I received a free copy of this from BookLook Bloggers. And here is my unbiased review. Please know that this is based on my own reading experience, which may or may not be similar with yours.
This engaging tale brings you back to 106 A.D. where Cassia, who lived an impecunious and battered life with her husband, hopes to fully embrace a sense of freedom and safety for herself and her son. Her interminable hope for freedom takes her and her child to an ancient city called Petra.
I find the book cover truly appealing.
The novel's sense of history is divinely described that I am taken into its mystery and beauty. Tucked in its pages is a vivid picture of a mother's love -- strong and unparalleled. It's one of the qualities that I liked in the book.
A startling revelation comes in as the tale takes me elsewhere, to Petra, the City of Stone. I drink in its scenes and prod the characters on, hoping Cassia would truly find the freedom she hopes to have.
Good and evil come to play here. And that revelation I mentioned sits heavily within the plot. How the characters--in the first few scenes and the next--battle the odds was really interesting to see. I enjoyed reading it.
It would be nice to tell you more, but, sorry, no spoilers. :-)