Realm

What first caught my eye about Realm was definitely the cover art and so, if you're in that same boat, let me tell you now that it's a little misleading. Roxana, while definitely a strong woman, was not in any way a warrior princess. In fact, as I learned through reading this book, Roxana actually spent most of her life with baggage caravans and in palace rooms. Like most women at the time, her life was dictated by those around her. So while this book does indeed feature Roxana as a strong woman, it's a slow journey that builds up to the ending. If you were hoping for a fast moving, epic journey, you might be a little disappointed. If you're looking for a deep dive into an intriguing woman's life? This is your book.

I will admit that, as I mentioned above, this book does move a little slower than I thought it would. The upside of that is the fact that the reader really gets a chance to know Roxana intimately. I fell in love with her from the moment she stepped onto the page. A loyal daughter and sister, full of fire, and the only one who could really match up to Alexander. Weis did a fabulous job of following this woman through her journey as Alexander's wife. Through the long marches, the dangerous coups, and even through her slow descent into love with the man who she wasn't even sure she liked. While I did feel like some of the length probably could have been cut, since some of the dialogue felt a little repetitive, I did love that it put me so far into Roxana's world.

My only other gripe, and the reason for the three star rating, was that this historical fiction novel didn't focus as much on the characters as I would have liked. I was fascinated by Morella, Cleopatra, Hephaestion and so many of the other side characters. There were so many things that I really wanted to know about them. Even Alexander, although I know he isn't the focus of this book per say, felt a lot more flat than I anticipated. While being lost in the brutal world of the ever expanding empire was fascinating, I wanted that connection to the people who were forging ever forward. That's what I love about historical fiction, are the little liberties taken with things that actually happened. I wanted a little more liberties taken in this story.

All in all though, I did enjoy my time spent in Weis' story. If you're a fan of Roxana's story, or even interested in it, this is an excellent way to experience it.