Empress of Bright Moon

A Novel of Empress Wu

De: Weina Dai Randel

Narrado por: Emily Woo Zeller

There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to power.

A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the emperor's attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. Young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the emperor a gift he can never forget.

Mei's intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man in China, divided loyalties split the palace in two, culminating in a perilous battle that Mei can only hope to survive.

In the breakthrough first volume in the Empress of Bright Moon duology, Weina Dai Randel paints a vibrant portrait of ancient China - where love, ambition, and loyalty can spell life or death - and the woman who came to rule it all.

©2016 Weina Dai Randel (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Way too much angst

I would have really liked this book if it wasn’t for Mai’s constant angst and whinning

The Empress of Bright Moon, a must read!

The story has enough intrigue, drama, tension and romance to keep you pinned to the edge of your seat.

The story centers around Mei, known as the Luminous Lady and her rise to power. She is not portrayed as an arrogant usurper, but rather as a kind, soft hearted lady who falls in love with the emporer's son.

The reader gains insight in the lives of Chinese royalty of 630 AD, their culture, their customs and beliefs. Luminous Lady is intelligent, cunning and determined and she faces many enemies and trials. The reader experiences a spectrum of emotions ranging from love, fear, hope, hopelessness, loss, hate and forgiveness. Sometimes she makes mistakes, trusts the wrong people and face the consequences.

I enjoyed the story, because the character was convincing and real. I also liked how the writer delicately braided the Chinese culture and customs into the storyline without being judgmental or critical. It was a most enjoyable story.

better than the first book!

i like the storyline and the epilogue. I felt the performer did a better job of emotional range than she did in the first book. It's also refreshing that it isn't constant drama. I prefer books to have both peaceful and dramatic elements in them; this book does well in that respect.

Ancient China has nothing on GOT!

This book is filled with romance, deception, excitement, and just a taste of life in the AD 600s

Great Find

Sooo good. I was immersed in this series. I'm not a history buff so I can't attest to the accuracy of the story, but this seems to be pretty legit historical fiction.

Mei

I was excited to begin this series to see what Mei had in store for her future. But to my surprise she faltered and stayed where she was. In all honesty I was disappointed with Mei because she had such great ideas but never followed through with any of them. She blamed everyone around her but herself. It wasn’t until further into the story that I realized that Mei is like the rest of us. She’s human she can only do so much and if she does she has to think of the aftermath that her actions cause or may cause. As the story went on Mei started to grow as well and gain the confidence she needed.

Overall, this novel was a whirlwind of emotions and I enjoyed listening.

Much better than the first book

If like me you didn't like the first book because of "all that happens to me happens for a reason and there is nothing I can do about it" attitude of May and weak story, the second book will not disappoint you.

Glad I gave it a second chance.

I almost didn’t listen to this book because of the narrator and my experience with the first book in this series. I’m glad I gave it a shot. The story was good and the narrator did a better job.

The Empress herself would’ve liked to edit

Albeit a moderate engaging story, it is likely going to make unbiased historians or Wu Tse-Tien herself cringe. As the only woman who ruled as “di” (royal supreme ruler of the dynasty) in all of China’s history, she had an iron will and unprecedented political skills to navigate her success in a male dominated society. The author and narrator painted her as this strategy-less, love-sick, tantrum throwing, tearful weakling with occasional hapless or mildly successful endeavors just made the story unbelievable.

An epic masterpiece

this is one of the best series I have listened 2 on Audible. Emily's performance is incredible, she makes the listener feel all of the emotion of the novel. She makes the listener feel the pain, the suspense, and she acted every single sentence with all of her soul. This is one of the most beautiful and incredible series I've ever read. And the best part, is it is very true to the actual history of Empress Wu. the love story is palpable, but Tastefully done. I couldn't stop listening to this book. The only problem, is it was so powerful and moving, I cannot move on. usually, I end one audible book and start another. However it is been two days since I finished this book and I cannot move forward. I may have to listen to the series again. This may be one of the best series I've ever read in my entire life.