The Moon That Fell from Heaven (Empire at Twilight) by N.L. Holmes – Review by Jennifer Gordon

The Moon That Fell from Heaven by N.L. Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As usual with a historical fiction novel in this series I was hooked from start to finish. Once again I was transported back in time through the wonderfully detailed descriptive narrative which sets the scene, and the added historical elements which bring the era vividly to life. The storyline flows well and the plot kept me happily turning the pages, as we are introduced to the eldest daughter of the Hittite Emperor, Ehli-nikkalu. She is married to a vassal of her fathers but as she’s unable to produce an heir she is not respected at court. Then at a time when the loyalty to the Emperor is questioned, Ehli-nikkalu’s secretary is murdered whilst delivering a message to him which would indict their loyalty. Ehli-nikkalu then adopts her secretary’s children as she feels guilty at their fathers death.

When her young cousin becomes a pretender to the throne and begins to mobilise roving armies her loyalties become questioned further. She then discovers a terrible secret that could ruin the present regime if the pretender knew about it, and so along with a kindly scribe, her young ward, and a former soldier Ehli-nikkalu goes on a journey to prove herself to her father and save the kingdom. She may even learn about love along the way in this well written and obviously well researched story. Each of the characters have their own backstories and add to the overall story, my only concern is that there are a lot of them to remember. I found the brief authors notes at the end of each chapter a little off putting as it took me out of the story, I would have preferred a longer section at the end. Overall this was a gripping story full of historical details and intriguing characters and I definitely recommend reading it.

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