A time slip/alternate history/horror/romance, told in the first person by the hemophiliac Alexei Romanov, son of Czar Nicholas. Alexei is not only caught in the ever-tightening web surrounding his parents and four sisters in the time of the Revolution, but is fiercely guarded, as any bruise or injury could be fatal. He is also under the spell and care of Father Grigory—Rasputin. Alexei is young and imperious but smart and very frightened: He believes Grigory has mystical powers, and he believes Rasputin might be his father. It’s the power of blood that leads Alexei to the year 2010 in New York City, where a distant young cousin named Varda travels back in time with him in hopes of saving his family. A cell phone magically works in 1918; Rasputin is killed and not killed; the royal family is assassinated; Varda meets a 106-year-old Russian man with Alexei’s beautiful eyes. This is not only confusing but not at all compelling. Rabin provides extensive historical notes on what is known and what isn’t, but the telling isn’t strong enough to make readers care. (notes, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 12-14)
