Fighter

Mistress of Rome

Kate Quinn

Fiction

If you remember, I read Kate Quinn’s other book, Empress of the Seven Hills. I should’ve read this one first and now I’ve finally gotten around to it.

Mistress of Rome is the story of Thea, a slave girl, and her lover, Arius, a gladiator. They meet, fall in love, and then are torn apart, then finally brought back together again. Of course, a lot of other stuff happens in between but I don’t want to give too much away.

I actually liked this novel better than Empress. I’m thinking it’s because this one was a little more uplifting. Not much more, but the main couple of Mistress was not as tortured as the main couple of Empress. Still, if you’re squeamish about blood and fighting and brutality, I would avoid this book at all costs. I had to skim quite a few times myself. If I were ever given the opportunity to go back in time, I would not chose ancient Rome, that’s for sure.

Kate Quinn is a great writer and for those who enjoy historical novels, you’ll love this one. But if you’re adverse to blood and guts, skip it.

Roman Holiday

Empress of the Seven Hills
Kate Quinn
Fiction

This book is epic, to quote a quote from the cover. Not only is the cover design gorgeous, but so is the language, the descriptions, the dialogue. I loved everything about Empress of the Seven Hills.

I’ve mentioned before how I’m not usually into historical fiction (at least I think I have, and if I haven’t, I’m not). But something drew me to this book and I’m so glad I listened to that something. Empress takes place during the Roman Empire and delves into the lives of several citizens including Vix, an ex-gladiator determined to make his mark and Sabina, a senator’s daughter who wants to travel and be more than an emperor's wife. Their love story is the main plot point, although many other things happen along the way.
I adored Sabina. She was strong, fierce, and sympathetic. Vix, on the other hand, I had a love/hate relationship with, much like he did with Sabina. He could be quite a bastard at times. But then I had to remind myself that during this time in history, most men were bastards.

My only real nit-pick would be the end. I’m assuming there will be a sequel because the book ended on kind of a cliff-hanger. Only a select few had a happy wrap-up and the rest were left with grim futures. I suppose that was the way of it back then, though. I definitely would not have wanted to live during the Roman Empire, that’s for sure.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves history and historical fiction. And even if you’re not into those type of books, you might find something worthwhile here anyway, Kate Quinn is that good.