Ricochet

In Carni’s time-jumping historical fantasy debut, a fictional teenage Anastasia Romanov must use her wits to navigate a chaotic multiverse as she attempts to rewrite history following her and brother Alexei’s survival of the 1918 execution of the Romanov family. When a soldier’s bullet strikes a magical garnet necklace gifted to Anastasia by Rasputin, she and Alexei are transported to an alternate reality Russia in which Anastasia does not appear to have existed. After being mistaken for this timeline’s Alexei, her brother takes on the role of tsarevich, leaving Anastasia to navigate this new and confusing world on her own. With the help of a handsome young soldier named Lev, she must stay one step ahead of both the nascent Narodnaya Volya rebellion and the tsar’s royal forces if she hopes to reunite with Alexei and return home. Despite scattershot plotting and thin characterization, Carni’s snappy dialogue and tight pacing engages, while vibrant prose studded with accessible historical details heightens immersion. Fans of the period and the Grand Duchess will find much to love in this alternate history adventure. Ages 13–up. (Feb.)