Awhile back, I read a book called Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel. It felt like I was watching one of my historical Asian dramas, and I was happy to discover that the story was based off of a real historical figure. Not only is it based off of a historical figure, the main character was the first female Empress of China! I really enjoyed the first novel so I knew I had to read the sequel and find out what happened to her.
When the Emperor passes away, Mei’s lover, Pheasant is crowned as the the new Emperor. But a power struggle begins between Pheasant and his uncle, who insists on becoming Regent. Mei also suffers from this backlash, as Pheasant’s wife, Empress Wang, goes to extreme lengths to destroy Mei’s life. As the political game becomes more dangerous, Mei realizes that she must defeat the bloodthirsty Empress and the sly Regent to save herself and also to protect her country.
I’m going to begin my review by saying that this is not a book you can read as a standalone; you absolutely have to read The Moon in the Palace before reading this one or you won’t understand what is going on. Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I really liked this book. Just like its predecessor, the novel reads like an asian drama, full of intrigue and political mind games. The author really made history come alive through this story! I really enjoy reading about constant manipulation and power struggles, which is why this book was so wonderful for me but if you don’t like either one of those things, then this novel probably isn’t for you. While this story may not be 100% historically accurate, the author really gave some depth to Mei’s character and made her actions believable and understandable. Overall, a really interesting novel on a prominent historical figure in China!
Happy reading ~