Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 6th 2010
Age group: Adult
Pages: 470
Author info: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life-that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.
As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.
As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.
Okay, so, I know I'm 5 years late to this one, but gosh, better late than never. Mistress of Rome was amazing - amazing. Beautifully crafted down to even the smallest sentence, the character development rich and the description visually stunning. Here's what I have to say about Mistress of Rome:
1) This novel was so full on. Though only 470 pages, it felt like it was 600. A story that takes place in the years between 81 AD and 96 AD. Over a decade, multiple characters perspectives and story lines, and yet it never looses the personal touch. I have great admiration for Kate Quinn's ability to do this, she is one talented woman.
2) I love all things historical, especially based on the ancient world, and Mistress of Rome is no exception. Ancient rome + amazing women = one very happy Eleanor. Thea, for one, is incredible. Her strength, which mostly originates from her tough backstory, sings from the story, and honestly makes the book for me. Her counterpart Lepida, is one hell of a woman. She knows how to manipulate men to get what she wants, and though not a generally nice person, she is definitely a badass, and not to be messed with. The two people who get their own first-person narratives are Thea and Lepida, so this is certainly a book about them.
3) This book is not for children - at all. The gore for one is pretty full on - but I just found that the blood and grit and death made it the more epic. This is a book about gladiators and corrupt emperors after all... The description of not only the gore, but the scenery, costumes, etc really helped me to get into the world, and was definitely a good representation of the time.
4) The relationship between Thea and Arius is definitely ship worthy. In fact, there are a few pairs in the book that will have you excited! The relationships are all well developed and not too in-your-face. There's scandal and romance and tragedy and some of it is even on the cliched side, but because of how well it's written and the fascinating storyline, I barely noticed or cared.
Kate Quinn is an amazing author, and yes, I've already ordered her other novels...
Mistress of Rome is book for any history lover, and adorer of strong women (just like me)! An emotional ride the whole way through, and fascinating for anyone wanting to learn more about Ancient Rome.
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