For seven years the Babylonian princess Tiamat has waited for the mad king Nebuchadnezzar to return to his family and to his kingdom. Driven from his throne to live as a beast, he prowls his luxurious Hanging Gardens, secreted away from the world.
Since her treaty marriage at a young age, Tia has lived an indulgent palace life. But when her husband dies and a nobleman is found murdered in the palace, Tia must discover who is responsible for the macabre death, even if her own newfound freedom is threatened.
As the queen plans to wed Tia to yet another prince, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family’s secret and set his own man on the throne. Tia enlists the help of a reluctant Jewish captive, her late husband’s brother Pedaiah, who challenges her notions of the gods even as he opens her heart to both truth and love.
In a time when few gave their hearts to Yahweh, one woman must decide if she is willing to risk everything—her possessions, her gods, and her very life—for the Israelite’s one God. Madness, sorcery and sinister plots mingle like an alchemist’s deadly potion, and Tia must dare to risk all – to save the kingdom, and to save herself."
The story was pretty fast paced, in fact, in some ways I felt the beginning was too fast paced. It didn't seem realistic all the risks that Tia was taking, even if she was a princess. Also, though the book was enjoyable, Tia's character was hard to believe. She was very modern and did foolish things. She was not a believable character as she swayed this way and that over various topics.
I was really excited about this book because I have never read any Biblical fiction about King Nebuchadnezzar and I was looking forward to it. There were parts I enjoyed, and some of the history of it was intriguing but not enough to really have me recommend it strongly to anyone.
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review from BookSneeze.com
