The year is 1631 and Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor, has died after giving birth to their fourteenth child. As her grown children - oldest daughter Jahanara, another daughter, Roshanara and four brothers - come to terms with their mother's death, the heartbroken Shah Jahan decides he can no longer fulfill his role as Emperor. Who will become the next Emperor? Which sister will claim the affections of Najabat Khan, the nobleman Empress Mumtaz has sought out for Jahanara to marry? Thus begins Indu Sundaresan's "Shadow Princess", the third novel in the Taj Trilogy. While "The Twentieth Wife" and "Feast of Roses", the first two novels of the trilogy focus on Mehrunnisa, Mumtaz Mahal's influential aunt, this latest one focuses on another woman behind the veil, Princess Jahanara. Like Mehrunnisa, the Princess faces her own set of obstacles yet she maintains a powerful position in her father's harem, advises in matters of politics and carves out a life given insurmountable odds.

In telling Jahanara's story, Sundaresan also provides a glimpse into the building of the Taj Mahal, the magnificent tomb built by Shah Jahan to honor his dead wife. The grand scale in terms of vision, design detail and expense of building this monument reveals the tremendous power Shah Jahan wielded during his reign.

Sundaresan's careful research of 17th century Mughal India is evident in the rich, historical details such as court etiquette and the descriptions of imperial residences. These, entwined with memorable scenes, powerful characters and gorgeous prose make "Shadow Princess" a truly decadent read. Fans of the author will delight in a visual tour of the monuments mentioned in the Taj Trilogy novels on her Facebook page.

Book Description: In Shadow Princess, Indu Sundaresan picks up where she left off in The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses, returning to seventeenth-century India a few years after Mehrunnisa's death, as two royal princesses struggle for power.

The daughters of the emperor, Jahangir and Roshanara, conspire and scheme against one another in an attempt to gain power over their father's harem. As royal princesses, they are confined in the imperial harem and not allowed to marry. However, this does not stop them from having illicit affairs or plotting who will be the next heir to the throne.

These royal sisters are in competition for everything: control over the harem, their father's affection, and the future of their country. Unfortunately, only one of them can succeed. And despite their best efforts to affect the future, their schemes are eclipsed, both during their lives and in posterity, as they live in the shadow of the greatest monument in Indian history, the Taj Mahal.

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