Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray Review

 Title: Lity of the Nile: A Novel of Cleopatra’s Daughter

Author: Stephanie Dray

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Series: Cleopatra’s Daughter, book one

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

This book had been sitting at the top of my library stack, and I really wanted to read it before I had to return it. So, as soon as I was finished with The Project, I dove in. Though I’ve read Dray’s work before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series opener. A novel of magic, identity, war, and political intrigue, I loved this take on Princess Cleopatra Selene’s life, opening after the tragic death of her mother. Forced to march into Rome as a lowly slave, Selene finds herself trapped in a web of political mechinations, unable to trust anyone but her brothers, Helios and Philadelphus. When Caesar longs for a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene realizes that in order to win her freedom, she must play the man’s sick, twisted game, or find herself at his mercy…

I really, really loved this book! I’ve always been fascinated by Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and their children, so getting a front-row seat to the aftermath after her parents’ deaths was amazing. The pacing was breakneck, and I couldn’t help but be spellbound by Selene’s voice. I loved how this book combined historical fact with the magic of Selene’s Egyptian goddess, Isis. I also adored the way that political intrigue played such a huge role in the book, with Selene eventually learning to beat the Romans at their own twisted games at the end. I loved all of the characters, but Selene, Helios, Philadelphus, and Caesar were my favorites. Too few books end at Cleopatra and Antony’s deaths, and no one truly knows what happened to their children, beyond the fact that they were forcibly captured by the Romans. I finished this book in a little under a week; it was so good! It might be one of my favorite books by Dray; it was meticulously researched and extremely well-written. And that ending! I cannot wait for The Song of the Nile! The bottom line: Rich with detail, heartfelt and well-researched, I loved The Lily of the Nile! One of my favorites of 2022!