Book Review: Domna, Part Two: The Solon’s Son
Hello Blogosphere!
I hope you’re ready for a great last week of the year. The long weekend has given me plenty of time to relax and read, and I’m stopping by with another book review.
I continued my reading of the Domna series by Tammie Painter and am reviewing the second book, The Solon’s Son.
After thoroughly enjoying the first book, I think it’s safe to say I’ve found my new series to binge since completing Animorphs. I simply have to know what happens to Sofia. On to the review!
Blurb:
Having been warned by her guard, Macrinus, that her life depends on being faithful to her new husband, Sofia Domna enters the grand city-state of Vancuse to begin her arranged marriage to Sirius Verus. But when she discovers her former lover Papinias serves in her new household, Sofia’s resolve is tested at every turn.
When she becomes pregnant, Sofia’s fidelity is immediately questioned even as Sirius’s secrets unravel. Secrets that will turn Sofia’s world on its head.
With a backdrop of political and marital instability, and Sirius’s once-great status quickly on the decline, can Sofia withstand threats, shame, and temptation to guide her husband to the highest role in the realm?
GoodReads
The Review:
I gave this book four and a half stars!
Following the first novel in the series, Sofia Domna’s tale of strife continues. With no way out of her marriage to Sirius, Sofia must come to terms with her new lot in life, that and the fact that Papinias works within the household. As Sofia tries to adjust, she finds just how unstable this new marriage and the kingdom of Osteria is.
This was a great continuation of the series, hands down.
The characters were really great, even better this time I would say. Sofia’s hardship continues, and I think her character really progresses from where she started in the first book. No longer is she the hopeful young woman she once was, and if she’s going to find some way out of this, it will take time and she will have to be cold and calculated. Like before, it was easy to root for her, and I really care about her as a character. She didn’t ask for any of this insanity.
Other characters are starting to stand out too. First and foremost, I despised Plautinius. I enjoy a good hateable villain, and each time Plautinius did something vile I just kept picturing his head on a pike. Hopefully in time Sirius will truly see that Plautinius does not have his interests in mind. Either that or a mob tearing him to pieces wouldn’t bug me.
I also thought it was interesting to see more shades of Papinias. He’s not the same young man Sofia fell in love with, and he’s far from perfect and prone to anger and resentment. It hurt to read some of these scenes!
Speaking of which, the plot was very entertaining. It was less focused on the mythological theme than I wanted, but I think that Painter’s Hercules series may be more focused in that regard. I understand what the author wants to do with this story, and I’m all for it. This book had so much tension! I felt really bad for Sofia in so many of these scenes, but the drama of it all was really great. On the side, we also got to see some political upheavals in Osteria, and as boring as that may sound to an anti-political person like me, it was light and entertaining.
Filled with tension, heartache, and drama, this book was a great continuation to the series. I can’t wait to read more!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
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I’m glad you enjoyed Painter’s second book, too. I’m sure the next four will be just as awesome, enjoy!
Thanks! While it’s not quite what I expected it’s a ton of fun. 🙂 I’m on a roll!
Ooh, I’ve become binge-worthy. I’m adding that to my CV :)) I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you’re enjoying these…you’re definitely making this a great end to a very weird year.
Oh, and you’re right. This series deals more with person-to-person and political conflicts than mythological shenanigans. The Osteria Chronicles books focus more on the conflicts between the gods and mortals, the gods and the titans, and all that kind of fun stuff.
Haha, you’re very welcome! I figured it would make a great end to the year to do a series, and they’re easy to blaze through.
Oh okay, I’ll probably love Osteria Chronicles even more, but this is still really good!
Thanks 😊