"My imperial life began with a smell."

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to Fluffy-Owl. Enjoy!

Received today, thank you!

From the blurb:

"To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will stopp to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress.

I really enjoyed this book. My knowledge of China and its history is limited, but I am fascinated by it, probably because it is so disinct from Western culture. I have no idea of the historical accuracy of the novel, but it had my attention all the way through. It did drag in places, as I got confused by who was who and by certain political issues, but overall it was very good.

Will be off to someone else later this week, hope it travels well and arrives safely.

Thanks Fluffy-Owl for sending me the book before Christmas, sorry that I totally forgot to JE it.