Tagged: stephanie thornton
The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Where Theodora went, trouble followed…
In sixth century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds, and rose from being a common theater tart to become empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. But the woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was, in fact, a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told…
When her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can—first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage of the city’s infamous amphitheater in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a back-door entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector—only to face heartbreak and betrayal.
Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the Emperor’s nephew. She will thrive as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day, this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder—is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?
Having read The Tiger Queens and Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton, I was so excited when I finally got my hands on her first book, The Secret History. I know pretty much nothing about the Byzantine empire (my specialty being ancient Rome, its precursor) so I was very eager to start on the book. Whatever I expected going into the book, I sure was surprised at the actual story.
Theodora’s rise from the slums to the theaters of Constantinople all the way to the side of the Emperor is not glorious. She spends a lot of time in the slums and the lowly theater servicing men of every kind for money just to make ends meet. Not only that, she’s not deemed pretty enough for the main parts on the stage like her sister so even her acting career is going nowhere. But Theodora is one of these characters that will just not give up. She finagles her way into giving a very risqué performance at the theater and thus catapults herself into the upper echelons of power as a courtesan. When she thinks she finally finds a wealthy protector, one that she might actually like, everything turns out terribly. Yet Theodora goes on, powered by a driving love for her children and her life. She has so many setbacks and tragedies in her life until finally, she meets Justin, the Emperor’s nephew. Justin was really quite a surprising figure because I knew a little about him but his relationship with Theodora was just as fascinating as his politics.
Stephanie Thornton in her debut novel (as with all of her later novels) brings the ancient world to life. The Byzantine empire comes to life in all of its glamorous and conversely gritty, horrific splendor. There’s a very sharp contrast from the streets of the slums where Theodora lives as a teenager to the opulence of the imperial palace. The world of the poor is far from glorious, that’s for sure, and again Thornton brings to life the hardships these people faced every single day without beating you over the head with the obvious stick. As for historical accuracy, as with all of her novels Thornton does really well with the details while filling in some of the blank spots in the historical record with fairly plausible events. It doesn’t help that our main source for the time, the one who wrote the original Secret History, hated Theodora with a passion. I guess that just further demonstrates the ancient attitudes toward women as well as the attitudes of the rich toward the poor.
The plot is not fast-paced by any means, but it doesn’t exactly drag on and on like some novels. We get enough of Theodora to enjoy the novel and enough background information to understand the times she lived in and appreciate just how incredible a woman she was to become Empress. She isn’t perfect and sometimes makes some bad decisions in regards to her family and her relationships, but I honestly can’t fault her for that. We all screw up sometimes and do things we regret. Through it all—the intrigue, the family strife, the political and social upheavals—Theodora shines through as a woman utterly devoted to those she loves, even if she doesn’t always do the seemingly ‘right’ thing. You can’t help but love a character like that.
Basically, I am so glad that I finally got my hands on a copy of The Secret History. Theodora is one of my new favourite characters and I learned so much about the Byzantine Empire. What more can you ask for in historical fiction?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In the late twelfth century, across the sweeping Mongolian grasslands, brilliant, charismatic Temujin ascends to power, declaring himself the Great, or Genghis, Khan. But it is the women who stand beside him who ensure his triumph….
After her mother foretells an ominous future for her, gifted Borte becomes an outsider within her clan. When she seeks comfort in the arms of aristocratic traveler Jamuka, she discovers he is the blood brother of Temujin, the man who agreed to marry her and then abandoned her long before they could wed.
Temujin will return and make Borte his queen, yet it will take many women to safeguard his fragile new kingdom. Their daughter, the fierce Alaqai, will ride and shoot an arrow as well as any man. Fatima, an elegant Persian captive, will transform her desire for revenge into an unbreakable loyalty. And Sorkhokhtani, a demure widow, will position her sons to inherit the empire when it begins to fracture from within.
In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, the tiger queens of Genghis Khan come to depend on one another as they fight and love, scheme and sacrifice, all for the good of their family…and the greatness of the People of the Felt Walls.
[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Ever since I read Daughter of the Gods, Stephanie Thornton’s take on Hatshepsut, I have become a serious fan of her work. So when the opportunity to read her take on the women of Genghis Khan arose, I couldn’t resist. And now that I’ve finished the book, I’m glad I couldn’t.
Stephanie Thornton’s main strength is her characters and that really shines through in this multi-character epic. Each one is so distinctly different and yet they’re strong in different ways: Borte, the wife of the great Khan; Alaqai, his fierce daughter; Fatima, a woman who hates the Mongols but grows to love them; Sorkhokhtani, the unlikely force behind her sons who would someday be Khan. My personal favourite is Borte because I’ve admired her since I read Conn Iggulden’s take on Genghis Khan, but all of them were wonderful. They all get different sections of the book and each one is very, very distinct. Every woman gets their own character arc and we get to experience all of their triumphs and failures first-hand. I could connect to all of the characters in this novel, something that’s not very common with multiple main characters.
Even though this book is nearly 500 pages long, the pacing is actually very good. I didn’t really feel bored at any point in the novel because while each character fulfills their own little subplots the greater plot (the path the empire takes) is also marching forward. Although I know a bit more than the average person on the street, I can hardly be considered an authority on the Mongol Empire so seeing the progression of it in this way, through the generations, was a real treat. It’s very hard to keep historical fiction fast-paced, but Stephanie Thornton does it very, very well.
Stephanie Thornton is a good historical fiction writer in that she can balance accuracy and a good story. There are very few sources from the time and while she does try to be as accurate she can with the wider events, I like how she admits that she does take a few liberties with events in her Author’s Note. However, she still maintains historical accuracy on the smaller details like Mongol customs, how they lived their daily lives, etc. It took a lot of research and hard work, but the result is a fairly historically accurate work that also happens to be a very, very good novel.
What more can I say? I could gush for days on the different characters and their hardships and successes, but it’s just best for you to go out and buy the book. Then you can experience for yourself the wonderful writing style of Stephanie Thornton, her amazingly fleshed-out characters and her painstaking attention to historical details. You can’t ask for a better take on some of history’s most powerful, but oddly forgotten, women. I can’t recommend this book enough.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton
(Cover picture courtesy of Stephanie Thornton’s website.)
Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt…and sets her on a profoundly changed course.
Hatshepsut enters a loveless marriage with her half brother, Thut, to secure his claim to the Horus Throne and produce a male heir. But it is another of Thut’s wives, the commoner Aset, who bears him a son, while Hatshepsut develops a searing attraction for his brilliant adviser Senenmut. And when Thut suddenly dies, Hatshepsut becomes de facto ruler, as regent to her two-year-old nephew.
Once, Hatshepsut anticipated being free to live and love as she chose. Now she must put Egypt first. Ever daring, she will lead a vast army and build great temples, but always she will be torn between the demands of leadership and the desires of her heart. And even as she makes her boldest move of all, her enemies will plot her downfall….
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley for the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
There are very few books that literally take my breath away when I finish reading them but Daughter of the Gods is one of them.
One of the things that struck me most about this book was Stephanie Thornton’s amazing writing style. She can do the big dramatic scenes without making them seem forced. She can also slow down and describe things so the reader truly feels like they’re transported back in time. And most importantly of all, she can actually hold the reader’s attention for nearly 500 pages because she slowly builds up tension throughout the novel. It’s not the fastest-paced novel ever but her writing is so compelling that you won’t want to put it down.
Stephanie Thornton’s portrayal of Hatshepsut is pretty much how I imagined the real person. She’s strong and willful but fiercely devoted to her people and preserving the welfare of Egypt even at a cost to herself. Her love for Senenmut develops slowly but once she realizes she loves him she does so with all of her heart. Senenmut himself is also an interesting character, but Hatshepsut tends to steal the scene for most of the novel. Of course she can be stubborn on occasion and her stubbornness costs her dearly sometimes, but that flaw only makes her more human. Hatshepsut is a character even modern readers can relate with despite the huge cultural differences like the fact she marries her half-brother and worships many different gods and goddesses.
We don’t know much about Hatshepsut’s reign because her monuments and writings were destroyed in a systematic campaign to squash the idea that a woman could ever be Pharaoh. But where the facts are known, Stephanie Thornton generally sticks to them and fills in the gaps in our knowledge of her reign with believable events. Even when she does deviate from the historical record (which was rare) she is able to justify it within the context of the story as well as in her historical note. The changes she made were to improve the story and that’s why Daughter of the Gods is now one of my favourite historical fiction novels.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of ancient Egypt, I can’t recommend Daughter of the Gods enough. Stephanie Thornton is able to bring ancient Egypt to life for novices and experts alike. You’ll fall in love with her characters and experience their triumphs and heartaches right alongside them. And you definitely won’t be able to put the book down.
Seriously, just go buy this book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.