In 1999 I visited Palmyra in Syria. It is an oasis town in the middle of a huge desert. Fabulous ruins were everywhere. A huge castle overlooking the town. The temple of Baal (remember from the Bible) still standing. What I noticed were the very friendly people living there. Many surprisingly redhaired with blue eyes. I was told that after the Romans conquered the town it was left empty till the ancestors of the people living there in 1999 came to the town as Russian refugees in the 19th century .

Fast forward: Newspapers full of horror stories of IS in Palmyra. The curator of the museum hanged, the temple and monuments destroyed, people killed. My heart bled. All of a sudden people from that country walked all the way to mine.

Around that time I was given this book to review. It took me a bit before I opened it.

It is written by a Syrian-Polish doctor now living in the United States. The book was listed on NetGalley as a children's book but I would suggest to list it as "young adults - teenagers". It is perfect material to use in class during a history project or for Latin classes. However also for adults interested in Palmyra it is a nice read.

It’s the year 272 A.D. In the book we follow three different girls: one the daughter of the queen, one a dancer who is in love with the boy king the brother of the other girl and a servant girl working in the palace.

Palmyra is at it's power zenith. Zenobia rules from Egypt to Armenia and is at first seen as a Roman alley but then tensions grow between Rome and Palmyra.

In the end the Romans conquer the town. The three girls see their lives completely turned upside down and have to take matters in their own hands.

They grow into strong women.

The book is quite short and for adult readers it might be a bit shallow in the emotions department. I however think that might reflect the ages of the main characters. A young person probably will just go with the flow and not worry if they will love someone still when he is not a king anymore.

I thought that this book would instantly capture my interest, sadly enough, it didn't. It was a dense book, the illustrations were okay and so was the storyline. A disappointing read.

The Pride of Zenobia: Queen of Palmyra
by Danuta Deeb
The book is disjointed in the text, from overlapping characters, the pictures are beautiful mosaics but only illustrate small parts of the text. It tells the power struggle of Rome and its consultant empire in Palmyra.

The Pride of Zenobia: Queen of Palmyra is an interesting read for those who would like an idea of historical intrigue and romance. There is adventure and a changing of course for many of the characters--as, I believe, would be in the real life story of this portion of history. We are written into the stories of a few lay and key persons during this story and their lives intermingle wonderfully.

The book is illustrated beautifully--the images are a cartoon mosaics. They are not on every page (this is not a children's book) but placed throughout in a way that allows the readers aid to their imaginations.

What an interesting story for the ages! It delves into history brilliantly, adding personal depth to complex characters. This provides an opportunity to learn about civilisations before this time.