- I’ve been looking for more books about the Mongolian Empire.
- I love strong female characters.
- I’ve always been a fan of stories where the girl shrugs off convention and goes for where her heart leads.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Summary from GoodReads:
Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin’s determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the “manly arts” of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting ‘dragons’ and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.
My Review:
Did you see Disney’s Mulan? Did you like it? If you answered “yes” to both of those questions then you need to make sure to read this book when it’s released early next year.
This story of a Mongolian princess, Emmajin Beki, is a story that proves that love triangles do not need to exist in YA level books for them to be full of romance, adventure and feature a strong, willful female as the hero. Does that mean there isn’t romance? No – there’s a little but it’s where it belongs, adding beautiful color to the background of this story instead of elbowing its way to the forefront and demanding all of the attention.
Emmajin has always wanted to be a soldier and, as the granddaughter of the Great Khan Khubilai, she can expect nothing of the sort. What can she expect? Marriage to one of those soldiers – someone high ranking and to spend a lifetime in the shadows, living the quiet life of a woman in a time where women were ignored and put aside while battles waged on around them.
However, Emmajin has a different plan for her life. This is a story of Emmajin’s bravery, her struggle to prove herself, her sorrow as she learns the consequences for her actions and her message of hope and ultimate peace. It’s filled with historical information about the time period, beautiful descriptions of the places and a glimpse of the man, Marco Polo – someone that, up until this point, I’d only been familiar with as a game.
I’ll be looking for more by this author – I loved the way she wrote, I loved Emmajin’s voice and the story had me flipping pages with excitement, anxious to learn more of the story.
Check out these review(s):
(This book was received from Holly at Good Golly Miss Holly in connection with an ARC tour)
