Vestal Virgin (Suspense in Ancient Rome) [Kindle Edition]

In general I'm a fan of historical fiction, including ancient Rome, so I was immediately drawn to Vestal Virgin. I was not disappointed. The author did a superb job with the setting. She deftly worked in details of life in ancient Rome, and I could easily understand the everyday life of the times and exactly what it meant to be a vestal virgin. The sights, the smells, the sounds--all seemed real as I watched the characters' lives unfold.

The virgins typically were chosen as children and took vows to serve for 30 years. Vestal virgin Elissa is the main character and she is no exception to the strict laws. As a vestal, she is an educated and powerful woman who starts out wanting to avenge her brother's death at the hands of the tyrannical Nero. She ends up finding a better goal. Along the way she is pursued by Nero, who thinks he is a god. But courageous Elissa is also a mystic and she works to decipher an ancient prophecy that foretells the destruction of Rome. Elissa's younger sister Flavia is another strong woman character. Ambitious Flavia has a different goal from her sister--she wants to become Nero's wife.

I read this book quickly, unable to put it down. I was caught up in the story and totally invested in the lives of the well-drawn characters. I loved Elissa and even Flavia, who behaved like a naive and spoiled child, won me over in the end. The men characters, though well-drawn, did not appeal to me as much and came across as weak in comparison to the women.

Very enjoyable book and I would like to read more by this talented author.

I enjoy historical fiction and I found this book when the author was doing a giveaway on a forum. I have previously read Imperium by Robert Harris, and other similar books, which I found really interesting so reading about ancient Rome from the viewpoint of a woman was a tempting proposition.

Elissa is a vestal virgin, a priestess sworn to chastity, and one of the most powerful women in Rome. The vestals are envied by other women as they are allowed to own property and have a much greater degree of independence than other Roman women, but it is something of a gilded cage. After Nero kills her brother and pursues Elissa she vows revenge and is determined to try and stop Nero bringing about the fall of Rome. She becomes disenchanted with the Roman Gods and under the guidance of a family friend and potential lover she is introduced to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Her actions could lead to her death but she is driven to protect her family and Rome.

This is a story with a lot of strong characters who play important roles in progressing the plot. In some books this can be hard to follow but not this one. The particular emphasis on the views and positions within society of the women in the story, and the fact most of the book comes from the viewpoints of female characters, is quite refreshing and showed me a different side to the Roman era than I had gleaned from other books. I'm no historian so I couldn't swear to the accuracy of every detail but it felt authentic and very interesting.

This book is well written and proof-read, in fact I don't think I spotted a single typo which is very unusual for me. The story wasn't overly complicated but with such treachery and ambition on display it didn't need to be, reading about Nero's debauchery and Elissa's sister's cruelty driven by naivety I was hooked. I think the reason I didn't come away from it thinking it was a brilliant book was possibly that there is a lot of Roman terminology that I haven't come across before and wasn't in the OED on my kindle. Although I understood the gist it would have been helpful to have had a little more description - for example of the various articles of clothing - so I could better imagine what was being mentioned.

I really liked this book, it's another that I could do with a 4.5* rating for!

Vestal Virgin by Suzanne Tyrpak was nothing like I thought it would be. It was better! Normally I try and stay away from books set in ancient Rome because they always seem to irritate me, often telling the exact same story and are almost always predictable. Ms. Tyrpak wastes no time jumping into the action and setting up the story that will keep you hooked until you finish. I kept waiting for a spot where I could leave off for the night and return to it later but that spot never arrived. I read it straight through. We meet Elissa, who happens to be a Vestal Virgin. Vestal Virgins are normally picked as young girls, often only nine years old, and are forced into the temple where they take a vow to remain a virgin for 30 years so that they may better serve the Gods. Being a Vestal Virgin means that a woman is allowed to do things that aren't normally allowed of woman in ancient Rome such as owning land and controlling her own money. Everyone thinks being selected is an honor but what it also means is that a Vestal Virgin is destined to live a loveless life as they are nearly 40 years old when finally released from their vows. Many stay at the temple as they have no place to go and don't want to be alone for their remaining years. Meanwhile, Nero sits upon the Roman throne and holds himself above all others, claiming that he is a God and can do as he pleases. After having Elissa's brother named a traitor and killed for treason, Elissa makes it her goal to see to it that Nero is punished. She begins to question her faith in her Gods after her brother is murdered, her sister's innocence is taken, and friends turn into spies. Vestal Virgin is written with strong religious themes, which I normally try to stay away from while reviewing books because religion is such a delicate topic with people today. I personally believe that if the religious theme had been down played just a bit, it would make for a better story and possibly appeal to those who do not have strong religious beliefs. Even with that being said, Vestal Virgin was wonderfully written, suspenseful and intriguing. There are strong adult themes throughout the book and although they are not extremely descriptive, they should only be read by mature adult audiences.