Tagged: octavian

Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray(Cover picture courtesy of Stephanie Dray’s website.)

Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra’s daughter is the one woman with the power to destroy an empire…

Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.

The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra’s daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother’s throne be more than she’s willing to pay?

Oftentimes the second book in a trilogy suffers from what I call Book 2 Syndrome.  It means that the book is essentially a set up for the more exciting final book and ends on a huge cliffhanger to sucker readers into buying another book.  This is definitely not the case with Stephanie Dray’s debut trilogy.

Cleopatra Selene is an even better character in this book not only because of her age but because of her life experience.  Stephanie Dray manages to find a perfect balance between Selene’s ambitious side and her religious side, the side that is totally devoted to Isis.  At the same time (for what will become obvious reasons) Selene has a hard time trusting and forgiving people.  She’s not a perfect woman and never pretends to be but her inner strength is undeniable.  Truly, Selene is spared nothing by Stephanie Dray and goes through so much suffering throughout the novel.  Yet with the suffering there is also healing.

Much like Lily of the Nile, this book was a one-sitting read.  I literally could not put it down, going so far as to read it while having supper, which is not something I’d normally do no matter how interesting a book is.  The plot is fast-paced but there’s so much character development not only for Selene but for Chryssa, Juba, Octavian and Helios as well.  It’s really a fascinating read from a lot of perspectives.

Song of the Nile is not a miraculous example of historical accuracy in fiction.  Yet I loved how Stephanie Dray admitted this in her ‘Dear Reader’ note and gave actual justifications for any changes.  There is also a huge gap in the record of Cleopatra Selene’s life so she did have a little more leeway with her characters than most historical fiction writers do.  Despite these changes where possible the novel is historically accurate right down to the details of everyone’s clothing.

If you haven’t started the trilogy yet I can’t recommend it enough.  It’s well-written so that you feel like you’re actually there with these historical figures.  It’s fast-paced but doesn’t sacrifice character development in the process.  And it’s historically accurate where possible.  What more can you ask for in historical fiction?

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray(Cover picture courtesy of Stephanie Dray’s website.)

With her parents both dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors.  Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim what’s rightfully hers.

In the aftermath of Alexandria’s tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she’s ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she’s put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene’s captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor’s sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans…

Now trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined honor her mother’s lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. But 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?

I’ve read many, many takes on Cleopatra Selene.  The historically accurate one from Michelle Moran, the more character based one of Vicky Alvear Shecter as well as a couple combinations of the two approaches.  But this magic infused take of Stephanie Dray’s is definitely unique.

Cleopatra Selene is a fascinating character.  She’s a princess, but she’s wise beyond her years as her mother likely would have raised her.  Her twin brother, Alexander Helios is a proud young man raised in the mold of his father, Mark Antony.  Selene is sort of the one that takes care of her two brothers, not allowing her pride to get in the way of their survival.  She has to make such hard choices and her brothers shun her for them, but they’re always made with the best intentions: to help the family survive.

Even in Rome with the dangerously ruthless Octavian and the always-scheming Livia, Selene manages to survive and even thrive.  For someone who goes through so much at a young age, Selene isn’t very trusting and when the schemes of the cult of Isis start to interfere with the careful walls she’s built around her surviving family she does everything she can to protect them.  Even if it means losing their only chance to escape.

I like how Stephanie Dray focused not only on making these historical figures into relatable characters, but also on the magical aspect of her novel.  We really feel Selene’s panic as the words of Isis are written into her skin and the reactions of the characters around her are varied and realistic.  Octavian’s reaction to a particular message near the end of the book seems quite in character, knowing what I know about the real Octavian.  Stephanie Dray doesn’t go too far into the magical aspect, but she gives us enough of a taste so we know Selene is in for big things in the sequel, Song of the Nile.

Some may find the plot a little slow and, well, fair enough.  I, however, enjoyed the slower pace as Selene adjusted to life in Rome and tried to make a new home for herself and her brothers there.  It really allowed Stephanie Dray to focus in on the characters as well as throw in some plot twists near the end.  As for the historical accuracy, many of the details have been carefully researched but as she says in her author’s note, Stephanie Dray did take liberties with history.

In short, if you’re looking for a refreshing take on Cleopatra Selene with some fantastical elements, you’ll love Lily of the Nile.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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