The Witches of St. Petersburg

A Novel

By: Imogen Edwards-Jones

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

Inspired by real characters, this transporting historical fiction debut spins the fascinating story of two princesses in the Romanov court who practiced black magic, befriended the Tsarina, and invited Rasputin into their lives—forever changing the course of Russian history.

As daughters of the impoverished King of Montenegro, Militza and Stana must fulfill their duty to their father and leave their beloved home for St. Petersburg to be married into senior positions in the Romanov court. For their new alliances to the Russian nobility will help secure the future of the sisters’ native country. Immediately, Militza and Stana feel like outcasts as the aristocracy shuns them for their provincial ways and for dabbling in the occult. Undeterred, the sisters become resolved to make their mark by falling in with the lonely, depressed Tsarina Alexandra, who—as an Anglo-German—is also an outsider and is not fully accepted by members of the court. After numerous failed attempts to precipitate the birth of a son and heir, the Tsarina is desperate and decides to place her faith in the sisters’ expertise with black magic.

Promising the Tsarina that they will be able to secure an heir for the Russian dynasty, Militza and Stana hold séances and experiment with rituals and spells. Gurus, clairvoyants, holy fools, and charlatans all try their luck. The closer they become to the Tsarina and the royal family, the more their status—and power—is elevated. But when the sisters invoke a spiritual shaman, who goes by the name of Rasputin, the die is cast. For they have not only irrevocably sealed their own fates—but also that of Russia itself.

Brimming with black magic, sex and intrigue, The Witches of St. Petersburg is an exquisite historical fiction debut novel filled with lush historical details from the Romanov era.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Wonderful!

This is a lovely MAGNIFICENT, even, treatment of the mysterious and tragic time of the last Czar of Russia and his family. So much truth is woven into the fiction as to make it masterfully believable. Bravo, madame! Bravo- I intend to listen again soon.

LOVED IT

I see so many negative reviews for this and I have to put in my two cents. I thought it was beautifully written and I loved the descriptions of the witchcraft. It was handled in a way that was very much rooted in reality, not so much in fantasy as are most "witch" themed books. I absolutely loved reading it. I would give it five stars, but I marked one down for a historical inaccuracy that (without spoiling anything) made my Romanov-obsessed soul hurt a little. That said, I liked the book so much that I was willing to keep reading despite that, which says a lot. All in all one of my favorite books I've ever read and I thought the reader did great as well.

Must read

I absolutely loved this story. The narrator was wonderful. I'll be looking for more titles by this author.

I wanted to like it more

I really wanted to like it more. The title alone was promising. It was so long and it really dragged on. I found myself liking it less and less with each moment I struggled. I kept saying it will get better; but, sadly it never did.

Okay Storyline. Gratuitous sex scenes galore.

The story started out okay. The character development over the decades was pretty good. I understand the author wanted to show readers how wild Rasputin was compared to the rest of the population and highlight his vulgarity, but honestly, I thought the sex scenes were way overdone in the last 1/3 of the novel. It was a huge turn off and made it hard to finish the book, especially since the beginning was good.