Solomon's Bride (The Tiger and the Dove, #2)

by Rebecca Hazell

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

"Thinking I was free from the Mongols forever, I felt such joy that I almost cried my thanks aloud."

Our heroine Sofia exclaims at the beginning of Solomon's Bride, I so wished this was true, and routed for her at the end of The Grip of God, but knew this would not be the case. Like the summary describes, just as she is freed from the Mongols she is befallen by the Assassins, thus starting full circle. By the sounds of it, it could feel repetitive, okay she's kidnapped again, but she is a strong character who adapts (as best she can) to her surroundings and always looks over her shoulder, therefore she must escape, plus there is a third book so she can't die right. Right?

It may sound flippant and a repeat of the summary but I have a point. When the movie Titanic first came out my brother and I went with two friends of ours, both having already seen it. We watched Jack proclaiming he's King of the world and defying love with an upper-class woman, and then Rose said she'd never let go. Jack is dead and Rose appears to be on death's door. Despite the fact that Rose is telling the story and therefore obviously can't die, my brother leans over to his friend and asks "Will Rose live?" His friend replied "Remember the guy with the whistle?" we all start cracking up, during a very serious moment, having to stifle giggles due to dirty looks.

I'll cut my little brother slack as he was only ten, but my long-winded point was that he got so caught up in Rose's story that he worried for her safety becoming enamored, and not just by Kate Winslet's boobs. This is how I felt about Sofia, I grew a relationship for the character making expressions while reading that had other's asking "are you okay?" and "what are you reading?" In other words, it didn't matter that I had assumptions on the ending, it was the how I cared about, how could Sofia survive another tragedy?

As for the Assassins and Mongols who have undoubtedly changed Sofia's life, they can only be compared to this year's American Idol finalists, which one is worse? Like my feelings towards Caleb and Jena I am noncommittal to both. Not to be mean, but neither are very good, and are just plain irksome.

Although like American Idol, of which I watch religiously each week, I enjoy following their journey to the Kodak Theater. That is how I felt in The Grip of God and Solomon's Bride, it is the journey and transformation that has held me captive for so long.

Once again, Rebecca Hazell has managed to enliven the page with technicolor images which makes Solomon's Bride a very easy story to visualize and a pleasure to read.