Did you know there was just one woman who ever led China? This is the second book of a duology of Empress Wu's rise to become Empress of China.

Lots and lots of court intrigue and with good dose of romance, this book moves along as we watch the future empress rise. Also we get to see her husband's rise to become a real emperor, rather than just one in name only.

I am rather disappointed the book ends here. She becomes the empress of China at the end of the book. It would be years later when her husband dies and she becomes the true leader of China. History has certainly not been kind to Wu Zetian and I'm grateful to see another take on her life.

I do think the author put a really big heroic spin on Wu Zetian's life. Rising to become empress of China is messy business. And a quick look through Wikipedia yields some dastardly deeds on her part. ( )

Awhile back, I read a book called Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel. It felt like I was watching one of my historical Asian dramas, and I was happy to discover that the story was based off of a real historical figure. Not only is it based off of a historical figure, the main character was the first female Empress of China! I really enjoyed the first novel so I knew I had to read the sequel and find out what happened to her.

I'm going to begin my review by saying that this is not a book you can read as a standalone; you absolutely have to read The Moon in the Palace before reading this one or you won't understand what is going on. Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I really liked this book. Just like its predecessor, the novel reads like an asian drama, full of intrigue and political mind games. The author really made history come alive through this story! I really enjoy reading about constant manipulation and power struggles, which is why this book was so wonderful for me but if you don't like either one of those things, then this novel probably isn't for you. While this story may not be 100% historically accurate, the author really gave some depth to Mei's character and made her actions believable and understandable. Overall, a really interesting novel on a prominent historical figure in China! ( )

The Empress of Bright Moon is part 2 of a duo logy on the early life of Empress Wu, China's only ruling female. The story picks up where part 1, The Moon in the Palace, ended with a dying Emperor Taizong and his son Pheasant, formally Emperor Gazing, being declared as his heir. Pheasant is in a relationship with Wu Mei, our protagonist.

When Pheasant becomes Emperor his uncle advises the court that Taizong made a will before his death installing the uncle as Regent over Pheasant even though Pheasant was an adult. Pheasant is married to Lady Wang, now Empress Wang, who has been barren during their 7 year marriage. Empress Wang has become a bitter woman and treats the concubines abysmally, especially Mei whom she is jealous of. Mei has been able to produce 2 children for Pheasant and is not only her rival but a rival of the new Regent. Mei is promoted to the Most Adored title (Emporer's favorite) early in the story and is given another title that is above the other high ranking concubines, Luminous Lady. there are concubines titled as Talents, Graces, Beauties and Leading Ladies. Mei struggles to obtain power as she battles her 2 rivals.

I loved this book as well as book 1. The female characters are strong but there are less of them than in book 1. The plot is mainly about Mei's problems with the Regent and Empress Wang as well as Pheasant's struggles with his Regent and the court in general. The other higher ranking concubines are not as central to the plot as they were in book 1. Both books are well researched. The political intrigue during the Tang dynasty and in the palace are represented well.

A must read for historical fiction fans. ( )

Knowing very little about China's Empress Wu prior to this novel (and its prequel), I enjoyed the engaging story, but was disappointed that the story ended right when I thought it was just getting started. Wu's path to power in 7th-century China is portrayed as filled with court politics, scheming, and lots of deception and intrigue. All this made for a very compelling and intriguing novel, but I also found myself very curious about the rest of Wu's life, which the author mentions in the historical note at the end, and from the details mentioned, I wondered why more novels on this historical figure are not planned. ( )

Couldn't really get into this book I'm afraid.
Maybe it's because it is the second book and the first had the important information.
I will have to read that before I reread this.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Sourcebooks/Landmark via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )