Review: Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn

★★★★

Book Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Release Date: April 5^th, 2011

Book Synopsis: A.D. 69. Nero is dead. The Roman Empire is up for the taking. With bloodshed spilling out of the palace and into the streets of Rome, chaos has become the status quo. The Year of Four Emperors will change everything—especially the lives of two sisters with a very personal stake in the outcome…

Elegant and ambitious, Cornelia embodies the essence of the perfect Roman wife. She lives to one day see her loyal husband as Emperor. Her sister Marcella is more withdrawn, content to witness history rather than make it. Even so, Marcella has her share of distinguished suitors, from a cutthroat contender for the throne to a politician’s son who swears that someday he will be Emperor.

But when a bloody coup turns their world upside-down, Cornelia and Marcella—along with their cousins, one a collector of husbands and lovers, the other a horse-mad beauty with no interest in romance—must maneuver carefully just to stay alive. As Cornelia tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams, Marcella discovers a hidden talent for influencing the most powerful men in Rome. In the end, though, there can only be one Emperor…and one Empress.

My Review: Daughters of Rome is the second novel in Kate Quinn’s series. Not having read the first book Mistress of Rome, I was a little skeptical in reading this one first because I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to know what was going on, but I’m happy to report that that wasn’t the case. If I didn’t know that this was the second book in a series then I would have never guessed it belonged in a series at all.

Kate Quinn did an amazing job writing for all the senses. I could smell what they smelled, see and hear everything the characters were witnessing and even taste the food they were it eating! This was definitely a fast past drama, which tells the story of The Year of Four Emperor’s in Ancient Rome. The main characters of the story are four beautiful cousins known as the Cornelias. Cornelia Prima (Cornelia), Cornelia Secunda (Marcella), Cornelia Tertia (Lollia), and Cornelia Quarta (Diana). 

All four women have their own unique personalities. Marcella is a manipulative woman who loves to write her own papers on Roman history despite the fact that she is a woman and not a man. Cornelia is the most grounded out of all four women. She knows what she wants she has the perfect husband who is the next potential Emperor making her the next Empress of Rome. Lollia goes through husbands just like a woman goes through handbags. Her only concern is going to all the important banquets where the Emperor is at. Then there is little Diana, probably the most beautiful out of the four cousins; however, she only has eyes for things with four legs instead of two. She is immensely obsessed with one of Rome’s favorite past times, chariot racing.

Like I mentioned before, Daughters of Rome is a fast past drama which captures the story of the year of four roman emperors and how they fell from power causing everyone’s lives to be thrown off balance. I really enjoyed this story, but I found it a little difficult to keep who’s who straight, which made things confusing at times. Kate touches on every factor during this time: politics, war, extravagant parties, greed, and love. I definitely would recommend this book to those who love ancient Rome.

If you would like to read Kate Quinn’s author guest post click here.