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The Moon in the Palace The Empress of Bright Moon Duology Weina Dai Randel Books

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The Moon in the Palace The Empress of Bright Moon Duology Weina Dai Randel Books

This book was on my Intriguing Debuts list this year. In fact, it’s the only one I’ve read so far from the list. Oops. I’m so glad I read this one. I haven’t read many historical fiction novels, and certainly not many set in China. So that was already exciting to me. This novel managed to captivate me, educate me on a part of Chinese history and the customs, and get me attached to all the characters.

SETTING

As I mentioned earlier, this book is set in China. This is the story of Mei, who will later be known as Empress Wu. I don’t see that as a spoiler, considering it’s both history, and mentioned on the cover of the book. It chronicles her life, which according to Wikipedia was February 17, 624 – December 16, 705. Yes, I used Wikipedia. I’m sorry, okay, I’m just really uneducated on Chinese history!

This book is the first in the duology (can I just say how underappreciated duologies are?). As this is the first, it follows Mei from the time she is a little girl to her time at the palace as a concubine for Emperor Taizong. Mei wants to help her family by becoming the Emperor’s Most Adored -which is of course the concubine he likes best. To get there though, Mei must go through schemes, plots and other concubines who want nothing more than be Most Adored.

I honestly learned so much about 7th century China while reading this book, yet it never felt like an information dump. As Mei lives at the palace, you learn a lot about the Emperor and the customs in the palace. For example, I never knew the concubine/consort system existed. There are 8 ranks of consorts, each with their duties and perks. Then there is the Empress and the Most Adored -who are not the same woman. There’s also a bedding rotation among the ranks.

I thought the setting of this book was really rich. I could imagine the palace, the world Mei lived in, the other women set on making her fail. I’m honestly so impressed with the setting of this book.

Like I said, I don’t know much about Chinese history. As it’s historical fiction, I’m assuming there are some fiction/inaccurate aspects present, but I wouldn’t know. If you are well aware of Chinese culture/history and have read this, feel free to educate me.:)

PLOT

This book is definitely a character-driven book instead of a plot-driven one. It is after all, a chronicle of Mei’s life. I’ve always loved character-driven books because my attachment or interest in the characters usually defines how much I like the book. However, this does mean that you shouldn’t expect a fast-paced book. This definitely isn’t. While it isn’t fast-paced, I never felt bored or like I wasn’t making any progress in the book or story. Instead, I found myself reading huge chunks at a time, and thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.

I really loved following Mei on her journey. I was often surprised by her actions -or those of other characters– and even though I know how she will end up (seeing as she’s known as Empress Wu) I’m so intrigued to see how she’ll get there.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might know that I love stories with political intrigue, scheming and backstabbing. I always love trying to figure out who is on the “good” side. The fact that this is basically a contest of concubines to win the favor of a man who is revered, means that this novel has plenty of it.

CHARACTERS

Obviously, I need to talk about Mei. If there is one aspect of her person that stood out to me the most, it’s that she perseveres. She does not give up, no matter how bad her situation may suddenly have gotten. I love that she is such a smart woman, yet at times is still ruled by her heart and makes some less than perfect decisions. It makes her feel much more realistic to me. I truly admire her, as I think she is both brave and smart -a combination many people really need. Being brave without being smart will get you killed.

There were many other characters I loved. Like Pheasant -I think he’s my favorite. And the Noble Lady. And there are many characters I hate, like the Pure Lady and Rain. And then there are many characters I feel are really grey-area. I like them, yet I don’t? For example, Jewel. And Mei’s mother. I feel like it’s a strong aspect of this novel, that it has created characters I love, hate, pity, and so on. There are so many characters who induced emotions in me while reading, not just Mei.

I would highly recommend this book. It’s a great historical fiction novel. It’s set in China. It’s character-driven, and I care for both Mei and many side characters. And lastly, it’s part of a duology, and the second book has been released as well, which means that you won’t have to read a 6-book series OR wait for the next one!


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The Moon in the Palace The Empress of Bright Moon Duology Weina Dai Randel Books Reviews

If you enjoy good, solid historical fiction based on facts, then this book is for you! It's full of interesting details about 7th century Chinese court life, dress, food, customs and political intrigue as depicted by this talented author. I do agree with another reviewer that the cover is disappointing and gives the impression of a light and frivolous historical romance, which this book is not. It kept me turning the pages and looking forward to the second book in this two-volume set. It's a great trip back in time to visit and appreciate a very different culture.
I adored this novel of ancient China in the same way I loved Anita Diamond's The Red Tent, both for the evocative language and the story of a time when lovers and wives were sisters, and jealousies and scheming were rampant. Even when women had few rights—I would not want to be one of them!—this story shows its female characters were not powerless, and somehow found the inner strength to improve their lot in life. The book has left me thinking about marrying for love vs marrying for influence, and how each affects our lives. The Chinese folk wisdom, superstitions, and quotes from The Art of War scattered throughout enriched the story. I'm eager to read the second book, taking a break only because I don't want it to be over! Highly recommend.
This book was absolutely magnificent. The research on the historical side was evident as I read, as was the emotion in the characters on the fictional side. I was rooting for Mei from the very beginning, and so very much wanted to see her romance with Pheasant succeed in spite of the enormous obstacles between them. The descriptive details made this book--everything from silk worms to polo to deadly attacks came to life. Looking forward to book two!
Wow!!! Since buying my kindle, (and feeling like I am cheating on my huge library of books)...I have only purchased a couple...and this was the biggest purchase. I was unsure, since though I love reading about ancient history, its usually revolving around my own ancestory; the Welsh, Irish & Scots. This was a completely different world..plus, not an inexpensive book..I would usually have just made the purchase as a hold in your hand, add to the book collection book, but ended up in the hospital and welp; I decided I was worth the price..even seeing there's a second book to this story and realizing fairly swiftly I'd want it. Now I KNOW I have to buy it, and dont want to wait for it to come in the mail. I wish I had just purchased this to add to my collection!! This is a fast moving, thoughtful, draw you right into the story excellent read. I read this book in four days..and yes, I am a fast reader but I have to place the blame on the author; she did an outstanding job on this and showed me a whole different unknown world; ancient China!!!
I loved this book. I have been loving a few books lately but this one is epic. I first became interested in Empress Wu when I saw a poster for The Empress of China series starring Fan Bingbing. I began to love all things Tang through the works of Jeannie Lin. When I watched the series with subtitles I became completely enamored with Wu Zeitian. When I found out there was a book coming out about her I dropped everything to get my hands on it.

This book was everything I expected. It lyrically portrays all of the violence and beauty of one of China's most cosmopolitan eras. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the cut throat harem politics and plots. While this is a fictional account, I am sure many similar events did happen. Overall I can't say enough good things about this book. I can't wait until the sequel appears on my doorstep in the next couple of weeks. I truly savored every inch of this book and can't wait to savor more!
This book was on my Intriguing Debuts list this year. In fact, it’s the only one I’ve read so far from the list. Oops. I’m so glad I read this one. I haven’t read many historical fiction novels, and certainly not many set in China. So that was already exciting to me. This novel managed to captivate me, educate me on a part of Chinese history and the customs, and get me attached to all the characters.

SETTING

As I mentioned earlier, this book is set in China. This is the story of Mei, who will later be known as Empress Wu. I don’t see that as a spoiler, considering it’s both history, and mentioned on the cover of the book. It chronicles her life, which according to Wikipedia was February 17, 624 – December 16, 705. Yes, I used Wikipedia. I’m sorry, okay, I’m just really uneducated on Chinese history!

This book is the first in the duology (can I just say how underappreciated duologies are?). As this is the first, it follows Mei from the time she is a little girl to her time at the palace as a concubine for Emperor Taizong. Mei wants to help her family by becoming the Emperor’s Most Adored -which is of course the concubine he likes best. To get there though, Mei must go through schemes, plots and other concubines who want nothing more than be Most Adored.

I honestly learned so much about 7th century China while reading this book, yet it never felt like an information dump. As Mei lives at the palace, you learn a lot about the Emperor and the customs in the palace. For example, I never knew the concubine/consort system existed. There are 8 ranks of consorts, each with their duties and perks. Then there is the Empress and the Most Adored -who are not the same woman. There’s also a bedding rotation among the ranks.

I thought the setting of this book was really rich. I could imagine the palace, the world Mei lived in, the other women set on making her fail. I’m honestly so impressed with the setting of this book.

Like I said, I don’t know much about Chinese history. As it’s historical fiction, I’m assuming there are some fiction/inaccurate aspects present, but I wouldn’t know. If you are well aware of Chinese culture/history and have read this, feel free to educate me.)

PLOT

This book is definitely a character-driven book instead of a plot-driven one. It is after all, a chronicle of Mei’s life. I’ve always loved character-driven books because my attachment or interest in the characters usually defines how much I like the book. However, this does mean that you shouldn’t expect a fast-paced book. This definitely isn’t. While it isn’t fast-paced, I never felt bored or like I wasn’t making any progress in the book or story. Instead, I found myself reading huge chunks at a time, and thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.

I really loved following Mei on her journey. I was often surprised by her actions -or those of other characters– and even though I know how she will end up (seeing as she’s known as Empress Wu) I’m so intrigued to see how she’ll get there.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might know that I love stories with political intrigue, scheming and backstabbing. I always love trying to figure out who is on the “good” side. The fact that this is basically a contest of concubines to win the favor of a man who is revered, means that this novel has plenty of it.

CHARACTERS

Obviously, I need to talk about Mei. If there is one aspect of her person that stood out to me the most, it’s that she perseveres. She does not give up, no matter how bad her situation may suddenly have gotten. I love that she is such a smart woman, yet at times is still ruled by her heart and makes some less than perfect decisions. It makes her feel much more realistic to me. I truly admire her, as I think she is both brave and smart -a combination many people really need. Being brave without being smart will get you killed.

There were many other characters I loved. Like Pheasant -I think he’s my favorite. And the Noble Lady. And there are many characters I hate, like the Pure Lady and Rain. And then there are many characters I feel are really grey-area. I like them, yet I don’t? For example, Jewel. And Mei’s mother. I feel like it’s a strong aspect of this novel, that it has created characters I love, hate, pity, and so on. There are so many characters who induced emotions in me while reading, not just Mei.

I would highly recommend this book. It’s a great historical fiction novel. It’s set in China. It’s character-driven, and I care for both Mei and many side characters. And lastly, it’s part of a duology, and the second book has been released as well, which means that you won’t have to read a 6-book series OR wait for the next one!