Cleopatra's Daughter - Michelle Moran

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER

ISBN - 978-1-84916-079-7
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2009
PAGES - 432
GENRE - Historical Fiction
BINDING - Paperback

AUTHOR - Michelle Moran

BEST-SELLERS - Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen

SYNOPSIS - [From the back cover]

Selene's legendary parents are gone. Her country taken, she has been brought to the city of Rome in chains, with only her twin brother, Alexander, to remind her of home and all she once had.

Living under the watchful eyes of the ruling family, Salene must quickly learn how to be Roman - and how to be useful to Caesar. She puts her artistry to work, in the hope of staying alive and being allowed to return to Egypt. Before long, however, she is distracted by the young and handsome heir to the empire...

When the elusive 'Red Eagle' starts calling for the end of slavery, Selene and Alexander are in grave danger. Will this mysterious figure bring their liberation, or their demise?

Quotes -

“And when that time comes, let's hope your friends outnumber your enemies.”  

“I'm not staring. I'm observing. . . . And what do you observe? . . . A brave young woman who has always fought for what was right, even when it was unpopular.” 

“...she refused to leave anything to someone else that she could do better herself.” 

FL Speak - Every once in a while you come across a book whose cover art simply blows you away. You decide to buy it and after reading the first few pages you realize you should've found it long ago. 

Michelle Moran weaves magic. And when she writes about a certain Egyptian Queen and her daughter, *phew* you know it has to be good.

So we have the Queen of Egypt Cleopatra forced to commit suicide after her husband Marc Antony was killed against the battle with Rome. Now her children, Selene, Alexander and Ptolemy has to face the uncertain future together. Already battling the loss of her parents, Selene must face another heart-breaking tragedy with the death of her youngest brother Ptolemy while on their way to Rome.

Selene, who grew up in the most beautiful city in the world, Alexandria, is shocked at the place the Romans called the greatest city of the world, Rome. She and her twin, Alexander were expecting death but they were pleasantly surprised when they were treated like royalty at Octavian's house. However, they knew that their good fortune would last only as long as they were useful to Octavia.

This book is a journey of a child, her struggle in a new city, her fight for survival. And on this illustrious journey she meets new people, makes new friends and enemies and falls in love with the person she should never have. For Marcellus is the heir of the empire and he may not be the person everyone assumes he is.

And when a certain 'Red Eagle' tries to be the new Spartacus, chaos reigns. With no one to trust except her twin, Selene must keep her wits about if she's to return to Egypt one day. But when everything you own is snatched away from you, the only thing that keeps you going is hope. And maybe love, from an unexpected quarter.

Michelle Moran made sure I was watching the spectacle as an audience. She made sure she kept me hooked and then pulled me further. She made sure by the time I came up gasping, I wanted more.

My Rating - 4.5/5 stars

PRICE - INR 299/-