As a child, Pulcheria is brought to see her mother's body by her father, Roman Emperor Flavius Arcadius. At this scene, Pulcheria is told to follow God, protect her brother and her people. Pulcheria takes this to heart and when her father dies suddenly leaving seven-year old Theodosius II as Emperor, Pulcheria does everything in her power to keep the control with her and her brother and not be cast aside. With her strict religious training, Pulcheria and her sisters vow to be sworn virgins of the Church, evading being married off and sent away. Pulcheria quickly becomes Theo's most trusted advisor and rules beside him as his equal. However, as Theo ages his interests are pulled toward romance and ruling as his own man. As Pulcheria is pushed out of the government and into the Church, she continues to provide for the people of Rome. As Theo's reign is endangered by one of his eunuchs and the Huns threaten to invade, Pulcheria must win her way back into her brother's heart to help save the empire she loves.
Covering 50 years of history, Dawn Empress is the second book in The Theodosian Women series. Pulcheria is yet another strong woman and a force to be reckoned with. She honed her power in interesting ways: always sensing others motives and being one step ahead, and a manipulative decisiveness paired with a caring nature. The writing pulled me into 5th Century Rome with well researched descriptions of the dress, food, palace and churches. I enjoyed reading about the many true events that the book incorporates and especially the rule of Theodosious II and the reasoning behind his decisions that defined the period. I was intrigued by Pulcheria's need to protect her brother and family coupled with her need for control and power over her people's religion. While Pulcheria made some wonderful decisions for Rome, others left me questioning her reasoning. Overall, another amazing story of a compelling, influential woman in history. ( )