Helpful Score: 4
This was one of the best books that I have read in a while. The story draws you in from the first page and does not let go! We all have heard of the story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, but not much about her children. Although this is a fictionalized account, it has historical accuracy for the most part.
The story is told through the eyes of Cleopatra Selene (or just Selene as she is known). It starts when her father's (Marc Antony's) army is defeated by Augustus and as a result both her parents take their own lives. She and her brothers are brought to Rome where Augustus can parade his win.
It spans the next several years. We find out how she and her sibling accustom themselves to life in Rome and what her fears and thoughts are. There is a great balance of viewing Selene has a scared teen trying to figure out life, as well as, seeing her as a strong woman who stands up for her principles. This is a great book and I highly recommend it for both teens and adults!
The story is told through the eyes of Cleopatra Selene (or just Selene as she is known). It starts when her father's (Marc Antony's) army is defeated by Augustus and as a result both her parents take their own lives. She and her brothers are brought to Rome where Augustus can parade his win.
It spans the next several years. We find out how she and her sibling accustom themselves to life in Rome and what her fears and thoughts are. There is a great balance of viewing Selene has a scared teen trying to figure out life, as well as, seeing her as a strong woman who stands up for her principles. This is a great book and I highly recommend it for both teens and adults!
Helpful Score: 4
What does it say when you can finish reading a book in three days from receiving it with a five week old baby causing a hiatus every two to four hours for food, changes, or just plain attention. Well... I would say that means it is a really good book!
Michelle Moran does not disappoint with her third novel, and I am excited for the four. She is one of those authors who writes a good book and as a reader you assume that was it, but each next novel is full of such entertainment that you are excited and cannot decide if it was better than the last.
Through the words of these pages, a reader gets to travel from Egypt to Rome and become immersed in the lives of historical figures in a way intangible before. The characters and people are brought to life on the pages and their emotions and causes are strongly felt as if a reader was a participant in their day to day lives.
This is a general market novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and would easily say it could be meant for any audience, young adult or adult. The only caution with a young adult I would say is for maturity. Be forewarned of the historically accurate references to the indulgences that the Romans participated in that may be distasteful. Each page brings to light the good and the bad of history and makes me want to delve a bit deeper and just go get a textbook and read. (Yet this is so much more entertaining!)
My favorite part is basically a Roman version of a Robin Hood wanting to bring out the very best. With issues of slavery, indiscretion, betrayal, kidnapping, murder, suicide, illness, birth, adventure, travel, romance, secrets, true love, and long lasting truth every page keeps a reader on their toes. I highly recommend this and every other novel by author Michelle Moran.
Michelle Moran does not disappoint with her third novel, and I am excited for the four. She is one of those authors who writes a good book and as a reader you assume that was it, but each next novel is full of such entertainment that you are excited and cannot decide if it was better than the last.
Through the words of these pages, a reader gets to travel from Egypt to Rome and become immersed in the lives of historical figures in a way intangible before. The characters and people are brought to life on the pages and their emotions and causes are strongly felt as if a reader was a participant in their day to day lives.
This is a general market novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and would easily say it could be meant for any audience, young adult or adult. The only caution with a young adult I would say is for maturity. Be forewarned of the historically accurate references to the indulgences that the Romans participated in that may be distasteful. Each page brings to light the good and the bad of history and makes me want to delve a bit deeper and just go get a textbook and read. (Yet this is so much more entertaining!)
My favorite part is basically a Roman version of a Robin Hood wanting to bring out the very best. With issues of slavery, indiscretion, betrayal, kidnapping, murder, suicide, illness, birth, adventure, travel, romance, secrets, true love, and long lasting truth every page keeps a reader on their toes. I highly recommend this and every other novel by author Michelle Moran.
Helpful Score: 4
This review was originally posted on my review blog : Falling Off The Shelf.
Princess Kleopatra Selene is mourning both the loss of her parents and her kingdom of Egypt. The only person she now has in the world to call family is her twin brother, Prince Alexander Helios. At the age of 12, they must now live as Romans, in the home of Octavian's sister Octavia in Rome. Although they live like royalty, they are nothing more than beautiful slaves, unsure of their future or if they will even have one once they hit the age of 15.
It is mercy to allow the children of Queen Kleopatra IIV to live until they are considered adults. In the Roman age, adulthood is proclaimed at the age of 15. Selene and her brother Alexander are promised that at their arrival into adulthood they will be arranged marriages, but they hope to be useful enough to be returned to their rightful thrones in Egypt.
The story of Cleopatra's Daughter created a vivid image of Imperial Rome, and brought out both it's wonders and horrors. It was a beautiful story of love, loss, and even revenge. I was gripped from the very first page, and didn't want to put it down even during my most tired moments.
Moran wrote this novel so it flowed beautiful, and was easy to read. This wonderful story of Princess Cleopatra Selene can be read by both young adults and adults alike as it tells a story of a young girl coming of age. You will be able to feel her pain, rage, and those bittersweet moments of happiness that she experiences throughout her years.
Throughout all of this, Moran paints a picture of a Rome that will both enrage and captivate you. I would be more than pleased if this was to be created into a movie, as I would love to see it portrayed on the big screen. I would like to give a special thanks to Michelle Moran for being so kind as to allow me to review this novel. She is truly a wonderful person, and I look forward to seeing where her imagination will take her next. I will be sure to pick up her other two novels, The Heretic Queen, and Nefertiti soon.
Princess Kleopatra Selene is mourning both the loss of her parents and her kingdom of Egypt. The only person she now has in the world to call family is her twin brother, Prince Alexander Helios. At the age of 12, they must now live as Romans, in the home of Octavian's sister Octavia in Rome. Although they live like royalty, they are nothing more than beautiful slaves, unsure of their future or if they will even have one once they hit the age of 15.
It is mercy to allow the children of Queen Kleopatra IIV to live until they are considered adults. In the Roman age, adulthood is proclaimed at the age of 15. Selene and her brother Alexander are promised that at their arrival into adulthood they will be arranged marriages, but they hope to be useful enough to be returned to their rightful thrones in Egypt.
The story of Cleopatra's Daughter created a vivid image of Imperial Rome, and brought out both it's wonders and horrors. It was a beautiful story of love, loss, and even revenge. I was gripped from the very first page, and didn't want to put it down even during my most tired moments.
Moran wrote this novel so it flowed beautiful, and was easy to read. This wonderful story of Princess Cleopatra Selene can be read by both young adults and adults alike as it tells a story of a young girl coming of age. You will be able to feel her pain, rage, and those bittersweet moments of happiness that she experiences throughout her years.
Throughout all of this, Moran paints a picture of a Rome that will both enrage and captivate you. I would be more than pleased if this was to be created into a movie, as I would love to see it portrayed on the big screen. I would like to give a special thanks to Michelle Moran for being so kind as to allow me to review this novel. She is truly a wonderful person, and I look forward to seeing where her imagination will take her next. I will be sure to pick up her other two novels, The Heretic Queen, and Nefertiti soon.
Helpful Score: 4
Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com
I absolutely loved reading CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran. The novel is about Marc Anthony and Kleopatra's children and told from the point of view of their daughter, Selene.
The novel starts in 30 BC, after two years of fighting between Marc Anthony and Octavian for control of Rome. Things go from bad to worse when Octavian captures Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, and effectively ends the war. After their parents commit suicide, the royal children - twins named Alexander and Selene and their younger brother, Ptolemy - are exiled from their home and sent to Rome.
While I found the history familiar and fascinating, Selene's story is also compelling. At the start of the novel, she is a precocious eleven-year-old who loves to draw. Though the recent war has made her grow up quickly, she is still hopeful, idealistic, and quickly befriends several members of Octavian's household, including Octavian's heir, Marcellus, and Gallia, a proud enslaved princess.
However, even with allies, there is also plenty of court intrigue as Selene struggles to prove that she's useful enough to keep alive to a ruthless and murderous Octavian. Livia, Octavian's wife, hates her and tries to humiliate her at every opportunity. Juba, the prince of Numidia, watches her every move. Moran also does a great job of interpreting historical figures such as a teenage Ovid, the author of Metamorphoses, and a child Tiberius, forty years before his reign as the second Roman emperor.
CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER achieves a lovely balance between a survey of early Imperial Rome and the story of a young girl growing up far from home. Though Moran show us gladiator games and court trials through Selene's eyes, her main character is much more than a camera lens. I had a hard time putting this book down! Moran creates a world that is both exotic and familiar. Julia, Octavian's daughter, and Selene's shopping sprees are evidence that some things haven't changed in two thousand years!
While history lovers are sure to be pleased, readers of romance and mystery should also check this book out. Five Stars!
I absolutely loved reading CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran. The novel is about Marc Anthony and Kleopatra's children and told from the point of view of their daughter, Selene.
The novel starts in 30 BC, after two years of fighting between Marc Anthony and Octavian for control of Rome. Things go from bad to worse when Octavian captures Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, and effectively ends the war. After their parents commit suicide, the royal children - twins named Alexander and Selene and their younger brother, Ptolemy - are exiled from their home and sent to Rome.
While I found the history familiar and fascinating, Selene's story is also compelling. At the start of the novel, she is a precocious eleven-year-old who loves to draw. Though the recent war has made her grow up quickly, she is still hopeful, idealistic, and quickly befriends several members of Octavian's household, including Octavian's heir, Marcellus, and Gallia, a proud enslaved princess.
However, even with allies, there is also plenty of court intrigue as Selene struggles to prove that she's useful enough to keep alive to a ruthless and murderous Octavian. Livia, Octavian's wife, hates her and tries to humiliate her at every opportunity. Juba, the prince of Numidia, watches her every move. Moran also does a great job of interpreting historical figures such as a teenage Ovid, the author of Metamorphoses, and a child Tiberius, forty years before his reign as the second Roman emperor.
CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER achieves a lovely balance between a survey of early Imperial Rome and the story of a young girl growing up far from home. Though Moran show us gladiator games and court trials through Selene's eyes, her main character is much more than a camera lens. I had a hard time putting this book down! Moran creates a world that is both exotic and familiar. Julia, Octavian's daughter, and Selene's shopping sprees are evidence that some things haven't changed in two thousand years!
While history lovers are sure to be pleased, readers of romance and mystery should also check this book out. Five Stars!
Helpful Score: 4
This book was fascinating. The book, while a work of fiction, is based on real people in history. While I was somewhat familiar with the actual historical figures, my knowledge is limited to college courses.
The book is a semi-fictional account of Cleopatra's children with Marc Antony- twins Alexander and Cleopatra Selene. Selene and Alexander are taken to Rome against their will after Octavian, the ruler of Rome, defeats their parents, the rulers of Egypt.
The story begins when Selene and Alexander must learn how to adjust to a different way of life in Rome. Selene, a very compassionate girl, has the harder time adjusting. Even though at 15, Romans are considered an "adult", it is clear that Selene (a very young 11 at the start of the book) wants to think with her head but is often lead by her heart.
The story does not have a ton of action, or even romance. It is almost like a diary of a girl growing up and how numerous heartbreaking events in her life, she matures into a woman.
One warning- you might need a few Kleenex tissues at the end!
The book is a semi-fictional account of Cleopatra's children with Marc Antony- twins Alexander and Cleopatra Selene. Selene and Alexander are taken to Rome against their will after Octavian, the ruler of Rome, defeats their parents, the rulers of Egypt.
The story begins when Selene and Alexander must learn how to adjust to a different way of life in Rome. Selene, a very compassionate girl, has the harder time adjusting. Even though at 15, Romans are considered an "adult", it is clear that Selene (a very young 11 at the start of the book) wants to think with her head but is often lead by her heart.
The story does not have a ton of action, or even romance. It is almost like a diary of a girl growing up and how numerous heartbreaking events in her life, she matures into a woman.
One warning- you might need a few Kleenex tissues at the end!
