Equal of the Sun

Filled with political intrigue, heartbreak, and passion, Amirrezvani's second novel (after The Blood of Flowers) is an intense ride through the fickle regimes of Iranian shahs in the 1500s. Javaher made the unprecedented choice to become a eunuch at age 17 in order to gain access to the harem and uncover the truth behind his father's murder. His plan seems to be working when he becomes a servant of the most powerful woman at court, Princess Pari Khan Khanoom Safavi (an historical character upon whose life the story is roughly based), but all goes awry when Pari's father, the shah, dies, and her brother Isma%E2%80%98il assumes the throne. Pari tries to temper Isma%E2%80%98il Shah's despotic rule, but as a result, her former allies turn against her. Desperate to restore order, the ambitious and reckless princess devises a treasonous plot, and Javaher must decide whether to jeopardize everything to help the woman he's come to admire or to step back as the fabric of his world unravels at the hands of a deranged shah. Saturated with color and emotion, Amirrezvani's newest is a provocative and thrilling historical. (June)