Enchantress

How I wanted to like this book. The concept is great– historical fiction set in the middle east around the time of the destruction of the temple, and the rise of the Rabbis as a force to be reckoned with in Judaism, focusing specifically on the magic-practicing daughter of one of the great amoraim. And if the focus had stayed on Hisdadukh's learning how to use magic, and dealing with the politics of the era (Roman, Persian, Rabbinical and magical) it would have been great– there are certainly moments of it. But the author focuses so hard on the romance between the protagonist and Rava (another prominent rabbi of the era, who historically married Rav Hisda's daughter) that all the actually interesting plot developments fall by the wayside. Like– the main villain is seen once at the beginning of the novel, or maybe it's not her, but it never really comes up again. Rava slits someone's throat in a drunken fit during Purim, and then resurrects the guy, and it's NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. The head enchantress turns out to be a lesbian, but it's hinted at once, is revealed and all the protagonist says is “oh, that's why Asmodeus' manly manly bits don't distract you.”
So, basically, it have the potential, and never lives up to it, much to my disappointment. On the up side, i learned that during that era the smaller a guy's dick was, the more ideal it was considered. So there's that.