The Moon in the Palace

The first of a duology based on the life of China's Empress Wu (624–705). Mei is her doting father's favorite, until his sudden death forces her family out of their luxurious life to live with uncaring relatives. Summoned to serve the emperor at 13, she wants to appeal on behalf of her family but is quickly thrust into a world of palace intrigue and treachery. Despite being trained in The Art of War, Mei is unprepared to chart this complex world. Her successful navigation owes much to good mentoring and being in the right place at the right time. The mutual attraction she has for the emperor's eighth son, their clandestine relationship, and Mei's conflicting desires to follow her heart or save her family further complicate matters. Randel excels at the twists, turns, machinations, and alliances of the palace ladies and greater political forces, creating a page-turning volume as Mei learns to navigate the harshness of both worlds. A compelling look at the outside forces and inner determination that shape the protagonist to become a formidable force in her own right, painting a very different portrait of a women than we saw in Shan Sa's Empress or unflattering depictions in the histories written by her political detractors. Luckily, readers will not have to wait to see the rest of Mei's story, as The Empress of Bright Moon is already available.