Denise

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting much from this book because I have read other books by Michelle Moran and haven't been the biggest fans of them. While I still didn't like (or at least didn't really want to follow) the main character, Selene, I was so interested in what was going on in the book that my disappointment with Selene didn't ruin the book for me.

Selene disappointed me throughout this book. She had the makings to be a really strong and independent character but her little crush on Marcellus took over her story at times. I didn't like the almost love triangle (I say almost because it was really only a love triangle in her own mind). I know that this was most likely a YA book but I would have liked less of Selene's fascination with Marcellus (or at least I would have liked her to open her eyes to who truly was on her side before it was just thrown in at the end).

I did not have much knowledge about Selene and the events in her life. What I have liked about Michelle Moran's books is that she does her research and when you read her books you are not only entertained but you are learning things as well. This book had made interested in learning more about the people of this time and I already have I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith in my tbr pile.