by Lisa Hilton (Author)
ITALY, 1492. Five-year-old Mura is a strange and bewitching child. Daughter of a Nordic mother and Spanish father, she has been tutored in both Arabic learning and the ancient mythology of the north. But when her widower father is taken by the Inquisition, Mura is sold to a Genoese slaver. In the port of Savona, Mura's androgynous looks and unusual abilities fetch a high price. She is bought as a house slave for the powerful Medici, arriving in Florence as the city prepares for war against the French. When the family are forced to flee, Mura finds herself gifted to the notorious Lioness of Romagna, Countess Caterina Sforza. Beautiful, ruthless and intelligent, the Countess is fascinated by Mura's arcane knowledge. As the Lioness educates her further in the arts of alchemy, potions and poisons, Mura becomes a potent weapon in the Machiavellian intrigues of the Renaissance court...
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Edition: Main
Publisher: Corvus
Published: 07 Nov 2013
ISBN 10: 1848874685
ISBN 13: 9781848874688
Book Overview: 'Think Wolf Hall crossed with Downton Abbey set in the Italian Renaissance' - Red Magazine Enslaved by the Medici, embroiled in the power games of Renaissance Italy, an orphan must beguile her way to freedom