Carolyn Tara O'Neil

Daughters of a Dead Empire

Russia, 1918: With the execution of Tsar Nicholas II, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war―the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a wealthy bourgeois girl, narrowly escapes the massacre of her entire family in Ekaterinburg. 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, inequality, and the price we pay for change. An imaginative retelling of the Anastasia story.

Publisher: Macmillan / Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: February 22, 2022
ISBN: 9781250755537

“A riveting reimagining of a historical legend as a pulse-pounding thriller…. Well-researched and accessible…. Anna and Evgenia’s hard-earned friendship forms the heart of the tale and reinforces the importance of crossing class, political, and religious lines to find the humanity in all.” — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Start to finish, I was hooked—a remarkable feat for story inspired by well-known facts. It was a joy to read.” — Sherri L. Smith, SCBWI Golden Kite Award Winning author of The Blossom and the Firefly and Flygirl

“This 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, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner for Young Adult Literature

""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

Available for order:

MACMILLAN | AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND

Carolyn Tara O’Neil grew up in a tiny New York City apartment filled with thousands of books. Every Friday she went to the public library for even more reading material. She now lives in a slightly smaller NYC apartment with slightly fewer books, and still goes to the library every week.

In between then and now, Carolyn has lived in France, Spain, and Japan, and has dedicated her career to the education and rights of young people. She loves to travel, study languages, and spend endless hours discussing TV, books, great hiking trails, and how we can work together to build a more equal society.

www.carolyntaraoneil.com

Tags: YA, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Retelling, BIPOC