Review: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

Title: Mistress of Rome
Author: Kate Quinn
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publish Date: April 6, 2010
Source: Owned

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a historical fiction fan.
• You like great characters.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life-that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress."

My Two Cents:

This sweeping historical fiction novel is the story of Thea, a slave, who lives in Rome. Rome during this time period is a place of intrigue, rumors, danger, and love. Even though she is a slave, Thea is able to carve out a really amazing life for herself. I really enjoyed reading about her adventures and the way she is able to transform herself from mere slave into something much more.

This book is definitely a treat for historical fiction lovers. There is so much good detail here. Quinn really brings you right into the world of Ancient Rome. You really can see the gladiators fighting and the palaces. This is the kind of book that you better have a lot of time on your hands when you start because once you do, you are not going to want to stop.

There are so many good things going on in this book. The setting is wonderful. The story is really fantastic. I really wanted to see what happened to Thea and was happy that I already knew that we would get a glimpse of her in Empress of the Seven Hills. If I hadn't known that, I would have been extremely sad at the end of this book merely because I really liked her as a character so much.