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books2011-11-06 02:14 pm
moonreviews) wrote in books2011-11-06 02:14 pm
Book review: "Lily of the Nile" by Stephanie Dray
(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)
Title: Lily of the Nile - A novel of Cleopatra's daughter (on the author's website)
Author: Stephanie Dray
Format: paperback
Pages: 343 (but with a "Readers Guide" at the back which makes the page count 351)
Year published: original 2010/2011, my edition 2011
Language: English, original English
ISBN number: 9780425238554
Reason for reading: Shanra let me know about the existence of this book, because there's a character in it called Selene (actually she's the main character). Which was of course my reason for reading :P See also my review of "Selene of Alexandria" here for another book with a character called Selene. In "Lily of the Nile", Selene's home city is also Alexandria, but she is the daughter of Cleopatra ("Cleopatra Selene") and she is twins with Alexander Helios. In the introduction, the author names another novel about Cleopatra Selene, which went onto my wishlist immediately as well :) And I got the sequel to "Lily of the Nile" already (I ordered both book simultaneously) so I can continue reading :D And I really like reading about Ancient history.
Back cover text:
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 Roman 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, where her heritage is reviled and her faith is suspect, 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. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to 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 to win or die?
First alinea of the prologue:
They came from Memphis, Thebes, and Heliopolis to see the Savior born. Slaves and freedmen, merchants and artisans, poets and priests - they all came. Babylonian oracles came with their prophecies. Evens Romans came, for their mystic poet, Virgil, had foreseen a new era and a worthier race of men. Some came on camels, some in fishing boats, some by foot. And standing wondrously tall in the harbor, the Pharos lighthouse welcomed them all.
First alinea of chapter 1:
Something coiled dangerously within the basket I carried, but I'd been told not to open the lid nor to ask what lurked beneath its woven reeds. The basked smelled of comforting cedar and lush figs, but it was embroidered with emblems of Anubis - the jackal-headed Guide of the Dead.
Review:
here!
Title: Lily of the Nile - A novel of Cleopatra's daughter (on the author's website)
Author: Stephanie Dray
Format: paperback
Pages: 343 (but with a "Readers Guide" at the back which makes the page count 351)
Year published: original 2010/2011, my edition 2011
Language: English, original English
ISBN number: 9780425238554
Reason for reading: Shanra let me know about the existence of this book, because there's a character in it called Selene (actually she's the main character). Which was of course my reason for reading :P See also my review of "Selene of Alexandria" here for another book with a character called Selene. In "Lily of the Nile", Selene's home city is also Alexandria, but she is the daughter of Cleopatra ("Cleopatra Selene") and she is twins with Alexander Helios. In the introduction, the author names another novel about Cleopatra Selene, which went onto my wishlist immediately as well :) And I got the sequel to "Lily of the Nile" already (I ordered both book simultaneously) so I can continue reading :D And I really like reading about Ancient history.
Back cover text:
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 Roman 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, where her heritage is reviled and her faith is suspect, 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. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to 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 to win or die?
First alinea of the prologue:
They came from Memphis, Thebes, and Heliopolis to see the Savior born. Slaves and freedmen, merchants and artisans, poets and priests - they all came. Babylonian oracles came with their prophecies. Evens Romans came, for their mystic poet, Virgil, had foreseen a new era and a worthier race of men. Some came on camels, some in fishing boats, some by foot. And standing wondrously tall in the harbor, the Pharos lighthouse welcomed them all.
First alinea of chapter 1:
Something coiled dangerously within the basket I carried, but I'd been told not to open the lid nor to ask what lurked beneath its woven reeds. The basked smelled of comforting cedar and lush figs, but it was embroidered with emblems of Anubis - the jackal-headed Guide of the Dead.
Review:
here!