Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cleopatra's Daughter Review

Day 01 – The best book you read this year


This is actually a really hard decision. Also, it's only August 3rd, so who knows what the rest of the year may bring. I also had to go back to my 2011 reading challenge on goodreads to see what I had read this year. 


I'm going to go with Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran. As you can tell from the title, the book is about Cleopatra Selene, the only daughter of the more famous Cleopatra. Most people forget that she even exists, let alone that she played a huge part in Egyptian, Roman, and African history. It begins with Selene, as she was known, being brought to Rome by Octavian after the deaths of her parents. She and her twin, Alexander Helios, are paraded through the streets of Rome as war captives. They are then taken to the home of Octavian's sister and their father Marc Antony's "true" wife, Octavia. There they are raised as true Roman citizens, but are unable to completely fit in and forget where they come from. The story follows Selene as she grows into a beautiful and formidable young woman. 


I would definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction. Michelle Moran has an amazing way of putting you right there in the story. After I finished this book, I immediately went to the library and checked out her other books: The Heretic Queen and Nefertiti. I had to wait a little while for Madame Tussaud to come out but I devoured that as soon as I could too. She made Cleopatra Selene so real for me that I couldn't stop reading about her. As soon as I finished all of Michelle Moran's books, I went out and found Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray, as well as the Sphinx's Princess series about Nefertiti by Esther M. Friesner, and the Numinous World series by Jo Graham which  concerns various people from this time period.  Pin It
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6 comments:

  1. AniAugust 4, 2011 at 1:45 AM

    I totally abandoned my Goodreads 2011 challenge. I listed a bunch of books, but I later realized that they had been on my "to read" list for so long that I didn't want to read them after all. I'm currently reading Love Is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield. I think that will be my favorite from 2011. -Hollychihuahua stopping by from Swap-Bot

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  2. ColeenAugust 4, 2011 at 6:29 AM

    Hi, following you from S-B, Blogger Swap. Nice to see a blog other than crafts, tho' I love crafts myself. Please come visit my blog and even tho we are not partners I would love it if you followed on mine. Thanks,

    Coleen, An American in Ukraine
    www.vintageterrace2.blogspot.com

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  3. ColeenAugust 4, 2011 at 6:30 AM

    Oh, and congratulations on ready 37 books, that is quite an accomplishment. Nothing like setting a goal.

    Coleen

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  4. MamaMunkyAugust 4, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Thanks for stopping by Lola and Colleen. I wish I was further along than 37. Most of those were read when the baby was napping for 4-5 hours a day. Now I'm lucky if he naps for 1 hour.

    Oh, and I'm actually already following your blog Colleen. :)

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  5. YadiraAugust 4, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, but you make this book sound so good I'm temped to give it a try.

    I found your blog through swap-bot and now I'm following you.

    -Yadiris

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  6. MamaMunkyAugust 4, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    It is REALLY good. You'll want to read all of her books once you finish it. I promise you. :)

    ReplyDelete

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