Daughters of a Dead Empire

From debut author Carolyn Tara O'Neil comes a thrilling alternate history set during the Russian Revolution.

Russia, 1918: With the execution of Tsar Nicholas, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war—the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a bourgeois girl, narrowly escaped the massacre of her entire family in Yekaterinburg. Desperate to get away from the Bolsheviks, she offers a peasant girl a diamond to take her as far south as possible—not realizing that the girl is a communist herself. With her brother in desperate need of a doctor, Evgenia accepts Anna's offer and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the war.

Anna is being hunted by the Bolsheviks, and now—regardless of her loyalties—Evgenia is too.

Daughters of a Dead Empire is a harrowing historical thriller about dangerous ideals, loyalty, and the price we pay for change. An imaginative retelling of the Anastasia story.

"Tightly plotted and compulsive, Daughters of a Dead Empire is simultaneously a heart-racing thrill ride across the landscape of revolutionary Russia and a tender, timely reflection on the reconciling power of friendship." —Amanda McCrina, author of Traitor and The Silent Unseen

“O'Neil's thrilling, historically authentic novel is every bit as moving as it is harrowing. A must read for Russophiles and bibliophiles alike.” —Candace Fleming, author of The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner for Young Adult Literature.

"A page-turning tale of loss, redemption and deep friendship, as two young women learn to move past the prejudices they’ve grown up with. A heartfelt book that makes you believe in the power of friendship over conflict." —Shamim Sarif, author of The Athena Protocol and The Shadow Mission

"A poignant and well-researched historical fiction about two incredible young women and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love." —June Hur, author of The Forest of Stolen Girls

"Carolyn Tara O’Neil’s Daughters of a Dead Empire highlights the chaos of a muddled war with heartbreaking accuracy. I didn’t want it to end!” —Amber Lough, author of Open Fire

"An amazing adventure in history, politics, and empathy." —J. Albert Mann, author of The Degenerates and Scar