The extraordinary daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony seeks to reclaim her birthright in the first novel of an epic historical fiction trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of America's First Daughter.
From the first breath of her life, young Princess Selene understands herself to be a cherished daughter and the future queen of Egypt. But when Alexandria falls and her parents are forced into suicide, the once-pampered princess and her two surviving brothers are left at the mercy of their captors and dragged through the streets of Rome in chains. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and is suspect of her faith, Selene struggles for survival in a court of intrigue. She can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the Roman emperor from using her powers for his own ends.
Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother’s dreams and succeed where she failed. But there’s no telling what success will cost her in a treacherous political game where the only rule is win or die....
I absolutely loved this book! I really liked the historical aspect of it and how it stuck very closely to real events. This book was a beautifully written, realistic novel about a fascinating historical character! I felt like I was being dragged along the streets of Rome right with Selene! I loved how realistic her thoughts and feelings were especially regarding her mother and father. I feel like I was able to share in her thoughts because they were so well laid out. I also liked the religious/spiritual undertone/theme and how in the story Isis says she is all goddesses which touches on pluralism. I feel like this should be on everyone's reading list and would recommend it to almost anyone! I can not wait to read the sequel!
Reading updates
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Started reading
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26 September, 2011:
Finished reading
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26 September, 2011:
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