Summary from GoodReads:

1494 Barcelona. As Torquemada lights the fires of religious fervor throughout the cities of Spain, accused heretics are not the only victims. Thousands of books and manuscripts are lost to the flames as the Black Friars attempt to purge Europe of the ancient secrets of the gods and the bold new ideas that are ushering in the Renaissance.

Nadira lives a dreary life as servant to a wealthy spice merchant until the night a dying scholar is brought to the merchant’s stable, beaten by mercenaries who are on the hunt for The Hermetica of Elysium. To Nadira, words are her life: she lives them as her master’s scrivener and dreams them in her mother’s poetry. She is pursued as passionately as the fabled manuscript for her rare skill as a reader of Ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew that makes her valuable to men who pursue the book to exploit its magic.

Kidnapped by Baron Montrose, an adventurous nobleman, she is forced to read from the Hermetica. It is soon revealed to her that ideas and words are more powerful than steel or fire for within its pages are the words that incite the Dominicans to religious fervor, give the Templars their power and reveal the lost mysteries of Elysium.

My Review:

I. loved. this. book.

Gutsy heroine? Check.  Intelligence? Check.  Action and Adventure? Check.  A touch of romance? Check. Fantastic setting? Check.

Seriously – everything needed to make a very interesting, historical novel that is very, very, very difficult to put down.

Nadira is a special creature.  Yes, she’s bartered about the men in her life, but it isn’t for her body – oh no, it’s for her mind.  You see, she speaks quite a few languages, and has been called upon to help with translation.  She is treated well by each one of her “captors”, and as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that, indeed, she is something special.

I ended up reading quite a few historical novels, set in medieval times this year.  There have been a few disappointments, a few surprises, and some books that end up being the best books I’ve read in quite some time.  While The Hermetica of Elysium doesn’t really rank that high, I will say it’s one of the best medieval books I’ve ever read.  I really enjoyed strong Nadira, I loved that the book could be so clean without seeming unbelievable.  This author is a definite “must watch” on my list of authors and I cannot wait for book two to be released next year.

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