The Empress of Bright Moon

Don't normally read this type of book,but loved it stayed up all night reading

Thanks SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and netgalley for this ARC.

Even better than the first in series. Beautiful and emotional

I enjoyed the first book but this one was so much better. At times I was reading so fast to discover what happened next!

A solid sequel, with romance, court intrigue, tragedy, and a struggle for power that spans the book, this fictional examination of China's Empress Wu is sure to draw in readers.

Just loved this follow up from the moon in the palace. Although clearly romanticised, the twists and plots Mei has to go through to achieve her goals makes this book a real page turner.

I am loving this book. So rich in detail and fascinating historical novel of China's imperial dynasties. I need to get my hands on book one in this series. I am hooked.

The Empress of Bright Moon is the sequel to The Moon in the Palace. When Emperor Taizong dies, it seems like all will be well for a new era of the Tang dynasty. Her lover, Emperor Gaozong, is ready to be the good ruler that he has always dreamed. However, Emperor Taizong's brother-in-law becomes Regent, and Mei is forced to enter a Buddhist monastery. After years of loneliness and separation, she is finally reunited with Emperor Gaozong, and she becomes the second highest lady in the court. However, she finds that she has made a deadly enemy in Empress Wang, and the two of them become rivals as they fight for the title of Empress and the Emperor’s heart.

In The Moon in the Palace, we see Mei as a naive girl who is thrust into the political intrigues of the court. In this novel, Mei is mature and she is more adept at politics. She becomes a close advisor to the Emperor. However, she finds that this court is more dangerous than during Emperor Taizong’s reign. She realizes that finding happiness is not easy, and she realizes that she has to experience the loss of her dear ones. This makes her angry, sometimes ruthless, and vengeful. However, she soon learns to bestows acts of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to her enemies. To forgive her enemies is something she struggles throughout this novel, yet it is also demonstrates her strength. She is also very intelligent and strategic. She is very observant in how to defeat her enemies. Thus, I found Mei to be a very strong character.

Overall, this novel is about loss, choices, forgiveness, and redemption. It is about a woman who is trying to cope with loss. The message of the book is that where there is darkness, there is hope. This novel is very heart-wrenching and is an emotional, poignant, and raw read. I loved how this book portrays a mother’s love for her children, and how she overcomes her personal tragedies. Mei is a very complex character. She is very flawed, yet she is very real. I also found the villain to be very compelling. The empress was a victim of her circumstances. She too has suffered. She is evil because the court is cruel. She is the empress, and yet she is not treated as one. She is humiliated and criticized for not bearing a son. Like Mei, she too, has to fight for the Emperor’s affections to bring duty and honor to her family. Instead, she is the laughingstock of her family and is mocked. This novel perfectly shows the dangers and cruelty of the Tang court. Instead of a duology, I would have liked there to be a trilogy to see how Mei has grown when she becomes the Emperor of China. Still, The Empress of the Bright Moon left me utterly breathless, and this novel will linger with you long after you have read the final page. I recommend this book to fans of Stephanie Dray, Allison Pataki, and Marci Jefferson.

4.5 stars. It doesn't happen often that a sequel lives up to or outshines the original. I really enjoyed these books and found myself unable to put them down. I had to know what was going to happen next. I hadn't read anything about this era and I was pleasantly surprised. This book was just like the first and had intrigue, deceit, love, heartache, it had it all. I would definitely recommend this book.