Review: Lily of the Nile (Cleopatra's Daughter #1) by Stephanie Dray

Title: Lily of the Nile

Author: Stephanie Dray

Series: 1st in planned series

Pages: 368

Published: Available now from Berkley Trade

ISBN: 9780425238554

Source: Star Book Tours

 

Description: 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?

I Give This ...

 

It's funny how books about the exact same time period and people can have totally different feels to them.  I've read Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran as well.  They basically begin and end at the exact same points.  While I like one slightly more than the other, the both were so different in style that if you enjoy Selene's story you should read them both.

Selene felt young in this book and thus I think the book feels more young adult.  This book also had a touch of magic that I found I really enjoyed.  I still really enjoyed her character because she's still a princess even if she's been stripped of her titles.  She refuses to bow down to her captors and I think she eventually earned the respect.

The relationships were different in this one which was hard for me to accept.  I found I liked the representation of Juba.  I found I liked how Octavian was represented the best.  He seemed almost crazy with his obsession with Cleopatra and it reflected a lot in how he dealt with Selene.

I'm actually more excited to read the next in the series.  From the end of Cleopatra's Daughter, I wanted to know what happened to Selene next.  I can't wait to see what Stephanie Dray does with Song of The Nile.