About the Book:
Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers…
To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene’s parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But 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. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-or die?
About the Author:
Stephanie graduated from Smith, a small women’s college in Massachusetts where–to the consternation of her devoted professors–she was unable to master Latin. However, her focus on Middle Eastern Studies gave her a deeper understanding of the consequences of Egypt’s ancient clash with Rome, both in terms of the still-extant tensions between East and West as well as the worldwide decline of female-oriented religion.
Before she wrote novels, Stephanie was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the transformative power of magic realism to illuminate the stories of women in history and inspire the young women of today. She remains fascinated by all things Roman or Egyptian and has–to the consternation of her devoted husband–collected a house full of cats and ancient artifacts.
My Opinion:
Cleopatra and her progeny hold a huge interest for me. Behind reading about the Tudors it’s the Caesar/Cleopatra/Antony/Augustus period that draws me next. Therefore when offered this book I was one happy woman. I remained a happy woman up ’til the end and then I was sad only because the book had ended. I am eagerly awaiting the next two books in this trilogy.
We all know that Cleopatra killed herself but not many of us know that she bore children; at least I didn’t. Caesarion to Caesar and twins Helios and Selene and son Philadelphus to Marc Antony. Little has been left to history about these children; Caesarion was killed on Augustus’ orders when he conquered Egypt. Helios and Selene and presumably Philadelphus were taken to Rome, marched in Augustus’ Triumph and then “adopted” by him and raised by his sister. Selene ultimately became Queen of Mauretania.
The book was a fascinating read about a woman who left little historical record. Ms. Dray weaves a tale full of mystery and yes, magic. The Egyptian culture was so alien to the Romans they felt, I’m sure, that they were superior. Rome always felt superior but if you look at what Egypt had accomplished by the same time and how long it had been ascendant Rome should have hanged its head in shame for destroying it. But enough soapbox and back to the book….
Once I started it I found it hard to put down, in fact I read it over the course of two 1/2 days. The writing style is easy and the characters well drawn. Selene grows from a nervous, unsure child to a strong, powerful woman ready to take on her role in the world. As I said, I am very much looking forward to the next books in the series.
Lily of the Nile is available at Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of Lilly of the Nile from Penguin Books. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
