I really love historical fiction set in exotic places with different cultures and this book seemed just up my alley. In seventeenth century Morocco, we enter the court of the Sultan Ismail, who reigns with an iron fist and sends people to their death on a whim. His harem is filled with beautiful women from around the world, but his latest prize, an Englishwoman called Alys Swann, does not want to submit to the sultan´s orders. So, he sends his eunuch slave, Nus-Nus, to convince her to be more docile… or face death. To save his own life, Nus-Nus uses all his power of persuasion, but ends up in love with young Alyss. But he is not the only one with an interest in her – the sultan´s wife is determined to get Swann out of her way and win back her master´s favour.The writing is lovely, with luscious descriptions of court life intertwined with the sultan´s brutal actions. You also get a good picture of the cultural shock between the Arabs and English when the sultan´s embassy goes to London. But there is one big problem. The main characters – Nus-Nus and Alys Swann - are just too boring. Their relationship seems farfetched and the ending is unconvincing. In other words, if the author had cut out the “love story”, the book would have been so much better. But, hey, you can´t win them all! This book was well researched, and it told an interesting story, but it just wasn't my taste. I read it because of a recommendation. It deals with very harsh subject matter, such as torture, slavery, various sexual atrocities, and general disregard for life. I just didn't enjoy reading it... it was painful and so horrible to think of a time when such things were the way of life - and I hope that they aren't like this anymore. I'd like to think it's all an exaggeration, but I fear it is not. How can I fault the author for capturing something so disturbing? And yet, in that, it doesn't foster an enjoyable reading experience. I hated many of the protagonist's experiences, and I was eager for the book to be over. There were some bright spots, but it was all so heavy. I do admire Johnson for creating such a vivid picture of the era covered in the novel; I think her research on customs and language were brought to life excellently.As a side note, there were several typos in the eBook version I read on my Kindle.
What do You think about Sultanova Miljenica (2012)?
I appreciated that the violence and sex scenes were not graphic but handled in a minimalist fashion.
—valyblood
a good book, rich with a lot of history of North Africa
—gabbi
It's an easy read but I found it interesting.
—books
