Book Review: MISTRESS OF THE SUN by Sandra Gulland

As we all know they always say "don't judge a book by it's cover" well I did and this was not the story I expected with this cover. This book was made for me, it had everything I love all rolled into one story. Who could ever go wrong with the drama filed french court of the lively Sun King, black magic, and my most favorite a mystic white horse. The only hang up I had was wondering what was wrong with petite, the main character. She was a good character but she seemed off, through out reading I had come to my own conclusion of what was really going on with her. I had guessed that she had MS because of her spells of unhealthiness. Low and behold when I read the authors notes at the end, it stated that recently it is speculated that she did have MS.

Petite a adventurous child who wandered from home to see the traveling show of a warrior woman who stood on the back of a thunderous stallion as it ran full speed. She already had given her heart to horses but something had pulled her there that day in particular. A pure white wild stallion, angry and untamed. She had managed to convince her father to buy him for her even though he was untamed, wild at heart, and just like her. After a turn of events the horse could not be swayed even with a gentler and an exorcism. Her father had decided the burden was to great and decided to put him down. Petite being only six years old could not let that happen. She snuck into her fathers library and read about "Bone Magic" for horses. The bone magic worked but at what cost? Did she let in the devil when she did it? Or was it just fate that sorrow followed her from then on.

Petite was a different type of character for me . She was completely lacking of ambition, and she did not really listen to her heart for instruction in her life. A mysterious person who did not even gossip with her maid and actually kept a lot of things from her. She reminded me of the type of person to be inclined to stay with the animals rather than people. A whisperer who gentled animals.

I will be buying this one when it comes out in paperback. A book that I would whole heartedly recommend for any animal. Even though the book was not what I expected and it proved better than any expectation I ever had.

"A novel of Louise de la Vallière, mistress of the Sun King. As a girl, she won the trust of the wildest of horses; as a woman, she would win the love of the most charismatic of kings."