kjcharles's review
A historical romance set in 11th century Ghana. !!!!
This starts brutally, with the 10yo heroine's grandfather murdered before her eyes, and doesn't let up much. There is a serious body count. Nabeela is sold to an old man for her family's sake, but he has a heart attack on their wedding night before the mariage is consummated (this bit is pretty fatphobic fyi). Her only chance of survival and protection against his evil son is if she can get pregnant by someone else that night and claim the child is his, otherwise rape and slavery and death are inevitable for her and her entire family.
So her mother organises to kidnap a passing warrior and tie him up and Nabeela rapes him. I mean. o_0. She does this out of desperation, and it is a brutal society where women are routinely abused, but still. The hero is enraged, violated and humiliated (and when he tells a friend the man just laughs and insists he must have enjoyed it, a stinging detail). She gets pregnant, and learns the art of ruthless survival. Then a year later he's back as a King's envoy and insists on marrying her. Fun times.
If you don't nope out at the start and/or the concept of the two getting together after that, this becomes a rollicking read. Lots of fairly ghastly attitudes to women, which is unsurprising in the 11th century but the hero lets go of his (entirely justified) anger and although he comes out with a lot of bluster about how he will do as he wishes with her, his actions are loving, protective, trusting, and centred round her wellbeing and pleasure. Nabeela is ruthless and self-protecting with good reason, and a vicious political animal, but eventually love of each other and family opens up a future which isn't entirely murderous infighting. Plus, lions, and some vivid detail for the fascinating setting.
If you can cope with the set up, and with characters and morality that in no way accord with modern attitudes (and it would be absurd to write 11th-century with modern attitudes), this is a rollicking Game of Thrones sort of historical romance, which is not as horrific for readers as it could be because it whips through so breezily. I enjoyed it a lot on its own terms.
This starts brutally, with the 10yo heroine's grandfather murdered before her eyes, and doesn't let up much. There is a serious body count. Nabeela is sold to an old man for her family's sake, but he has a heart attack on their wedding night before the mariage is consummated (this bit is pretty fatphobic fyi). Her only chance of survival and protection against his evil son is if she can get pregnant by someone else that night and claim the child is his, otherwise rape and slavery and death are inevitable for her and her entire family.
So her mother organises to kidnap a passing warrior and tie him up and Nabeela rapes him. I mean. o_0. She does this out of desperation, and it is a brutal society where women are routinely abused, but still. The hero is enraged, violated and humiliated (and when he tells a friend the man just laughs and insists he must have enjoyed it, a stinging detail). She gets pregnant, and learns the art of ruthless survival. Then a year later he's back as a King's envoy and insists on marrying her. Fun times.
If you don't nope out at the start and/or the concept of the two getting together after that, this becomes a rollicking read. Lots of fairly ghastly attitudes to women, which is unsurprising in the 11th century but the hero lets go of his (entirely justified) anger and although he comes out with a lot of bluster about how he will do as he wishes with her, his actions are loving, protective, trusting, and centred round her wellbeing and pleasure. Nabeela is ruthless and self-protecting with good reason, and a vicious political animal, but eventually love of each other and family opens up a future which isn't entirely murderous infighting.
Spoiler
Also, everyone else is dead by then, always helps.If you can cope with the set up, and with characters and morality that in no way accord with modern attitudes (and it would be absurd to write 11th-century with modern attitudes), this is a rollicking Game of Thrones sort of historical romance, which is not as horrific for readers as it could be because it whips through so breezily. I enjoyed it a lot on its own terms.
More...