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An ARC copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.
My Review:
If you’re a fan of historical fiction that covers the fall of the Roman Empire and the ensuing chaos that embroils Europe, then you will enjoy this story. It was fascinating to read about these warring Queens that are nearly opposite of one another. One represents the light and one represents the dark, equally matched and yet danger lurks everywhere.
Brunhilda was sent off to marry Sigebert in hopes of calming some of the civil wars brewing, and she was lucky enough to fall in love with her husband and start a wonderful family together while keeping their kingdom safe as well.
Sigebert’s brother on the other hand, is a viscous man who wants to rule everything. He marries one of his slaves (a pagan witch) and together, they try to burn down everything, including Sigebert and Brunhilda.
But the real drama of this story lies in the dynamic between Brunhilda and the former slave Queen, Fredegunda. Brunhilda wants to unite the cities and create peace for everyone, while Fredegunda wants to control everything and put everyone to work for her. Both have important elements that are necessary for rule, but now all they can focus on is taking the other one out before they are killed themselves.
An extremely intense read from beginning to end with so many different dynamics playing out. It’s a longer book and allows for the creation of character traits and gives you enough time with everyone to really understand each character.
My Favorite Lines
“Over difficult mountains you pick a level way; nothing obstructs lovers whom the gods wish to unite.”
“If you come to your husband weeping over the wrongs done you and your sister and your mother, and then over something else and then something else, he will tire of you. It is more important that you give him sons than it is for him to avenge the wrongs done to you. Hard advice, I know, but it comes from my love for you.”
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By the sixth century, the Roman Empire is already lost to tribal invasions, brutal Merovingian Franks have seized Gaul from the civilized Romanized Visigoths, and a dark age has descended across Europe. Now a deadly rivalry arises between two Merovingian queens. Brunhilda and Fredegunda are equals in beauty and intelligence, but opposite in vision and temperament.
When the Franks demand a royal bride, Visigoth Brunhilda marries into a world that despises women. Suddenly thrust into power and repeatedly facing loss and grief, she seeks to revive a new Rome based on justice and prosperity. Her implacable foe, Fredegunda, is a former slave concubine who lives only for personal power. Insanely jealous of high-born Brunhilda, she uses seduction, assassination, war, and even witchcraft in her campaign to destroy her. Can Brunhilda survive this onslaught of evil? Can her vision survive?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca Hazell
I have loved reading, writing and making art from age two, my first canvases for both being the hall walls. I’ve been writing for decades, both nonfiction and fiction. My nonfiction included educational materials for public schools, coloring books, and most recently collections of biographies of heroic people, but I have recently made the transition to writing historical fiction. I love bringing the past to life and connecting our present with our past. I have moved across the North American continent twice, among the almost 70 moves I have made. I have also visited Europe, Mexico, and the Antipodes.
My inspiration for how to write comes from Nobel Prizewinner Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose quote I found in a collection of short stories: The purpose of writing is to entertain and inform. I liked that because it reminds me that people want to broaden their world more than they want to shrink into themselves.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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