Written for younger readers, but a compelling tale for all ages. This true story of the end of royalty in Russia highlights the unique personalities of the tsar, his wife and their five children. Through a combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence, Tsar Nicholas II was unable to see the suffering of his people. This book reviews the changing social order as WWI rages. By the time the royal family is ready to abdicate and escape to Europe, it is too late, and they are shot in the basement of their castle.

Fleming brings the major players of the sad tale to life through her descriptions of their personalities. Empress Alexandra is enthralled by Rasputin as she grows desperate to give birth to a son after four daughters have arrived. Her desperation grows after they learn the boy is hemophiliac, which will make it challenging for him to take her husband’s role. Straining to keep this secret and her family together is difficult enough.

As the social order crumbles, the royal family clings to tradition. They travel from one castle to another, scarcely aware of the plight of the millions of starving peasants around them or the growing power of new voices like Lenin.

The author skillfully leads the reader through understanding the suffering of the Russian people, the ethical question the servants must have asked themselves as they served the family in its final days, and the innocence of the children whose lives had been so sheltered.

Anyone who enjoys reading about the aspects of daily life in a historical setting, especially as famous people encountered huge social change will enjoy this story. And kudos to Fleming for answering the question as to whether the sightings of the youngest daughter, Tatiana, in the decades following the assassinations are true.