The Singer and Her Song (Empire at Twilight #2) by N.L. Holmes

The Singer and Her Song (Empire at Twilight #2) Reviews

• 
  Jenni Bishop

  The Singer and Her Song (Empire at Twilight Book 2) by N.L. Holmes is a historical fiction story. This time we are transported to Mesopotamian land of Mittani. As usual NL is passionate and well researched in the genre that each story is written and shows in the storyline. She also has the ability to paint a vivid picture. The narrative is original and engaging and NL does a great job of bringing it all together. This is not just a story it is also a lesson on life in Syria in 1235 BCE.
• 
  Sherry Sharpnack

  This is Book #2 in the "Empire at Twilight" series, but other than the name of one king, there is no discernible overlap between Book #1 and Book #2, so you don't have to read the first to follow the plot of the second.
  Uqnitum is a court musician for a king in Mittani, the daughter of the great court musician Tapishili (akin to Handel at the court of George II, my closest comparison). Mittani is being conquered by the Assyrians piece by piece. Sure enough, Uqnitum's city is invaded on one life-changing night, so she and her family - husband Ar-Tesshub, simple-minded son Wullu, and pregnant daughter Tatasshe - flee for their lives. The refugees are overtaken by the invading Assyrians and captured. The experiences this family suffers are really beyond imagining and so very difficult to read. The invasion and capture all occur in the first 20% of the book.
  What we find out is that Uqnitum is a difficult person at the best of times. In fact, her older two sons have already fled their home city for life elsewhere - Uqnitum knows not where. Uqnitum is apparently a difficult-to-please mother, and my heart goes out to Tatasshe as she tries to deal with flight, capture, and pregnancy in the company of this difficult mother. Tatasshe and Uqnitum become court musicians in their new city, and are treated relatively well, considering that they are captive refugees, b/c the music master is a great fan of Tapishili. There is a grand celebration for the New Year plus the marriage of the king to celebrate, and Uqnitum's fantastic voice is required, but Tatasshe is willing to give up her life as a musician - unthinkable! - to escape her mother, especially after their horrific captive march, which has left Uqnitum w/ PTSD on top of her anger issues. Uqnitum's anger and PTSD cause simply devastating consequences to her and her family.
  I have to say that Uqnitum is the least-likeable protagonist in a book that I have read since Jay Gatsby. I understand that she goes through great losses and terrible experiences, but she is honestly less capable at handling them than her pregnant daughter is - who had already lost her husband to the Assyrians before the story even starts! But again, as in Book #1, there is great world-building and the descriptions of the invasion, captive march, and the coup attempt are all well-written and gripping. 3 stars.
  
  
• 
  Desiree

  This is a sweeping tale of survival. I feel like Holmes did a fantastic job of describing what it would have been like to live during that time and to be conquered by the Assyrians. I couldn't help but feel like I was transported back in time, watching everything happen. The cities, the characters, the palaces simply came alive in my mind as I read.
  
  Uqnitum is a hard character to love. But you have to give her mad respect because she is able to keep herself and her pregnant daughter alive after their lives are turned upside down. She acts rashly and doesn't always make the wisest choices because she is trying to make up for a where she has failed in the past and the present. While her choices were not always helpful, it does work out in the end for the better. I appreciated how in the end, she was finally able to move beyond herself to reflect on the choices that she had made. She was able to recognize what needed to change, and then made that difficult choice to fix it.
  
  I really enjoyed this read. If you want a heart wrenching tale of historical survival, this is your book!
  
• 
  Kayla

  The Singer and Her Song tells the story of Uqnitum, a singer from Mitanni and her daughter, Tatasshe. When their village is destroyed by the Assyrians and the men of the family are killed, Uqnitum and Tatasshe seek refuge in the court of Ugarit. With the deaths of her family, the loss of her home, and the guilt she feels for her part in it, Uqnitum struggles to adjust to her new life. Facing challenges, hardship, and heartache, Tatasshe and Uqnitum must learn what strength truly is.
  
  I loved this novel. The characters are so well developed and likeable, I felt their pain, their joy, their relief, their heartache. The setting of the story is phenomenal and transports the reader to another land, in another time. I was hooked on the story from the minute the first chapter opened. N.L. Holmes has written a novel that I can give nothing but praise for. I will be reading the rest of the novels in the Empire of Twilight Series soon!
• 
  Rebecca Hill

  The Singer and Her Song is the second book in the Empire at Twilight series. This book easily stands alone. To be completely honest, I did not like this book. You may be thinking wait, didn’t you give it 4 stars? I did not like it, but I could not put it down. I stayed up most of the night once I started reading this story. It was so good and such a challenging book. Uqnitum was so frustrating, and I wanted to shake her! Her story was tragic and hard. My heart was broken for her over and over again. She became a person that even she didn’t like to be able to survive the horrors in her life. This story was gut wrenching but thought provoking. What would you sacrifice for your kids? Don’t read this book to be entertained; read this mother’s story to be changed.
  
• 
  Annette

  I appreciated the detailed history of Syria in 1235BC and the development of Uqnitum's character. Keeping track of all the characters with long names and similar ones made the novel difficult to read, the reason for a three-star rating.
  
  Uqnitum, a singer from a famous musical lineage flees the Kingdom of Mitanni. She struggles with her own personal mental health issues and the immense, unbearable changes to her life.
  
  When the city falls to the Assyrians, her family is captured. Her husband & son were tortured and killed. With her pregnant daughter, she flees to the court of Ugarit.
• 
  Jana Lewis

  I really enjoyed this book! It was different from the other N.L. Holmes books I’ve read in the sense that it wasn’t a mystery, but it was great! As a mother, I understand many of the things Uqnitum did as she tried to hold her family together, from being strong and unrelenting to being ready and able to tear apart anyone who tries to hurt my kids. I feel the setup of the journey Uqnitum and Tatasshe endured at the beginning helped to strengthen their reactions throughout the book. I believe it also does a great job setting an example of how we sometimes go through life with certain memories and “baggage” that we don’t realize are affecting those around us. This book had me nodding my head in understanding, pulled me in to see what would happen next, and even had me in tears a couple of times. Overall, it was a great read!
• 
  Joel Epstein

  One of the difficult questions that the writer of historical fiction must answer is: how much are the people in my book like us? Back then, 100 or 500 or 2000 years ago, did people think and feel and act like we do? Did they have the same whims, make the same sorts of decisions, love and hate and choose like us? or were they somehow different? And the further back in time the book reaches, the more compelling this question becomes.
  
  Author N.L. Holmes, in her book "The Singer and her Song", answers this question unequivocally: they are just like us. Set in the 14th century BC, the book tells the story of refugees from the ancient Mesopotamian land of Mittani, a little-known nation wiped out by the Assyrians. The refugees are musicians, and the Mittanians are highly respected throughout the region for their musical skills.
  
  The people in this book are just like us, even disturbingly so. The refugees are a dysfunctional family: the mother nasty and overbearing, the sons estranged, the pregnant widowed daughter caught in the mother's compulsive and abusive ego. The characters act out of the same, often irrational, motivations that we do: fear, anger, betrayal, pity. There is a plot to overthrow the king. The conspirators scheme and act out of the same forces of greed and ambition that drive modern-day rebels.
  
  In fact, you could take these characters and this plot and transplant it to Victorian England or modern New Hampshire, and only the names would have to change.
  
  When I began to read, I found this modernity to be jarring. I found myself constantly arguing. After all, we are used to thinking about ancient peoples as they appear in ancient texts: in stilted language, verses that glorify rulers, praise the gods and deify the abundance and the paucity of nature. But as I read, I found myself convinced by Ms. Holmes's description. After all, dysfunctional families are not a modern invention; daughters have bickered with mothers, employees have been disgruntled, and the rich have been selfish and arrogant since time immemorial.
  
  I thank Ms. Holmes for introducing me to a country (Mittani) and language (Hurrian) that I didn't know about; and, most importantly, to a musical culture that was highly developed.
  
  Joel Epstein, author of "The Language of the Heart"
  https://www.amazon.com/Language-Heart...
• 
  Shelly

  N.L. Holmes has written another fascinating story that tugs at your heart. Strength and courage are two themes that stand out in this book. From page 1, Uqnitum starts strong with her strength as the Assyrians overtake her city and she has to collect her family and try to escape. She fears for her life and her family. Raised without a mother, she grew up headstrong and doesn't back down from a fight. In today's world, we might call her "filter" broken. She and her family are taken by the the enemy. The loss of her son and husband chip away a bit at her strength and she seems to just lose it a little. Tatasshe, her daughter is pregnant. It comes down to the two of them. Uqnitum just thinks she is being helpful (control freak anyone?). Tatasshe wants to break free for her sanity and has to learn how to do that. With the help of new friends and unfortunately, a near tragedy, she is able to make that leap. Tatasshe makes strides to grown in her strength by speaking up and telling her mom what she wants. Supporting characters in the story are also written very well. The descriptions and characteristics made it so easy to have your own little movie running in your head. The plot line was so good. I felt every emotion. When Uqnitum's husband was blinded, my heart stopped. I felt every emotion. This book is fantastic. Highly recommended.
• 
  Amanda

  This is the second book in the series and I have to say it is better then the first. Holmes brings the world to you and she has done some major research in order to bring it to you. The book is about love and loss and what hardships a family goes through. The family loses not only a father but a brother an son. The mother is so overbearing that her two sons leave home to make something of themselves. She realizes that her affair that she had 15 years ago could have produced the son she lost. Holmes makes you feel very invested in the characters and makes you want to just keep turning the pages.
• 
  Lorralei Hoerner

  Book 2 of the Empire of the Twilight Series was enjoyable. This book can easily be read as a stand alone. I find the attention to detail, especially the historical nature, that Author N.L. Holmes puts into this book is fantastic. Uqnitum flees from Mittani when she loses family. Parts of the story I really felt to for Uqnitum, the guilt and darkness. Definitely read the book to find out if Uqnitum overcomes the danger she has become and find strength to overcome. Overall a very good story with great attention to details. Well Done Author N.L. Holmes
• 
  Ashley

  This book, like the lord Hani series, was very good. It was clearly very well researched, and it brought a lot of modern questions into a historical text. The tone of thus one was very different, almost as if someone else wrote it. However, it was very good. I look forward to reading more.
• 
  Angela

  3 ½ Stars
  
  The Singer and Her Song is the second book in the Empire at Twilight series by N.L Holmes. This book can be read as a standalone in the series, without feeling like you are missing out bits of storyline or information. I have read most, if not all, of Ms. Holmes book now, and I have found the one thing that connects them all and impresses me the most, is the rich and vibrant historical details she weaves into all her work. As with all her other books, Ms. Holmes passion for history shines through in her writing, which makes reading her stories a real pleasure.
  This story is a fascinating blend of fiction and historical fact, woven into quite an interesting tale. This time, the story is set in Syria in 1235 BCE- which really comes to life under the authors creative hands.
  We get plenty of dysfunctional family dynamics, drama, emotion, and some self-realisation and discovery too. It is an intriguing story that held my attention the whole way through. While not my favourite read of hers, it was non-the-less entertaining.
  Happy Reading!
  
  Thank you, N.L Holmes!
  
• 
  Ashley Denno

  The author has vivid descriptive language. The similarities between the problems we face today and the problems they face are both very much the same and very much different. The main character shows strength, but is also controlling. It may not be my favorite read, but it has a lot of interesting detail and information that makes it worth the read.
• 
  Jonell

  I’ve read many new authors this year. Above them all stands N. L. Holmes. She really is my newest favorite. I know when I pick her book up it will be a good read. They don’t always end the way I wish but isn’t that just like life. The Singer and Her Song delivers in the same way that all her books do. A world rich with the tapestry of everyday living, characters so real you feel you know them or at least someone like them. She doesn’t pull any punches with the raw emotion involved with the mundane affairs of everyday living or the inevitable crisis. Who hasn’t had a family or a family member that’s so dysfunctional it’s a poison to everyone around them? Even people that came unaware to the party. Once again this is a story set in an ancient land in an ancient time but with characters that reflect the same flaws that so many of us have in this time and place. The stage may change but the actors remain the same. Congratulations N. L. Holmes another excellent read.
• 
  Tausha Treadway

  The Singer and Her Song (Empire at Twilight Book 2) by N.L. Holmes. I love these books so much. The author writes so vividly that I feel as if I've been to these places. Its is book 2 but it can be read as a standalone easily but I recommend reading both. This book is set in 14th Century BC and the book tells the story of refugees from the ancient land of Mittani in Mesopotamian. This little known nation has been wiped out by the Assyrians and the refugees of this fine land are all musicians. They are known to have amazing musical skills. Uqnitu is a singer that is not liked at all because of her temper and controlling ways. These things also help her in her field. Of course dysfunctional families are nothing new and Uqnitu comes from a very dysfunctional one. This book shows us horrible conditions these families are living under and building new lives from the ground up. I loved this book and I didn't want it to end.
• 
  Anantha Rusum

  This is the second book in the Empire of the twilight series, a fascinating tale of historic fiction set in Syria in the early 13th century BC. The story is centered around Uqnitum , a singer from the musical lineage, who had to flee from Mittani, which was wiped by the Assyrians, when she looses her husband and her youngest child. She flees along with her pregnant widowed daughter and her guilt makes her an abusive dangerous mother. She has to fight and get back her strength from sinking into the darkness.
  This is my third book from this author and I enjoy reading her books. To start with, I loved the title of the book, it is quite lyrical. Rich, vibrant in history and vivid descriptions, this book is both informative and entertaining at the same time. The book delves deep into a range of human emotions, from anger, pity, betrayal, fear all the way to self-realization and discovery. This was a very compelling read and I hope to read more from N.L.Holmes.
• 
  Rayne

  A uniquely beautiful piece of writing. The author’s talent in creating this world continues in book 2 of the Empire at Twilight series. I was absorbed into Uqnitum’s life and had all the feels. I wanted to throttle her for being so stubborn and prideful. The skilful presentation of the era bled of the pages and I greedily soaked up every word. Highly recommend this series.
• 
  Kerry carr

  This is the second book in the Empire At Twilight Series. It is a really captivating and great story. The author does such a good job with the characters and also with the historical aspect as well that it feels like you have actually stepped back in time.
  
  Uqnitum and her family are giftesld musicians. They have lived a happy life until their village is invaded and their life's are destroyed.
  
  After Uqnitum loses her family and one of her children, she and her pregnant daughter are forced to flee to try and find safety. However the guilt of losing her husband and her child is becoming harder for Uqnitum to bear and when she starts to become a danger things need to change.
  Can Uqnitum and her daughter reach safety? Can Uqnitum regain herself before she hurts someone or herself? Is she strong enough to get over the loss of her family and the guilt its brought?