I'm a huge fan if historical fiction and Chinese history so was so excited to get my hands on [b:The Moon in the Palace|25577005|The Moon in the Palace (Empress of Bright Moon, #1)|Weina Dai Randel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445892524s/25577005.jpg|45378440].

I tore through the story but unfortunately the character development fell flat for me. I found myself reading as quickly as possible in the hopes that I would establish some sort of connection with Mei. Although I'm left feeling underwhelmed, I am still interested enough to seek out the the second volume of the duology!

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* ( )

In China's long history, Wu Zetian is the only female emperor and this book is about her incredible, unlikely climb to emperor.

The author, Weina, does a masterful job of transporting the reader to 7th century China. It's a world of court intrigue with lots of bloody betrayals.

This is the first of a duology and I look forward to the next book.


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It was on my phone and I had to spend a lot of time in places waiting for things to happen. That’s my excuse. I thought at least I would learn some Chinese history, but not much really. Just a series of downs, few ups and finally the protagonist becomes the Empress of China. Done. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! Following Mei from her childhood into the palace of the Emperor and watching her learn who to trust and how to rely on her wiles and her heart to move forward was fun and interesting. I also learned a lot about China’s Tang dynasty that I never knew before. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Empress of Bright Moon! ( )

This novel was captivating in its richness and writing style. The author did a fantastic job of making the story come to life. Every little detail was accounted for, from the types of food that was eaten, to the customs and intricacies of court life. It really set the stage for the events that transpired in the book. I love reading about politics and hierarchies that exist within kingdoms, and this novel definitely did not disappoint in that aspect. There was always something intriguing going on, and this book kept me on my toes; I literally could not pull my eyes away. However, this novel did have its flaws. From the description of this novel, I expected Mei to be a great deal more cunning and intelligent. However, she is portrayed as extremely trusting and her ability to move up in the ranks is mostly attributed to luck and help from others. This was a disappointment to me, as I was really looking forward to seeing a battle of wits between the different concubines. There was a romance aspect in this novel that was interesting but fell a bit flat; I couldn't really believe in the love between the two characters so I didn't really care for the romance at all. While this novel gives off the impression that this book will be about Mei and her exploits, it's really more about her observing things going on in the court and also mentioning some of the near-miss situations she is involved in. I cannot say that she ever actively did anything that made me applaud her bravery or intelligence. While I cannot speak for the historical accuracy of this novel due to my lack of knowledge, I will say that this novel was extremely interesting and had me hooked from page 1 despite the negative factors. I'm probably going to read the next book in this duology; I just hope that Mei becomes a stronger and smarter character in it!

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