A review by snwsandy
The Moonlight Palace by Liz Rosenberg

2.0

I chose this book from the Kindle First selection since it was a historical fiction set in 1920s Singapore. Having been to Singapore, I thought it would be more descriptive about what was happening during this timeframe in Singapore and the changes. Although it talks about the palace itself, it glosses over what was going on within Singapore and the impacts of Muslims, Chinese and more. Also, the characters were not so identifiable and the relationships among them seem so unlikely. The main character who has been sheltered most her life doesn't really grow much beyond her hidden world. The stories were left so open-ended that I just grew tired of it. Hidden romances weren't explained. A lover that betrays somehow just conveniently disappears at the height of the story. A terrorist act is glossed over by just deporting the guy. The jewelry shop owner had mysterious relationships that were never explained. And it goes on like this...It would have been a good story if it had been developed better.