**Spoiler Alert**
Everyone dies at the end. But you should know that already.

Nevertheless, it's a pretty captivating - albeit gruesome - story. I'm glad I'd read The Romanov Sisters first since Rappaport didn't go into as much detail about each family member's life and personality here. This one felt like a sequel even though it was written a few years prior to the aforementioned.

I'm sensing a trend that a few other reviewers have noted and that I've felt in other historical nonfiction books I've read lately - I really don't like when authors can't seem to present an unbiased account of historical events and characters. Does it make me sexist that these authors are usually women? This is nonfiction, so please tell me the facts. Let me come to my own conclusions about these people.

That being said, I agree that the Romanovs didn't deserve to die in the way that they did, especially the children. But I feel very conflicted about Tsar Nicholas II. Rappaport has really only elaborated on his abilities as a caring and doting father, but basically glossed over his inabilities as a leader. I want to learn more about him from an unbiased source - maybe I should just read his Wikipedia page? I've kind of been comparing him to Syria's Bashar Al-Assad in my mind but am not sure if that's warranted. Hmmm....