Catherine is an interesting character, a German girl who also speaks French, taken to live in Russia with her German betrothed, where she endures incredible stress. Her mother is an abusive social climber who clashes with the Empress Elizabeth, another strong woman whose whims Catherine must endure. And while she has a decent relationship with her betrothed, they're much more like brother and sister than anything else.
Like Cleopatra and Eleanor, this diary suffers because so much of what makes these women fascinating historical figures happened when they were adults. Gregory really phoned this one in, too, and it's so obvious. She gave Catherine a very annoying habit of not bothering to put the date on her entries, claiming often that she didn't know what day it was. Everything could have been done more in depth than it was. The epilogue is pitifully short and tells very little. The Life in Russia section glosses over Peter's "mistress" and his assassination. And the final two pages are devoted to events that are happening elsewhere at the same time as Catherine's reign.
I'm not sure why Royal Diaries chose to go out with this offering. It's quite pitiful. The interesting moments are eclipsed by sheer frustration at other issues. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a completist.
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