This was an interesting story. Roxana is still fairly young when her world is turned upside down, and she's thrust into a life she never thought she'd be living. It was interesting to see Alexander the Great from this perspective - he is one of the more well-known Greeks in history. Roxana faces down a lot of obstacles brought to her doorstep by Alexander and her marriage to him, but she does so well considering her youth. At times, my heart absolutely ached for her. I loved her as a character, she's a great female protagonist. Overall, an interesting read set during an important time in history. ( )

Historical story.
Not really for me.

What first caught my eye about Realm was definitely the cover art and so, if you're in that same boat, let me tell you now that it's a little misleading. Roxana, while definitely a strong woman, was not in any way a warrior princess. In fact, as I learned through reading this book, Roxana actually spent most of her life with baggage caravans and in palace rooms. Like most women at the time, her life was dictated by those around her. So while this book does indeed feature Roxana as a strong woman, it's a slow journey that builds up to the ending. If you were hoping for a fast moving, epic journey, you might be a little disappointed. If you're looking for a deep dive into an intriguing woman's life? This is your book.

I will admit that, as I mentioned above, this book does move a little slower than I thought it would. The upside of that is the fact that the reader really gets a chance to know Roxana intimately. I fell in love with her from the moment she stepped onto the page. A loyal daughter and sister, full of fire, and the only one who could really match up to Alexander. Weis did a fabulous job of following this woman through her journey as Alexander's wife. Through the long marches, the dangerous coups, and even through her slow descent into love with the man who she wasn't even sure she liked. While I did feel like some of the length probably could have been cut, since some of the dialogue felt a little repetitive, I did love that it put me so far into Roxana's world.

My only other gripe, and the reason for the three star rating, was that this historical fiction novel didn't focus as much on the characters as I would have liked. I was fascinated by Morella, Cleopatra, Hephaestion and so many of the other side characters. There were so many things that I really wanted to know about them. Even Alexander, although I know he isn't the focus of this book per say, felt a lot more flat than I anticipated. While being lost in the brutal world of the ever expanding empire was fascinating, I wanted that connection to the people who were forging ever forward. That's what I love about historical fiction, are the little liberties taken with things that actually happened. I wanted a little more liberties taken in this story.

All in all though, I did enjoy my time spent in Weis' story. If you're a fan of Roxana's story, or even interested in it, this is an excellent way to experience it. ( )

Realm by Alexandrea Weis tells the story of Alexander the Great's first wife, Roxana. The story begins after the defeat of Darius III, when Alexander invaded Persia. He fell immediately in love with Roxana, the beautiful daughter of a Bactrian nobleman named Oxyartes, Despite the objections from his generals, he married her. And thus began her marriage to one of history's most famous men.

The price of being the wife of Alexander the Great is high. His kingdom is full of strife, warfare, jealousy, gossip, and plots. Roxana must learn to navigate these tepid waters or drown. With her lady's maid, Morella, Roxana bravely takes on the task at hand and becomes not only a wife to Alexander, but a trusted friend as well.

Not much is known about Roxana. History hasn't recorded much about her. You may find a paragraph here and there, but I imagine she'd have to be a pretty strong woman to deal with all she dealt with. Because of the lack of historical detail, Weis has to fill in the gaps, and there are a lot of them, as to what Roxana's life must have been like.

Realm is an interesting read. It's full of romance and political intrigue. Some of the dialog felt a bit too modern for this time period. I enjoyed the historical elements including Weis' reference to Achilles/Patroclus being Alexander/Hephaestion. Weis does go into some detail about the comparison, but I would have loved it if she went a little more in depth. Realm felt more historical fiction than historical romance, but in the end was a satisfying read.

Read more at https://www.toreadornottoread.net/2019/06/review-realm-by-alexandrea-weis.html#j... ( )

Anyone who has studied history has heard of Alexander the Great. He is remembered as one of the great conquerors – whether that is good or bad I suppose depends on how you look at conquerors. They are remembered, that is for sure. But what about the women in their lives? Some of them are remembered but the further we go back in time the less is known and the more is forgotten.

Roxana is a daughter of chief who is under attack by Alexander and his troops. After winning the battle Alexander hosts a feast where Roxana and her sisters are called in to dance to entertain the Conqueror and his generals. Her father tells her to dance her best because he knows that word of her intelligence and beauty has filtered back to the great man. Little does Roxana know that the course of her life is about to change.

Roxana and Alexander marry and despite some trepidation from his Greek army that he is marrying a Persian woman of little standing she soon wins them over with her wit, caring and wisdom. She and Alexander turn out to be a love match despite their rocky beginnings and she follows him as he continues on his endless efforts to conquer more of the world than his father did. But if you remember your history Alexander died very young so where did that leave Roxana? You will have to read this rather compelling book to find out.

I do enjoy ancient history and respect an author who can take the tiny bits left and create a good story. It only makes sense that the farther back we go in time the less will be available for researchers. Particularly when it comes to trying to tell the stories of the women associated with the men who loom so large in the historical record. Ms. Weis truly brings Roxana alive as she goes from spoiled and pampered daughter to confident consort to grieving widow and beyond. Alexander looms large in this tale, as he would but this is Roxana’s story and most of what happens is told through how it impacts her or how she views it. Battles, marches, war, death and politics all swirl but Alexander remains as Roxana’s center until he dies. She is truly an interesting woman who has been lost to history and this book bring her back to vivid life. ( )