Fatima

Fatima is the 17-year-old protagonist of the novel. Daughter of a Circassian slave, Fatima is born into slavery as the sultan Abu Abdullah's concubine. She is also the servant of his mother, Lady Aisha. For the entirety of her life all Fatima has known is the world contained within the palace grounds. Her identity is limited to those which her masters of assigned her. Neither her mind nor her body are her own. She is famed for her exotic beauty and sharp temper. Yet the only reason her higher-ups tolerate her at times headstrong behaviors is because they believe she will soon bear the sultan's child, the heir to the throne. Her comforts are therefore only preserved as the safety of a valuable object would be guarded.

Before her escape from bondage, Fatima struggles to keep the true curiosities and desires of her heart quiet. However she does...