STORY
What surprised me much more than any other manga did was the story. Even so it was a pleasant surprise. My opinion is that the best part of the series is the story. I mean who haven't heard about the famous sultan Suleiman who once ruled over the Ottoman Empire and had a concubine named Hurrem (at first her name was Alexandra) who later became the empress. Even so this manga doesn't follow the original plot (that I think most of us know) exactly as they add new situations for the characters. As I read only the first chapters of the manga I can't say exactly if it will continue like this or if it will develop even more.
ART
I don't have much to say about the art because whether or not you like it is at you own choice. There are people who like this kind of art and there are people who hate it. Personally I really enjoyed it because I love this mangaka's works and I read a lot of them. It is kind of ,,old'' but even so the characters are drawn really carefully and I think that some of the females are beautiful and some of the males are handsome.
CHARACTERS
The characters are really unique, everyone has its story and past. The female lead Alexandra is a girl raised in a small village between two small kingdoms. She was captured for the purpose to be sold and while she was trying to run away she mets a charming dark haired man who she immediately becomes interested in. After talking with him, the man takes her back. She was at the market waiting to be sold when surprinsingly the man who bought her is the same dark haired man from that night when she tried to escape. He took her and gave her teachers who taught her all kind of different things. She was hoping that she would stay by his side forever so imagine how shocked she was when she was told that she will the concubine's sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Even so she accepted her fate easily. She soon learns the ways of the harem and began to make her own road to survive. She annoyed me a little because she liked both the sultan and her savior. She matured during the series and began to become more strong. She isn't weak, forgetful, careless and also she isn't the type to mess around with. She is quite smart and really enjoys studying. About the males I didn't really made an opinion. The sultan is ambitious, strong and has the spirit and charisma of a ruler.
ENJOYMENT
As I said before, at first I was reluctant about this manga but it was a really good adaptation of the life of the sultan Suleiman and his concubine Hurrem. I enjoyed almost everything about it and I think others will feel the same about it. I didn't find many flaws. I really want to end reading it and I recommend this manga to anyone who likes historical and romance stories.
