The Empress of Bright Moon (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology Book 2)

Like many books before it, this book could've been great. I nearly gave up on it's prequel for the same reasons I'm struggling with the sequel. The storyline is intriguing. The characters are interesting. But there's a feeling that the author made up a lot to compensate what wasn't known about that period. What WAS known is that an emperor had more power than an empress unless she had a strong ruling family to overthrow the emperor. Throughout this book, there's a continuous feeling that the emperor is weak (he was in real life) and that the empress was all powerful (she wasn't in real life.) The biggest missing element is the concept of court protocol which would've forbade overstepping grounds on all the varying party's parts to the point where it's really just a soap opera on paper. A much better soap opera depiction and Pulitzer prize winning work is Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buch. Though I enjoyed the books by this author, I didn't recognize them as containing the authentic situations of the times in any manner

Weina Dei Randel has written another beautiful account of Chinese history. She brings an ancient world to life with enchanting descriptions of a land and time far away. Randel is descriptive without exhausting the reader. You are sucked in to the beauty and the horror and then quickly released feeling like you were there. In this the second book of the duology, we pick up where we left off with Mei in the chamber of the dying emperor. Randel does a nice job of reminding the reader of events and characters from the first book without spending too much time and diverting the attention from the story at hand. The story in this book is not as exciting and intriguing as the first. What I liked most about the first book was how the author told the story of Mei and Pheasant without being overly romantic. In the second book she is a little more sappy with the love affair. Sometimes it takes away from the other events of the story. Also, it seemed as though you had to read a long time to get past the romance and the thoughts and feelings of Mei into the intrigue and sub plots that made the first book a page turner. That made this a harder read than the first. In the last third of the book, it gets exciting, the plots thicken and you can't put the book down. We find out how Mei becomes the empress of China. The epilogue adds the history to this historical fiction novel and I definitely wanted to know more about this empress. The author's exquisite writing which transports the reader to an unfamiliar and fascinating place and the ending to the story of Mei makes it worth the read!

Weina Randel is a brilliant story teller who flawlessly evokes a plethora of emotions through her impeccable writing. Being a self proclaimed feminist and a huge fan of historical fiction, naturally I gravitated toward 'The Moon in the Palace', especially because the books are about the only female Empress China ever had! You know a book is going to be great when historical facts have been thoroughly researched and weaved into a story that brings characters so much to life that they are mortifying yet mysterious, classy and yet cringeworthy! 'The Moon in the Palace' was the best book I had read this year until I read Weina's second book, 'The Empress of Bright Moon'! Both books effortlessly tackle a large range from vile and malacious characters to the very altruistic, and generous folks'. I highly recommend both books to anybody who's a fan!

Loved this 2-book series. Beautiful Chinese dynasty history , romance, intrigue. Would love to read more from this author. Just what I was looking for in reading interest. I read alot of novel series featuring strong-willed, courageous, women similar in dynasty story-lines *(Egytian, Indian, Arab, Viking, Japanese, and Chinese). This is actually the 2nd time I purchased this set because I had given my last one away as a gift and wanted to re-read it again. You will not be disappointed at all once you dive-in to this story.

After reading book one, The Moon in the Palace, I was excited to read The Empress of Bright Moon and the continuing story of Mei Wu. This story is a masterpiece! What I like the most is how the story draws me right into the culture of court life in ancient China. There is so much to learn, to feel, and to love and even to hate and suspect in court life! And I truly grieved for the loss of beloved characters! Read Book one first then come and walk this adventure with Mei in becoming the Empress of Bright Moon!

As a fan of historical fiction, I search for books that not only tell a good story but also teach about important historical events. The Empress of Bright Moon does both. Its heroine, Mei, is based upon Empress Wu, an actual female ruler in ancient China. The author weaves a complex story about how the heroine uses courage, intelligence, and luck to survive elaborate court intrigues and deadly politics. I am awed by the author's ability to provide detailed descriptions based upon historical fact. Her research must have been extensive. Yet she moves the story along and makes the reader want to keep reading. She provides the reader with a believable and fascinating account of Mei's thoughts and motivations. This is a fascinating, complex, presentation of Mei's character and the world in which she lived.

It is a multifaceted historical account as it tells the story of a remarkable love story, the sometimes strange cultural practices and nuiances of the role of the Empress and the ladies of the court, and the complicated and unusual laws and legal practices set forth in China at that time to administer justice and provide a seemingly inadequate safety net for the poor ,unemployed, widowed and orphaned children. In summary I find it to be quite interesting while teaching Western readers much more about a giant country of which we know so little.