"The hour of my birth, my mother burned incense to Shams, goddess of the sun , thinking in her innocence she, of any god, might understand a girl born under the brilliance of the Dog Star- a light so powerful that its first appearance just before sunrise in Saba invokes the flood waters of the Nile in in faraway Egypt.

Ismeni (The Legend of Sheba #0.5)

by Tosca Lee

My Review:

As beautiful as the Night Stars.

Ismeni (The Legend of Sheba) is a short prequel about Ismeni, the mother of the future queen of Sheba, also known as Bilquis.

I read this because I'd finished The full length book about the Queen of Sheba, a few weeks ago. I adored that book and when I found there was a prequel written about Ismeni, the beautiful and ethereal mother of Bilquis, I knew I had to read it. This book is quite short but wonderful.

I adored it as I did with Sheba's story. Ismeni had been one of my favorite characters in Legend of Sheba. I'd wanted to know more about her. So I was very happy that Tosca Lee chose to tell her story here.

And what a sad story it is. First off, I knew what would happen to her because, as I said, she is in the story about Bilquis. And even though she was only in it for a short time, she was electrifying and sort of stole the beginning of that book. I adored her character. But it was tough with this one because I knew she did not have a happy ending.

I did like that she was prepared and tried to prepare her daughter. But oh how I wish she'd lived! She was a luminous presence and the book was a bit to quick..I wanted more! I did! She is a startlingly beautiful character and I just wish she had her own full length book.

Absolutely recommended for fans of Historical Fiction. It is a beautiful , moon lit story packed in vivid gorgeous prose about a woman as lovely as starlight. Highly highly recommended. ( )

She didn't desire to be seen. She certainly never aspired to be queen. But the position this stunning woman resigns herself to eventually brings her a daughter of destiny in Ismeni: Prelude to The Legend of Sheba by author Tosca Lee.

Wow. Heartwrenching and intriguing in one fell swoop, with an aching kind of beauty to it.

Yes, this short read is all the more significant if you're familiar with the biblical story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Secondly, it makes all the more sense if you've heard of the renowned wisdom of Solomon. Thirdly, it's more than good to know that Ismeni is the coming Queen of Sheba's mother. And if I've ever read a compelling and ideal setup for a related novel, this is it.

If I had any doubts before about whether I'd really read The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen sometime or not, its prequel here has eliminated those doubts. ( )