Daughters of a Dead Empire

Ages 14 to 18

In this harrowing novel perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Elizabeth Wein, two girls from separate worlds flee across the Russian countryside at the height of the Bolshevik 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—regarless 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.

About the Author

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's lived in France, Spain, and Japan, before circling back to New York. Carolyn now lives in a slightly smaller NYC apartment with slightly fewer books, and still goes to the library every week.