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“So gripping, your hands are glued to the book, and so vivid it burns itself into your mind’s eye and stays with you long after you turn the final page.”—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
First-century Rome: One young woman will hold the fate of an empire in her hands.
Thea, a captive from Judaea, is a clever and determined survivor hiding behind a slave’s docile mask. Purchased as a toy for the spoiled heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea evades her mistress’s spite and hones a secret passion for music. But when Thea wins the love of Rome’s newest and most savage gladiator and dares to dream of a better life, the jealous Lepida tears the lovers apart and casts Thea out.
Rome offers many ways for the resourceful to survive, and Thea remakes herself as a singer for the Eternal ’City’s glittering aristocrats. As she struggles for success and independence, her nightingale voice attracts a dangerous new admirer: the Emperor himself. But the passions of an all-powerful man come with a heavy price, and Thea finds herself fighting for both her soul and her destiny.
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 Rome’s most powerful man lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor’s mistress.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
April 6, 2010 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781101186633
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781101186633
- File size: 2503 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 15, 2010
Quinn convincingly conjures the terrifying reign of Emperor Domitian in her solid debut that follows the travails of Thea, a slave girl and mistress to the emperor. While she is tormented by Domitian, she holds her secrets—a gladiator lover, a young son—close. When these facts are brought to Domitian's attention by Thea's jealous rival, Thea takes drastic actions to secure her family. Quinn's command of first-century Rome is matched only by her involvement with her characters; all of them, historical and invented, are compelling and realistic, and she explores their dark sides without crossing into gratuitousness. Readers will finish eager for a sequel, which is a good thing because Quinn has left the door wide open for a follow-up. This should make a splash among devotees of ancient Rome. -
March 15, 2010
Born a Jew, Thea was one of a handful of people who survived the fall of Masada to the Romans in 73 C.E. As the novel opens, she is crouched over a bowl bleeding from self-inflicted cuts, penance for having escaped death as a child and for her continuing existence as a slave of Rome. It isn't until her spiteful mistress, Lepida, sends her to Rome's most popular gladiator with letters begging for his attention that Thea's life changes. Furious that Arius the Barbarian loves Thea rather than herself, Lepida sells the girl, thus beginning a chain of events that leads Thea from a life of misery to the attention of the Emperor Domitian, who takes her as his mistress. VERDICT Quinn borrows freely, though admittedly not always accurately, from first-century Roman history. Historical fiction fans looking for a more factual account of ancient Rome may wish to pick up the novels of Colleen McCullough or Robert Harris, but for sheer entertainment, drama, and page-turning storytelling, this tumultuous debut novel is well worth reading.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AKCopyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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