Marie Heese

Engrossing and moving, this sequel about the second part of Theodora’s life as empress of Byzantium opens with intrigue as one of Justinian’s old enemies, Cappodocian John, is revealed as a threat to the throne. Theodora’s unremitting feeling of guilt for a massacre she did not foresee, motivates her faith and many of her actions. And Justinian’s strange reference to the triple-headed serpent also...

An unputdownable novel about the Empress Theodora, considered by many the most influential and powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The reader follows her journey from her humble beginnings, the loss of her father, the compromises she must make between her personal sense of honour, faith and survival, and we watch with fascination as this strong woman fights her way through the r...