Set in 17 Century Morocco, the main characters are: Nus-Nus the African eunuch is who is the Sultan’s scribe; Mouley Ismael the cruel and feared Sultan who has a mercurial temper, Alys Swan a Dutch-English lady who is one of his many wives. She was kidnapped on the way to meet her fiancé and given the choice of either going the Sultan’s harem or dying a painful death. Zidana is the Sultan’s main wife who is feared by everyone in the harem.
The novel is written from the viewpoint of Alys and Nus-Nus. It is beautifully descriptive and historically accurate, revealing how dangerous and fraught life in the Royal Court could be. The novel is full of murder, mystery and intrigue. There is a hint of romance between Nus-Nus and Alys but the main storyline focuses on depicting Nus-Nus life, the abuse that led him to becoming a eunuch and his life as a scribe negotiating both the Sultan’s rage and the backstabbing in the Harem. The Royal Court travels to visit Charles I in England and encounters the plague which adds to the historical interest in the novel.
I was gifted this novel by Netgalley and House of Zeus in return for a honest review
Have read this beauty too - loved it
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