The Crown and the Crucible / A House Divided / Travail and Triumph / Heirs of the Motherland / The Dawning of Deliverance / White Nights, Red Morning / Passage Into Light by Michael R. PhillipsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read these books many years ago when they first came out. I discovered them after the first three had been published and then had to wait in agony as the other 4 were completed and published.
It takes place during the Russian Revolution when a 16-year-old girl must leave her simple life in a tiny Russian village and the large family she loves so much to go and work for a Count and Countess as one of their kitchen maids. The 15-year-old daughter of this family, Katrina, notices this new servant and in her loneliness decides Anna should be her new personal servant. The two become friends but must hide this fact from a society where Princesses don't hang out with their maids.
To make matters even more complicated, Katrina's older brother comes home on leave from his regiment and also takes notice of the beautiful, gentle Anna and the two begin to lose their hearts to each other. As the flames of the revolution begin to flame and people start taking sides: the elite and powerful vs. the working class and poor peasants, it definitely has consequences for Anna and this new, adopted family she has learned to love through the years.
But what also makes Anna so special is her very real faith in Jesus which is evident in all she does and begins having some intense impacts on the entire household. And eventually into the presence of the Czar himself.
There is a lot of information in these books, regarding their events and context in history which has been thoroughly researched. I've always thought of Michael Phillips as Christianity's answer to James Michener. When he finds out about a place and time, he leaves no stone unturned and the book becomes as long as it needs to be to tell the story. In this case, it's 7 books long and each one a substantial read. While his writing partner, Judith Pella, uses her talents for creating three-dimensional characters and the emotional tethers that tie them to each other and us to them. Not to mention the believability that will draw you in and won't let you go until the very last page.
It's one shortcoming is that Michael Phillips was not involved with the last books and Judith Pella carried on alone. These final stories are still enjoyable and worthy of your time, but there is something magical that happens when these two authors create together and I felt the last two books were a little strained and lack-luster. But the first three books in this series lay such a great foundation for the rest of the story, that I doubt anyone can quit and not journey to the end with the characters they've come to know so well.
When I originally started this series I was in my mid to late 20s and expected to find it heavy on the teen angst and romance. A sort of, "do you think Ivon will take me to the Romanov Prom" type of thing. But I was very wrong. There is literally something for everyone in these books and my mother proved this point many times by grabbing each book from me almost the second I would close it and reach for the next one.
Without explicit sex, swearing and just a lot of suspense, history and real emotions from relateable people, I'm pleased to be able to recommend these books to literally anyone of any age.
So in light of that, here's some good news. I just bought the entire series, all 7 titles, from Amazon for under $5. When I originally bought them (in print) they were $12.99 per book (and worth every penny!) So I am taking the time to review them now so you can also benefit from this discounted price and because, hey, it's time for ME to read them again for my fifth time through (although I will miss my mother no longer here to snatch them from me). But I will have the pleasure of reading them again and remembering the hours of discussion we had regarding them.
I hope you join with me in enjoying them and I thank you for reading another one of my reviews.
Sincerely, Laura-Lee
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