North Africa, 1067. Kella is a girl disguised as a boy, travelling the trade routes and beating all comers in the camel races. When her true identity is revealed, she is sent home to the family desert camp to be taught women’s skills. But Kella yearns for her freedom and the excitement of life on the road and when a mighty army sets out on a holy mission, she risks marriage to its general, Yusuf. … Yusuf. While Yusuf conquers the whole of North Africa, Kella finds herself a rival to his infamous queen consort, Zaynab, a powerful and jealous woman. Can Kella protect herself and her newborn son? Can she find the freedom she craves as well as love? Second in the Moorish Empire series, this is a new take on a dramatic period of history.
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This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: A String of Silver Beads
Author: Melissa Addey
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 16 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
8 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“What a fascinating novel. I love the hero, Kella. She’s a strong minded girl/woman living in a man’s world. Well-written, easy to follow and with plenty happening. I enjoyed it a lot!” Female reader, aged 45
“An interesting look at Muslim history through the eyes of an intelligent girl. The author did a wonderful job of researching the time and place, and this shows in the depth of the characters and the complexity of the plot.” Male reader, aged 54
“A strong spirited protagonist and a plot full of drama, romance and set in a time and place not often seen in novels today. Top marks for originality.” Male reader, aged 38
“I loved the range of characters in this novel. I think, even if historical novels are not your thing, you’ll still learn a lot about Muslim culture/history reading this. I would happily read another book by this author.” Male reader, aged 60
To Sum It Up:
‘A superbly plotted historical novel with a vividly described setting and packed full of memorable characters. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
The Moorish Empire Begins To Form
In this book, the Moorish Empire grows to include Marrakesh and Fez. This is a wonderful series to binge read. The history of Northern Africa was not covered in much detail outside of Egypt. The Moroccan Empire was always somewhat of a footnote. While this is fictionalized history, all of the pertinent details of the story are based on fact. The story has some folks that are just plain evil as well as some that were truly blessed. It is always more fun knowing that you are reading about things that really happened and not just imagined. I can’t wait to read the next in the series. I received this book for free from the author and voluntarily chose to post my honest review.
A beautifully-crafted book – the writing is so deft that it never gets in the way of the story.
Wow! What a great story! I loved the characters and the way each was presented in this historically correct story. I was also impressed how smooth it reads and I actually felt an affinity for this girl as she was changing from a hidden tomboy to a woman. Everything from the camel races to the awfulness of the second wife to the marriage bed and baby birthing was handled perfectly! No filthy language needed nor used and yes, the characters are Muslims, but this is not a story about religion.