Melissa Addey

None Such as She Melissa Addey

11th century, North Africa. Zaynab is the famous queen consort of Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of the Moorish Almoravid army, which defeated El Cid, conquering all of North Africa and most of Spain. But her life is full of unanswered questions. She claimed she would marry the man who would rule all of North Africa, but it took four marriages before this prophecy came true. She was Yusuf's right hand, an undisputed beauty and gave him many children, yet Yusuf chose as his heir the son of a Christian slave girl. Some said she spoke with djinns and spirits of the air. Having met her as a child in The Cup and as a formidable rival in A String of Silver Beads, in None Such as She Zaynab has her own story to tell.
If you loved The Physician by Noah Gordon and enjoy books by Jane Johnson, Anita Diamant and Libbie Hawker, then the Moorish Empire series is for you. Based on the rise of the Almoravid dynasty, which conquered the whole of North Africa and most of Spain (defeating El Cid), the series explores why a Muslim warlord would give his empire to the son of a Christian slave girl. This is historical fiction at its most dramatic, emotional and intriguing.
The sights, sounds, smells and colour of eleventh-century Marrakesh are skilfully evoked... The story arc completes perfectly. Discovering Diamonds
In her time there was none such as she - none more beautiful or intelligent or witty ... she was married to Yusuf, who built Marrakech for her. 12th-century text Kitab al-Istibsar
Five star reviews from Amazon readersThis time period in Northern Africa in the 11th century comes alive with descriptions of clothing, people, homes, cities & other cultural context showing a way of life. This story is so beautifully written that it takes you along a deeply emotional journey, packed with lies, deceit, ambition, adventure, cruelty, and angst. I cried... The building from scratch of Marrakesh is awesome to see in this very well researched historical novel. Keeps you captivated until the last page. A series which has grown very dear to my heart.
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About author Melissa AddeyYou can read about me and my books (and get a free novella) on my website, MelissaAddey.com. I mainly write historical fiction, focusing on the Forbidden City in China's 18th century (now complete) and Morocco in the 11th century (completing soon). Next up, Ancient Rome! I'm in the final year of my Creative Writing PhD and was the 2016 Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library. In 2019 I won the Page to Podcast competition as well as the Novel London award.