“Could I fight against rumor? I did not think so, for rumor had no grave and only bore seeds. It germinated in the air, thrived in the sun, and ripened in the shadows. It would not die in the rain and fly only higher in the wind.”
The Empress of Bright Moon is the sequel to The Moon in the Palace (The Review of the first book you can find here ). When Emperor Taizong dies, it seems like all will be well for a new era of the Tang dynasty. Her lover, Emperor Gaozong, is ready to be the good ruler that he has always dreamed of. However, Emperor Taizong’s brother-in-law becomes Regent, and Mei is forced to enter a Buddhist monastery. After years of loneliness and separation, she is finally reunited with Emperor Gaozong, and she becomes the second highest lady in the court. However, she finds that she has made a deadly enemy in Empress Wang, and the two of them become rivals as they fight for the title of Empress and the Emperor’s heart.
In The Moon in the Palace, we see Mei as a naive girl who is thrust into the political intrigues of the court. In this novel, Mei is mature, and she is more adept at politics. She becomes a close advisor to the Emperor. However, she finds that this court is more dangerous than during Emperor Taizong’s reign. She realizes that finding happiness is difficult, and she realizes that she has to experience the loss of her dear ones. This makes her angry, sometimes ruthless, and vengeful. However, she soon learns to gives acts of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to her enemies. To forgive her enemies is something she struggles throughout this novel, yet it also demonstrates her strength. She is also very intelligent and strategic. She is very observant of how to defeat her enemies.
Mei is a very complex character. She is very flawed, yet she is very real. I also found the villain to be very compelling. The empress was a victim of her circumstances. She too has suffered. She is evil because the court is cruel. She is the empress, and yet she is not treated as one. She is humiliated and criticized for not bearing a son. Like Mei, she, too, has to fight for the Emperor’s affections to bring duty and honor to her family. Instead, she is the laughingstock of her family and is mocked. This novel perfectly shows the dangers and cruelty of the Tang court.
The author combined her historical knowledge with her superb storytelling skills and told a gripping story of China’s first female emperor, who had to overcome many hurdles and endure many heartbreaks to rise to the top. Through vivid storytelling, the author brought many characters to life. She told the stories with such eloquence that few contemporary authors can match. Beautifully described surroundings, fashions, and everyday items add to the enchantment, bringing to vibrant life the Chinese court of the Tang Dynasty.
Overall, this novel is about loss, choices, forgiveness, and redemption. It is about a woman who is trying to cope with loss. This novel is very heart-wrenching and is an emotional, poignant, and raw read.
My Rating:
✬✬✬✬✬
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 4:03 PM
The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 4:40 AM
“I had learned a fundamental truth about killing: The victim's anguish is brief and fleeting, but the murderer's endures forever.”
History can be dry and uninspiring, but Kalogridis infuses Catherine de Medici’s life from 1527 to 1572 with the unique characteristics of a Medici and the unfolding events of history, the melding of politics and superstition. Although it is impossible to include all the nuances of these turbulent years, the author focuses on Catherine’s life from her imprisonment in Florence to her regency in France and the gruesome St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572.
The Dark Queen is all about Catherine De Medici. It begins the tale when she is just a child. Instead of seeing Catherine as an evil woman who is obsessed with witchcraft and murder, we get to know her as a young girl, then a woman with a passionate nature and a gift for a ruling. We get to follow Catherine through her childhood, her marriage, and her children. Most interesting of all is her relationship with her alchemist and their dark secrets together.
Religious wars plague France, Catholics vs. Huguenots, violence escalating throughout the country, Catherine at the center, cajoling, plotting, humiliating herself when necessary, calling upon the dark arts. The hubris of those who would war in the name of God is matched only by the misdirected hubris of a regent queen who would harness evil in the pursuit of protection of the throne. The author’s beleaguered protagonist is riddled with nightmares and false interpretations of what she has dreamed a prisoner of the terrors she seeks to avert. Facing overwhelming odds, Catherine’s dependence on the stars cannot save her from the most painful betrayal yet to be endured. The Devil’s Queen is a rich tapestry, pitting the passions of zealots against an astute regent queen beset by betrayals and disappointments, the ultimate clash in Paris and the charnel of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572.
Catherine is depicted as super intelligent, she does whatever she needs to do, but is still a likable character. Not evil at all just manipulates “destiny” and follows her purpose, to look out for her family and France, her adopted country. I was completely sucked into the events, and Catherine’s demeanor and cunning.
The Devil’s Queen is a fascinating look at a controversial figure. While some assumptions are perhaps on the exaggerated side, one cannot dismiss the fictional imagination of Jeanne Kalogridis for delivering such a vivid, encompassing tale.
My Rating
✬✬✬✬✬
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 9:37 AM
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 6:03 AM
“I am not quite sober you know. In fact, I am drunk, but I cannot help feeling this is all a trifle, shall we say, irregular?”
This is a charming and delightful tale of an adventurous young heiress and a jaded baronet. He has never been in love and never met a woman who even piqued his interest. Then he catches Penelope before she falls, while climbing out of a window, and enters into her adventure. There are several interweaving stories, plot lines and characters that result in several hilarious moments for Pen and Sir Richard as she drags him deeper down the rabbit hole and farther into the English countryside. Stolen jewels, a murder investigation, highway robbery, intrigue, a pursuing aunt, an eloping couple and Pen’s secret identity all result in more tangles and trouble for poor Sir Richard who somehow has to make it out of this with his dignity and reputation intact! It’s no wonder the poor man falls in love. Penelope is fun, vivacious and spunky while Richard is dashing, charming and mirthful.
The characters were all enjoyable, and the main romantic couple was well suited to each other. The story was hilarious with the many scrapes that the various characters got into. As is fairly typical for Heyer, the novel ended abruptly. However, it was still clear how everything would resolve itself.
I absolutely loved this fast-paced read. There was not a moment of boredom or even time to ponder on this one. Like a domino effect, the pieces of the story just tumble into place regardless of all the sidetracking events that lead to yet again sway you into an ever-developing and changing plot. Amazingly entertaining and, as usual, a tender loving story.
My Rating
✬✬✬✬✬
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 6:10 AM
February Book Wrap Up
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 4:56 AM
The Whale Road by Robert Low (✬✬✬)
This first novel in the Oathsworn series is good as with most first books there are some flaws. The major flaw I feel is the first three chapters of the book, they’re written poorly, I had to struggle just to reach chapter four. However, I’m glad I did as the story progresses far and you’re drawn into the brutal world of the Vikings, their wars and raids and their thirst for adventure. We also see a different side to the Norse men and their friendship together, their honor-bound loyalty to stick by each other no matter what.
The Bellini Card by Jason Goodwin (✬✬✬✬)
This is the third novel about the eunuch detective Yashim in 1830’s Istanbul. Formerly of the Sultan’s court, he uses his contacts to solve mysteries in the multi-cultural chaos of the Ottoman capital.
This time, though, the year is 1840, and the action moves across the Adriatic Sea to Venice. For centuries a power in the Eastern Mediterranean, after Napoleon Venice is an outpost of the Austrian empire, slowing falling into decay.
A richly woven tale involving the Venetian aristocracy, including a beautiful Contessa, and political intrigue and secrets from the past and present. I love Jason Goodwin’s Istanbul, but I must admit that I found all the different twists and turns in this book overwhelming.
Regeneration by Pat Barker (✬✬✬✬)
Regeneration has a simple construct, but a complex set of interwoven themes all centered on the treatment of patients that were affected by the war or protested its horrors, and the decision whether to return them to active duty. Themes such as mental disorder, Freudian psychology, identity, creative therapies, masculinity, sexuality, repression, and aggression are integrated into themes of trench warfare versus passive beliefs, real versus psychosomatic traumas, and war versus anti-war neuroses. I commend Ms. Barker for picking real characters and bringing them to life in a way that's very poignant 90 years after the events have taken place.
The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (✬✬✬✬)
The writing is beautiful, the subject matter, horrific. Parts of this book were so dark, so painful to read that I considered quitting, but like the doctor, I was compelled to go on. There is an authenticity about the story that made me feel the cold, the despair, the wonder of finding love in cruel circumstances. This is not an easy or entertaining read, but it is a worthwhile one.
A Rural Coincidence by Debjeet Mukherjee (✬✬✬✬)
A Rural Coincidence is a short story, even though the book is just 10 pages long it provides an excellent message and story which sometimes even a 300-page long book can’t do. The writing style is fluid and smooth handling few words the author has written this short story delightfully. I recommend it to everyone you will not regret reading it.
Overseas by Beatriz Williams (✬✬✬✬)
Overseas is an engaging and entertaining first novel. Yes, there is time travel involved, but once you suspend your disbelieve that men were mysteriously transported from the trenches of the Great War to modern-day France, it is a very enjoyable light read. There's romance, fancy clothes, a doting boyfriend, more romance, and an ever-present mysterious threat to the happy couple.
Passport to Death by Yigal Zur (✬✬✬✬)
From the frist chapter I was engaged in the main character, and in to the story, both the people and places began to develop into “real world” for me. His gradual display of background stories mixed the fiction with real-world cases had me turning each page to see what would happens next.
The writer writes delightfully and is easy for the reader to fit into an interesting story. The descriptions of Bangkok are fascinating, and I felt like I was roaming the streets of that city.
If you like mysteries, you will enjoy this one.
Æthelstan: The First King of England by Sarah Foot (✬✬✬✬✬)
This book is extremely well written and interesting to read. Ms. Foot covers all the basics of Aethelstan’s reign and goes over even unconventional sources to give us a portrait of this remarkable man and his time as the first true king of Britain. She has written a genuinely engaging and documented biography of one of the most important of Anglo-Saxon monarchs about whom all too little has previously been known by others than experts in medieval English history. King Athelstan comes alive in these pages, and all the implications of his considerable accomplishments are examined thoroughly and accurately.
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (✬✬✬✬)
Best Served Cold warrants a very solid four stars. It’s a highly entertaining adventure fantasy rife with violence, mayhem, and a generous helping of humor. It’s an awful lot of fun and, if you don’t have a weak stomach, it’s well worth your time if you. To reiterate, although Best Served Cold can standalone, readers are much better off completing Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy before tackling Best Served Cold.
I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella(✬✬)
This book was difficult for me to get through. The main character, Fixie, annoyed me so much. She’s such a pushover and just doesn’t speak her mind. Her crush, Ryan, is an ass and a user. Don’t understand how she can’t see the obvious. Her brother, Jake, is a fake and her sister, Nicole, is pretending to be an airhead. Then she meets Sebastian and they have this weird thing going on and it’s kind of cute, but also just needs to be let go. I didn’t like how she didn’t seem to be able to handle being without a guy. She’s not very strong at all. The ending felt a little forced.
Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor (✬✬✬✬)
Joseph O’Connor can write! It’s a pleasure to read such a skilled author. Don’t expect a tale of the sea that is pure excitement. Expect a well-thought-out novel that makes you feel for its characters and understand their flaws and relationships with each other. And though the book is not a history lesson, expect to learn something about the time period and the suffering of the people who experienced it, and their hope and strength during such a time.
The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark (✬✬✬✬)
The book provides a unique view of the lives of people living in India in the 1940s. As the main character finds memoirs of another era and life, she transplants it into her current situation. And yet it also enables the reader to understand how these same situations, relationships and challenges could easily be transplanted into today’s times and real life. Very strong characters that are well defined in a historical setting.
Red Country by Joe Abercrombie (✬✬✬✬)
Excellent character development, dark story, dry humor, violent and gritty. Even if you are an impatient cynic who needs constant action to stay connected, read it! Abercrombie’s work, to sound completely corny, reads like poetry. He pays attention to details throughout the book and you may marvel as he ties things together. It is a very rare trait hard to describe and awesome to experience.
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (✬✬✬✬)
Another great and entertaining book by Joe Abercrombie. Many of the characters will be familiar from his First Law series, and many other new ones that prove to be just as interesting and flawed. I like his blend of humour along with intense action and some surprising twists as the Union battles with the North. In fact, at some points I didn’t know which side to cheer on more than both viewpoints are compelling. Among my favourite chapters are those where the reader follows an action sequence shifting from one point of view to the next, so you get to see different perspectives and various characters fears and hopes. What I probably like best about this novel and Abercrombie’s First Law series is that so many, if not all, his characters are very flawed but very engaging and real.
The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham (✬✬✬✬)
I really enjoyed this book. This particular story was really fun to read. The characters were interesting and a bit quirky, which made you to keep reading to see what happens next.
