Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Quercus
Summary: I love reading about the time period between the Caesars Julius and Augustus. I find the time and the people fascinating and while I’ve read many books on various people involved in those families and households, I’d never read one about Selene Kleopatra (daughter to Marc Antony and Cleopatra). I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how Selene and her twin brother came to Rome and how their lives unfolded in the following years. Selene was engaging and was easy to sympathise with, as was her brother. And while this is mainly Selene’s story, I was most taken with Alexander and felt so badly about his fate. I, like Selene, took that one hard to heart. The other characters that I knew well from the time were well rendered and I always enjoy seeing them from the perspective others. Selene’s was unique in that she was a Roman citizen but she was also in Caesar’s care due to his successful conquer of Egypt and her parents. An uneasy relationship and disquiet of position would be an understatement for anyone in such a household. I was glad when her fate was revealed and relieved. I also liked how the B-story of the Red Eagle mystery was woven throughout and resolved. It added very nice depth to the story. This was a good story telling of a not much covered woman of the ancient world. Definitely recommended and I'm glad I picked this one up at the library.
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