The Gathering Storm (Katerina Trilogy , #1)

by Robin Bridges

In St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1888, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret--that she has the ability to raise the dead--but when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

• ISBN10: 0385740239
• ISBN13: 9780385740234
• Publish Date: 9 October 2012 (first published 10 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Ember
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Chelsea]

Quick Thoughts:

1. The plot in this book sounded ok at first glance but was SO confusing. I don't know how I got through it.
2. I really did like the characters in this story. For that reason alone I might read the second book.
3. The description of this book doesn't really help me out any. I didn't realize this would be a book about faeries and vampires as well as the magic abilities mentioned in the summary. Way too many different creatures and I couldn't keep track of who was who.
4. Honestly, I should have rated this lower but I guess I was feeling generous. Very confusing for sure and I don't know if I'd recommend it.

[ladygrey]

I don't know what to think of this book. The idea of Russian vampires is somehow fascinating and totally appropriate. The world, however feels shallow. Not like its ill-formed but that the author doesn't really sink into it well. And it's a difficult balance because some parts feel like the utter drudgery of we went here and ate this and other (interesting) parts feel like she's just glancing over the scene. Which didn't help the pacing that feels very matter of fact, relaying the necessary information and then moving on quickly. And while the information on the structure of names was helpful in the beginning it didn't do much to clarify the seven Alexanders and four Nicholas-es who were all princes and grand dukes and everyone's cousin. It was all just unbalanced.

And yet, there's moments... lines actually that are really good. And the idea of the whole thing is really intriguing. I mean, Katiya is a little slow on the uptake and bothersome because she believes the bad guys are more powerful than the good guys so she doesn't trust the right people. But George is kind of fantastic.

And it isn't great but it's enough to make me want to read the next one.

[kimbacaffeinate]

The Gathering Storm is the debut novel of Robin Bridges and the first in her Katerina Trilogy. Bridges' paranormal novel delivers, from the historical aspects of Russia to the supernatural. This was a delightful tale of vampires, fairies, werewolves, witches, necromancers and other supernatural creatures. A combination of Russian history and folklore make this an exciting, addictive read.

The protagonist Is Katerina Alexandrovna, she is the Duchess of Oldenburg, residing in Russia during the reign of Tsar Alexander III. Katerina is a necromancer, but she views this as a curse. She attempts to hide her gift and wants no part in using the ability. Once as a small child she used it, to save her mother’s cat, but she quickly realized the cat was wrong. Since she hasn’t even told her parents her secret, she understands very little about her ability and is fearful to share it with anyone.

Katerina is attending finishing school. A school which is more concerned with ballroom dancing then studies. Katerina longs to attend medical school at a time when woman are banned from being doctors. Her dearest friends are more concerned with catching the eye of the highest titled and richest young man. Katerina has been inspired by the first woman in the field and daydreams of going abroad to study. Alas, she has been born to an era where alliances and families’ incomes are dependent on securing good marriages for their daughters.

In a world filled with balls, gorgeous gowns, ballet, and musicals there is a dark underbelly filled with witches, vampires, werewolves and Fae all vying to secure their place. Katerina attracts the attentions of a powerful family, when she uses her gift to save a member of the royal family. As this family attempts to secure power, they use their skills to lure Katerina. Their young son uses his power and threats to woo her. At the same time she attracts the attentions of George (the Tsar’s middle son). He pledges to keep her safe, but she is constantly getting herself into trouble trying to solve things, and of course the young vampire Prince Danile wants to make her his bride.

The tale that unfolds is captivating and complex. People are being poisoned, guards are being murdered and bodies are rising from the dead. As Katerina struggles to uncover who is causing these attacks, she finds herself caught up in the middle of things. When she is offered help by elders, she finds herself confused as light fights dark. With Prince Danile and George breathing down her neck, can she save the royal family before it’s too late?

There is romance or the hint of it in this novel, but delightfully it takes a backseat to all the suspense, plots, and supernatural events. This book completely captured me, and it was delightful to see young Katerina come into herself and protect those she loves; even at great sacrifice to herself. I found other characters to be delightful as well. I liked George, and Katerina’s friends and even the dreadful Princess Elena.

[Kelsenator]

Edit: Did a re-read, and loved it just as much the second time around!

For the full review, go to my blog at Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

This was Robin’s first novel, and after reading it, I want more! This book was a great read, I loved that it was set in the past but in Russia, which was a nice change, and the added paranormal element was interesting.

Katerina has a special skill, of raising the dead, that she discovered by accident when she was a child. She tries to hide it, and has never told anyone, not even her family. Even though she goes to the balls and dances, which are meant to help find her a husband, all she really wants to do is study medicine and become a doctor. But women are not allowed to go to school for that in Russia, which leads her to wanting to apply elsewhere. Her dad supports her, as he is one himself, but her mother wants her to be normal and find a rich husband.

When she first uses her necromancer ability at a ball to help someone secretly, that’s when things start to change. She notices the paranormal world and what people really are, and they start to notice her too.We meet more people, that either say they want to help her, or secretly want to use her.

I definitely loved this book, I got it from the library but will have to get my own copy and reread it before the second book comes out. Highly recommended for people who like paranormal, a bit of romance, set in the 1800′s of Russia.

[Angie]

The living dead in Imperial Russia...sounds awesome, right? Right! Royal balls, sophistication and glamor, and mythical creatures. "We live in the strangest of times. Russia was steeped in mysticism and the occult, and science was struggling against superstition to pull the country into the future." And Katerina is caught in the middle. She dreams of going to medical school, but she also has a strange "gift" that allows her to raise the dead. She's also been warned to protect her family from the "blood-drinkers."

But is that warning legitimate, since it came from a possibly senile princess? What is Katerina suppose to do since the vampire she's suppose to kill is the same prince who wants to marry her? Katerina is finding it hard to know what is true and who is safe to trust. There's a whole world of supernatural creatures that she has no clue about in addition to the ones she's familiar with. It seems like all of the supernatural creatures around St. Petersburg are in an uproar: increased ac by the wolf-folk, the return of the vampires, someone raising an undead army, and Katerina's caught in all of it.

Katerina is a great character; I really liked her. She's smart, ambitious, compassionate, with the added bonus of being a necromancer. She'd rather research diseases than become queen, which definitely sets her apart from the other girls of the time. One thing that I had trouble believing was that she wouldn't want to learn how to control her powers even after she accidentally brings back a fallen soldier. It takes her entirely too long to decide to figure things out so it doesn't happen again, but at least she was determined to help the poor man she resurrected and was genuinely concerned about his well being. There's so much power she's capable of harnessing, and I'm excited for her to do so in the future books.

I must admit that there were times I found myself rather confused about who's who. It was a bit hard to remember who was related to who, what their title was, what kind of supernatural being they were, what their agenda was, etc. But it wasn't so bad that it distracted me from the story. It was obvious that the author put a lot of time and effort into setting the stage for her debut novel, but it was a lot of information to try to keep straight.

Overall, The Gathering Storm is captivating and original. It held my interest from page one to the every last paragraph. I loved being sent back to a time where Russia was bathed in sparkles and the occult, and I'm excited to see where this series is going.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.