Book Review: Olga’s Egg by Sophie Law

When Fabergé specialist Assia Wynfield learns of the discovery of a long-lost Fabergé egg made for the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, daughter of the last Tsar of Russia, she appears to be the only person with misgivings.

On travelling to St. Petersburg to see the egg, Assia moves among Russia’s new rich but finds herself pulled back into a family past she would rather forget.

With news that a friend is missing, Assia starts to dig deeper. But does she really want the answers to the questions she is asking?

Set in today’s glamorous world of Russian art with glimpses into the lives of the last Romanovs as their empire crumbled in the wake of the Russian Revolution.

It’s the second stop for me on the 12 Days of Clink Street Publishing blog tour and today, I am reviewing Olga’s Egg by Sophie Law.

The story of the Romanovs has always fascinated me so I was already intrigued by this novel before I even began to read. From page one, it immediately drew me in and I very quickly got to the point where I couldn’t put it down.

I felt such an empathy for Assia. She starts as such a vulnerable and tragic character. I really wanted to reach in to the book and give her a hug and tell her that it was alright. There are many ways in which she is a relatable character.

There is a big mystery that drives this novel forward as Assia tries to figure out what has happened to a family friend. Like her, I wanted to solve this puzzle. There is certainly more going on in this book than first appears that’s for sure.

I felt that, as the reader, I was getting pulled further into the world created and the mysterious circumstances Sophie Law has created.

This book had so much that appealed to me – history, mystery and great characters. It’s also beautifully written and you get such a vivid picture of the setting and surroundings that these people inhabit that I could easily imagine being with Assia as she tries to figure out what is going on.

There is not much else I can say without giving it away. This is a book I hope you will decide to read. I found it fascinating, especially as it is told from varying points of view. It was not immediately apparent to me how it all fitted together.

Overall, it’s a wonderful novel that did not disappoint. I enjoyed every moment. I look forward to seeing what Sophie does next.

About Sophie Law…

Sophie Law was born in London in 1981 and studied at Oxford University and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

She began her career as a Russian art expert at Bonhams in 2006. After a number of years heading the Russian department and as a UK Board Director at Bonhams, she now acts as a consultant specialist.

She lives with her husband and daughter in Oxford. 

Say hello to Sophie on Twitter. 

Click to view Olga’s Egg at Amazon UK. 

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.