Harem by Colin Falconer

Harem by Colin Falconer(Cover picture courtesy of History and Women.)

He had everything a man might dream of; wealth, power and the choice of hundreds of the most beautiful women in his Empire.

Why then did the King of Kings, Possessor of Mens Necks, forsake his harem for the love of just one woman, and marry her in defiance of the centuries-old code of the Osmanlis?

This is the astonishing story of Suleiman, the one they called the Magnificent, and the woman he loved. From medieval Venice to the slave markets of Algiers, from the mountains of Persia to the forbidden seraglio of the Ottoman’s greatest sultan, this is a story of passion and intrigue in a world where nothing is really as it seems.

This is more the tale of three very different women than the tale of Suleiman, but the thought is definitely there.  We hear not only from him, but from the three women the story focuses on: Hürrem, Gülbehar and Julia.

First off we get the story of Hürrem’s rise to power within the harem.  Since Suleiman truly loved Gülbehar, she used every trick in the book to steal him away from his favourite.  Like so many stories that take place in the harem, the ladies in here are not necessarily sympathetic, but they are interesting.  No one can deny Hürrem is a forceful person that will do anything, including kill, to gain power.  Most of the book is from her perspective, although we do see things from Gülbehar’s perspective as she watches as she’s displaced as Suleiman’s favourite, knowing she can do nothing about it.

While Hürrem’s story was the main focus and it was fascinating, the story of Julia, the Italian who is captured and taken to the harem as a concubine is my favourite.  We don’t see her until the last part of the story, but she is my absolute favourite character and couldn’t be a more stark contrast to the scheming, sometimes sadistic Hürrem.  Her story and that of poor, poor Abbas are inexplicably entwined and how their story is resolved is both heartbreaking and happy.

I can’t and certainly won’t comment on the historical accuracy of Harem.  In his author’s note, Colin Falconer admits that the three main women in the novel and their actions are pretty much pure speculation but that Suleiman was of course a very real person.  Seeing as I know essentially nothing about Suleiman’s empire, I also won’t comment on the day-to-day minor historical details either.  I will note that I don’t think Colin Falconer’s main objective with this novel was to be as historically accurate as possible, meaning he likely gave himself a little wiggle room when it came to details.

My only real complaint about the novel is that for such a good book, the proofreading was not so great.  There were your vs. you’re mistakes sometimes and simple proofreading errors that looked like typos (lanbguage instead of language).  There weren’t so many that it detracted from the story, but just keep in mind that they are there.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey(Cover picture courtesy of LOVEandLIVEtoREAD.)

Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d’Ange’s greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in beauty, art, and desire.

After a year abroad to study at university, Imriel returns from his adventures a little older and somewhat wiser. But perhaps not wise enough. What was once a mere spark of interest between himself and his cousin Sidonie now ignites into a white-hot blaze. But from commoner to peer, the whole realm would recoil from any alliance between Sidonie, heir to the throne, and Imriel, who bears the stigma of his mother’s of his mother’s misdeeds and betrayals. Praying that their passion will peak and fade, Imriel and Sidonie embark on an intense, secret affair.

Blessed Elua founded Terre d’Ange and bestowed one simple precept to guide his people: Love as thou wilt. When duty calls, Imriel honors his role as a member of the royal family by leaving to marry a lovely, if merely sweet, Alban princess. By choosing duty over love, Imriel and Sidonie may have unwittingly trespassed against Elua’s law. But when dark powers in Alba, who fear an invasion by Terre d’Ange, seek to use the lovers’ passion to bind Imriel, the gods themselves take notice.

Before the end, Kushiel’s justice will be felt in heaven and on earth.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised at Kushiel’s Justice.  Not only did we get to see more of the politics in the countries around Terre d’Ange, but Imriel really grew as a character.  He’s so much more mature by the end of the book than he was at the beginning, let alone the beginning of his trilogy.

Poor Imriel!  Contrary to the precepts of Elua, Ysandre sends Imriel off to marry an Alban princess named Dorelei in a political match.  This is especially heartbreaking as Imriel and Sidonie finally realize just how much they really do love each other.  What surprised me most about Imriel is his maturity about the whole arranged marriage, especially by the end of the book.  Although he loved Sidonie he put duty first and I don’t want to give too much away, but you just know that it will end badly for Imriel and Dorelei.  And although Imriel is heartbroken at having to part Sidonie, he still sucks it up and eventually learns to treat Dorelei as she deserves and learns to love her in his own way.

The plot is not what I’d call fast-paced, but that’s really not the point of the book.  The point is Imriel’s amazing adventure across Jacqueline Carey’s vivid fantasy world as well as his own inner journey.  Jacqueline Carey is hardly easy on poor Imriel, which makes him a better character for it.  Background characters like Sidonie and Dorelei are three dimensional as well and although we only see them through Imriel’s eyes, you get the feeling there’s far more to them than just being love interests/plot devices.

If you loved Kushiel’s Scion, you’ll enjoy Kushiel’s Justice even more.  Imriel grows as a character and does learn to overcome some of his demons from the past and confronts every challenge he faces.  He’s a loyal, determined and caring person who makes for a great narrator that you can’t help but fall in love with.  That doesn’t mean he does have flaws—he certainly does—but that he learns to overcome some of those flaws and is a better person for it.  His unexpected action at the end of the book just reveals how much he has changed.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Opera A to Z: A Beginner’s Guide to Opera by Liddy Lindsay

Opera A to Z; A Beginner's Guide to Opera by Liddy Lindsay(Cover picture courtesy of NetGalley.)

Look no further than this book for a succinct yet thorough primer on the world’s most famous operas! From Aida to Zauberflöte, this ABC of operas will inform music lovers of the storylines and characters in these beloved masterpieces. A book intended for young readers (ages 8-12), but sure to delight music lovers of all ages.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ARC ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

As someone who loves opera and who grew up in a household where opera was treasured, I never really had the disadvantage of having to learn about it later in life.  If I had, I’m know Opera A to Z would have been the perfect place to start.  My earliest memories of the holiday season in December are of listening to Christmas with Pavarotti as well as Handel’s Messiah, so as an opera lover for years I do feel qualified to comment on how Liddy Lindsay represents opera.  (Even if I sort of ignored opera throughout my tween years and fell in love with it again at the age of 14.)

So how does she represent opera?  Quite well, actually.  She explains the basics, from the fact that it’s an art form that has developed over four distinct periods, what an opera entails and some of the technical terms like libretto, overture, aria, etc.  These are all explained thoroughly in the introduction but Liddy Lindsay actually had faith in her tween audience and decided not to overdo the explanation part.  Her writing style is simple but easy to read, so I doubt there’s much danger of misunderstanding in the beginning.

When she launches into her list of operas from A to Z, she really shows her knowledge of opera in an easy to read and understand way.  For each opera, she gives a brief summary of the plot and explains certain famous elements (i.e. the habanera from Carmen).  And for beginners, that’s really all you need.  The illustrations she provides are awesome even on my Kindle, but I still highly recommend picking up the print copy to fully appreciate them.  My only real criticism of the book besides from the occasionally slipshod proofreading is that in her plot summaries, Lindsay greatly oversimplifies things.  She tells them in a simpler manner than they are told in the actual opera, which I can see why she did but I still didn’t like.  It sort of misrepresents the opera, or its plot to be more accurate.

I could dispute some of her choices for letters, but I won’t as they’re a matter of personal preference more than anything.  Overall, I was actually quite pleased at the selection of time periods and composers that Liddy Lindsay chose to include.  She includes every opera from Aida to Vanessa and every composer from Verdi to Francesco Cavalli.  It’s quite an impressive selection and even I learned some new things.

If you’re looking to get into opera or just want to know what the heck all the fuss is about, this is the book for you.  And maybe, just maybe, you’ll give opera a chance and have that magical moment where you inexplicably fall in love with it in the midst of watching one.  I know I did.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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The Best and Worst of June 2013

Yes, my post is late today!  Well, that’s because it’s Canada Day and I’m sick (again) with a sore throat and runny nose.  Nothing unusual there so don’t panic; I’m just feeling miserable and am a little crankier than usual.

If you look at the stats for this time last year, they went down as well as most of my traffic seems to come from students looking for help on school assignments.  That’s why in June I only received 3,803 views and 2, 014 unique visitors.  Still respectable, but nothing really to brag about.

So on that note, let’s look at what my top posts in June 2013 were:

1.  The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome

2.  Why no Writer Wants to Tackle Chronic Pain

3.  Things I Want to See in YA

4.  End of Days by Eric Walters

5.  An Apology to Self-Published Writers

None of these is really that surprising.  The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome has made this list every month since May 2012 and the rest are either novel study books or are particularly clicky articles that people read, shared and commented on.  Obviously that drove the views through the roof for these particular articles.

So then what were the worst articles/book reviews in June?

1.  The Show by John Heldt

2.  Skinned by Robin Wasserman

3.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4.  The 3 Best Books to Read in the Bathroom

5.  Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry

None of these is all that surprising seeing as some are not particularly popular self-published books or books from older series that have already been finished.  The only real puzzler here is Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry because while it’s not the most popular book ever written, it does have a decent fan base.  Oh well; that’s just how it goes sometimes.

Short Story: Boxed in a Curse by Luciana Cavallaro

Short Story: Boxed in a Curse by Luciana Cavallaro(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

She was created by the gods as a gift to humanity. Then there was the urn.

Pandora, the first woman on Earth, was endowed with many gifts: beauty, intelligence, domesticity, and curiosity. She was at once lover, sympathiser and nurturer. Zeus presented an urn as her wedding dowry. Neither she nor her husband, Epimethos knew what it contained inside, and Hermes, the Messenger, warned them never to open it.

So the story goes… according to Grandpa.

Two precocious children visit their grandfather and beg him to tell a story. It wasn’t ‘on a dark and stormy night’ or ‘once upon a time’ type of story either.

[Full disclosure: Luciana Cavallaro sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]

Unlike the other two stories about famous Greek women that I’ve read by Luciana Cavallaro, we don’t get to hear Pandora’s story from her own lips.  That’s why I was initially a little apprehensive about reading her newest short story, but I was worried over absolutely nothing.  Despite hearing a second hand account of her life, Pandora came across as yet another strong woman who was given the short end of the stick in later stories.

Although I’m an avid fan of Greek mythology and have been for many years, I actually learned a lot from Boxed in a Curse.  The Pandora myth was never very detailed and I love how Luciana Cavallaro researched for more details as well as added in her own believable ones.  Instead of accepting the ‘she was just really curious’ version of events, she delved deeper into the myth and peeled away the theme of ‘women are evil’ that’s found quite a bit in Greek myths.  No, Pandora is not evil or just curious.  She was a complex woman who really didn’t know how to act in a world full of men but was still intelligent and strong.

Told through the eyes of a grandfather telling his grandchildren the story, we’re really transported back to that ancient time when humanity was new.  It doesn’t really feel like we’re being told what’s happening, but rather it’s described very well and the narrator allows us to draw our own conclusions about the ‘moral’ of the story and about Pandora’s character.  Does all of the blame for humanity’s ills lie squarely at her feet?  Of course not!  I don’t want to give too much away, but after reading Boxed in a Curse you’ll definitely have more sympathy for the first woman.

I give this short story 5/5 stars.

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