About this item
There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to powerA concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor's attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget.Mei's intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the Emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man in China, divided loyalties split the palace in two, culminating in a perilous battle that Mei can only hope to survive. In the breakthrough first volume in the Empress of Bright Moon duology, Weina Dai Randel paints a vibrant portrait of ancient China -- where love, ambition, and loyalty can spell life or death -- and the woman who came to rule it all.
About the Author
WEINA DAI RANDEL is the award-winning author of historical novel series The Empress of Bright Moon, historical novels about the first female emperor Wu Zetian in China. The first novel, The Moon in the Palace, was the winner of RWA RITA® Award in 2017, Choice Awards nominee and a RT Book Reviewers Choice Award nominee. It was called one of the "most beautifully written, impeccably researched and well-constructed historical fiction novels released this year" by Book Reporter, named as one of the Biggest Historical Fiction books of 2016 by Bookbub, and recommended by Texas Library Association's 2017 Lariat Reading List. The two novels have been translated into 7 languages and sold worldwide.Weina was born and raised in China. English is her second language. She first studied English in middle school in China and came to the U.S. at the age of twenty-four. She holds an M.A. in English from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. It took her ten years to research and write The Moon in the Palace. Find more about Weina on her website: www.weinarandel.com
