The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K’uk of Palenque

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What the average person knows about the Mayans is likely what they learned in school: that they were a powerful people in Central America until their civilization collapsed and they vanished. Some might even know that the Mayans didn’t truly vanish but were scattered from their cities and still live in Central America today. Very few who have not extensively studied them, however, will be able to match the level of detail in Leonide Martin’s Mists of Palenque series.

The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K’uk of Palenque picks up sometime after the first book ends. Yohl Ik’nal’s daughter, Sak K’uk, has a son, Pakal, who even at a very young age has begun showing signs that he is closely connected to the gods. Sak K’uk believes that Pakal is meant to be the next ruler, especially as her brother and his wife have yet to produce any heirs, and she convinces the priests to train her son so that he will be able to be a strong ruler should he ascend to that position. Her attention is not only devoted to her son and the question of succession. Ek Chuuah, who was injured and exiled in the first book in the series, nurses a desire for vengeance against Lakam Ha, and he will stop at nothing to harm the royal family, even to the point of devising a plan to desecrate one of their holiest shrines.

Martin’s writing and characterization are both excellent, but what impressed me most of all in reading both this book and the first in the series was her attention to detail. There is no danger of being confused or left in the dark about anything regarding Mayan history and culture. There are historical notes at both the front and back of the book, and throughout the novel she writes with loving detail about any aspect of Mayan life that might help to illuminate the story for her readers. The story is a seamless blend of history and mythology, and the story itself has introduced me to so much more of Mayan culture than I ever thought I would know. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series.


Reviewed By:

Author Leonide Martin
Star Count /5
Format Trade
Page Count 268 pages
Publisher Made for Success Publishing
Publish Date 2017-Apr-01
ISBN 9781613398814
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue February 2017
Category Historical Fiction
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