"The Gathering Storm (The Katerina Trilogy, #1)" by Robin Bridges

"The Gathering Storm (The Katerina Trilogy, #1)" by Robin Bridges


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Published: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Ember
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Pages: 389Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Read October 29 to November 1, 2013


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St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

I've discussed my love for all things Russian, so I had high hopes for this book. Imperial Russia, zombies, I was in love! I got a little worried while reading the book. There were some slow points, but they did pick up! Zombies/undead were brought up pretty soon. We learn about how Katerina first got her necromancer powers and how she's scared of them.


I could tell right away that there was going to be a love triangle, but I was totally cool with it for once. Usually it's just two hot guys, but this one had one guy representing good and the other evil. It shows how Katerina could use her powers for good and protect the Imperial family, or use them to hurt others and join a family of vampires. There were so many twists and turns that it was sometimes hard for me to predict what would happen next!

Katerina
I thought she was a great character. Although I didn't always agree with the choices she made, she always made these choices with the safety of her friends and family in mind. I loved her attitude. She wasn't afraid to make other people mad.

George
At first he's repulsed by Katerina's necromancing powers, but he eventually grows to love her. Plus he's a son of the Tsar, so that's not too shabby.

Danilo
The other boy in the love triangle, he's the one that represents all things dark and evil. He's the son of a far off country's king and will soon become a vampire. His younger sister, Elina, who is Katerina's age, sets her and her brother up. He pretends to love Katerina, but only is interested in her for her powers.

Elina
Although her brother is a vampire, she and the rest of her sisters and witches. She uses various spells and potions to hurt others and get what she wants.

Dariya
Katerina's cousin and best friend. When she learns about Katerina's powers, she is completely accepting and doesn't find her repulsive. She is also against Katerina's relationship with Danilo, as his sister, Elina, poisoned and almost killed her.

Overall, this book was great and was gave me a Russia fix! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!