Vestal Virgin by Suzanne Tyrpak

A priestess in Nero’s Rome discovers hidden truths aboutfaith and herself, in Suzanne Tyrpak’s Vestal Virgin. The Emperor dictates the fate of Rome citizens, but when thepriestess Elissa Rubria Honoria rejects his manipulation, a chain of events followthat endanger Elissa and everyone she cherishes. As calamities befall her, shealso uncovers long-buried secrets about her past.

In Elissa’s childhood, her parents surrendered her to the careof the Vestal Virgins, honored women bound by vows of chastity to serve the Romangoddess of the family and family.  WhileElissa did not willingly accept the burden, she achieves a semblance ofsecurity and comfort in later years. Her carefully scripted life begins tounravel when she learns that her brother Marcus faces an accusation of treason.Elissa knows the Emperor Nero is a capricious and dangerous man, but in herdesperation, she believes she can save her brother. She rushes off to the CircusMaximus, where Nero has ordained Marcus’s death as a spectacle for Rome’scitizens. On her journey, Elissa meets a stranger whose prophetic vow willhaunt her. Though Nero toys with Elissa upon her arrival, it is soon clear thathe does not intend to release his victim. Afterward, Elissa begins to question thewill of the gods, who have allowed Nero’s cruelty to go unchecked.

As a Vestal, Elissa has sacrificed a future with the soldierJustinus, but it seems she will have to endure much more given the loss of herbrother. Her family remains subject to the Emperor’s whims, especially heryounger sister Flavia, who seems to have caught Nero’s eye. It is a horrifyingprospect for Elissa and the Empress, Poppaea Sabina. Where Elissa is selfless,Flavia’s selfishness threatens to embroil the family in Nero’s schemes. TheEmperor, who once deemed Marcus and Justinus his friends, has grown into a paranoidmonster, leaving Justinus fears for his life. Through him, Elissa makes a connectionwith Paul of Tarsus, one of the followers of Jesus, an act with graveconsequences for everyone involved. As Elissa tries to reconcile her faith withthe tenets of the new religion, Nero, Flavia and Poppaea pursue their ownschemes, each of which will ruin Elissa’s former contentment, but also aid herin uncovering an unexpected connection between her and the Emperor.

The authenticity with which Ms. Tyrpak writes about ancientRome will make readers feel as though they are walking the crowded, smellystreets or mingling with the masses in the arena.  Her character portrayals reveal flawed andmisguided individuals, who are also sympathetic even at their most foolish. Theauthor does not shy away from the reputed cruelty and vagaries that the EmperorNero displayed during his lifetime, and she succeeds in making him a powerfulantagonist, even when he seems comical. There are hints of sexual perverseness,but nothing too explicit. While I won’t give away the ending, it felt as thoughsome of the conflicts remained unresolved. I’m pleased to hear that there is asequel to Vestal Virgin.