm not sure I quite understood Lydia and Chang An Lo's relationship, but it did have some sweet moments. Lydia's relationship with her mother (Valentina) was interesting to me as well, on the point that I could never imagine having to go through what they'd gone through together and how they struggled so.

That's pretty much all I have to say about this book. Next I am going to read Judith Pella's Sister's Choice. The second book in her Patchwork Circle series. I had been waiting a long time to get it from the library - and I finally got it last week, so I am excited to read it. :)