Cleopatra's Moon

by Vicky Alvear Shecter

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

It’s no secret to my long-time readers that I’m a fan of Egyptian historical fiction. A love that I track back repeated viewing of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments every Easter. And while I know historically that Moses has no connection to Cleopatra, that Moses’s story, of course, led me to seek out other Egyptian stories and eventually I found myself face-to-face with one of the strongest women leaders in history, Cleopatra. And eventually, I was drawn to the story of her children after her death, their removal from Alexandra and life in Rome.

Vicky Alvear Shecter made Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s daughter come to life for me. This book ranks right up there with Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran which nearly made me miss a flight in the Denver airport years ago.

This is a young adult novel so there is quite a lot of teenage drama, but Alvear Shecter attempts to weave that into the political implications of being a ward of Rome’s emperor. How do you rebel and try to gain some semblance of freedom when your life and the life of your family is on the line? It’s quite complicated especially when it appears you have no allies and those you believe are allies may not be. There’s lots of twists and turns in this story!

I love it when authors of historical fiction include notes at the end of the novel. Alvear Shecter included a wonderful afterward in Cleopatra’s Moon explaining a bit of the history and how she altered it fit the story of Selene that she wanted to tell. It’s notes like these that help bring history to life for me. And I’m so appreciative when an author takes the time to explain their inspiration and alterations.

Overall, I recommend giving Cleopatra’s Moon a shot. Vicky Alvear Shecter breathes new life into history and provides a few twists and turns that may catch you by surprise.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews