Roxana's Persian homeland is conquered by the Greeks, led by Alexander (the Great). He becomes so mesmerized by Roxana that he asks for her hand in marriage. Everyone is stunned that Alexander would choose a Persian for a wife, and Roxana has a hard time because of the prejudice against her people. But Alexander drags her along as he conquers more and more territory, and as time passes they grow to truly love each other.
There are a lot of characters, but the main characters all shine through. Roxana can never trust anyone because betrayals are always being attempted. And when Alexander dies, leaving Roxana with a baby son, she knows that their lives will forever be in danger from those wanting to steal the throne for themselves.
Poor woman. I can't imagine leading the life she did. Yes, she was rich and had material things, but really she was never able to be comfortable with her position as an outsider married to a king. It is a good thing that Alexander was such a strong leader (he really was "Great!")
Realm has some slow parts. It really drags during the war years before Alexander dies. It is less than 400 pages, but it seemed longer to me. That is really my only complaint. I loved the story and learning about the mostly nomadic lifestyle of the conquering Greeks. They really believed it was the Gods' wishes that they constantly be expanding their empire. All the death and destruction was just something to be expected.
I knew the ending that was in store for Roxana (from Wikipedia), so be prepared. Or not...
I rarely comment on book covers, but I have to mention this one. Or...the boobs on this one. I know she was a beautiful woman, but that is a bit much for me.
I would have a hard time recommending this widely to teens. Yes, there is a romance, but it does read a bit slow and detailed. Those interested in the time period should certainly be pointed to Realm.
Published by Vesuvian, May 14, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
383 pages
Rating: 4/5
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe boobs are so distracting! I had to click on it to see it better because I thought she had her shirt pulled up and the boobs were naked! Seems like a really bad cover choice for a book that could be really interesting.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that cover is a bit much. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you talked about the cover. It's awful. I had no idea it's marketed towards teens. I thought it was other romance book.
ReplyDelete