Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

5 Stars
R- 3

Loved this book. Devoured it yesterday. I mean, I read about 50 pages before yesterday and over 350 pages of it yesterday. Fabulous.

Selene and her siblings are taken to Rome by Octavian after Cleopatra's death, but their fate is far from certain. Yes, they're given rooms in Octavia's villa (sister of Octavian-- Roman names are a pain), but once the Triumph is over, are they really going to be left alive?

Throw in a traitor stirring up trouble all over Rome, an empty-headed but well-meaning princess, the cruel Livia, and a young man who could pass for Hercules and you've got quite an interesting story.

I LOVED the portrayal of Octavia. Even though Antony left her for Cleopatra, she welcomes their children with open arms and defends them as if they were her own.

Agrippa, though not a hugely prominent character, is also well-portrayed.

Octavian and his wife, Livia, are not terribly likeable people, but hey, I knew that going in. I took Roman History. (True story. It did nothing to further my major, but it was just too interesting to pass up. Yes it was like a 300 level class, yes it was my first semester. I told you, I'm a nerd.)

Selene, our narrator is wonderfully done. You see her grow from childhood to adulthood and she is everything a daughter of Cleopatra should be. (Or Kleopatra, rather. Other than the title, her name is never spelled with a "C" in the book.)

I read The Memoirs of Cleopatra a few years ago and thought Michelle Moran picked up the threads left at the end of the queen's life and wove a beautiful story out of them.

All in all, highly recommended.

(This is a Virtual Book Tour book.)