This is the final book in an excellent trilogy of Cleopatra's daughter. This daunting book of 576 pages tries to tell of a story of a dauntless queen who lived in the turbulent and twisted early period of the Roman Empire. Most people are at least vaguely aware of Caesar, Marc Anthony, Cleopatra, and Augustus. They were giants and legends in history. Selene was a byproduct of that age .... and a byproduct of Anthony and Cleopatra love. No one remembers her and I applaud Stephanie Dray for telling a remarkable story about Selene.My main grievances with the book are the length and complications of Selene's family tree. I wonder if this book could have been broken in two? Not much can be done about the bewildering family tree.It's a long read. There were times I thought about putting it down and moving on to another book. But I'm glad to have stuck around to read about this Daughter of the Nile. Full disclosure- I got to read a pre-release galley edition of the book. And then my awesome friend bought it for me for Christmas.I really enjoy the writing of Dray and how she brings the ancient world to life. Her Augustus is so different from any other I have read and he is mean but exactly how I would expect. Cleopatra Selene is strong and powerful and comes into her own in this novel. It has been a long time since I read the first two books in this series but this was an amazing conclusion. All of the characters are fleshed out and it made me need to go back and research the history of the Roman Empire and who came after. A great read for those interested in Rome and Egypt and the ancient world in all its glory.
An absolutely wonderful conclusion to the series. I couldn't put it down, even when I was in tears.
—Damian
I thought that this series was excellent! A fascinating look at Cleopatra's daughter.
—Shady
I wish there had been more Mauretania less Rome. More Juba less Helios and Augustus.
—RD03
There were some slower parts but overall an entertaining read!
—Melisa
I have never cried harder in a book...
—Jess
