Source: Author Review CopyFormat: Paperback
Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
Date Read: October 2011
Genre: General Fiction, Historical
More Information:Sorceress. Seductress. Schemer. Cleopatra's daughter is the one woman with the power to destroy an empire... Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.
The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Cleopatra's Daughter #2
Received for Review (Goodreads Winner)
Overall Rating 2.75
Character Rating 2.75
Story Rating 2.75
l written and researched. I believe those more interested in this period of history (and historical fiction readers) will love Song of the Nile! I had to write this review based on my personal reading experience but wanted to point out how much I think others will like the story.
What I Loved: Stephanie Dray has a wonderful way of making you feel like you are located right there with the characters through her rich detail. She manages to do this without weighing down the story in an overly descriptive narrative. In fact, there were many times that I was in awe of just how well I could picture the settings.
What I Liked: Queen Selene, the central character in Song of the Nile, is an intense and interesting leading lady. She has moments of extreme despair and manages to pull herself up by her bootstraps every time. I liked her resilience and determination to do right by her family.
Complaints: There just wasn’t enough uplifting moments in Song of the Nile for the story to work for me. I believe it was historically accurate in that life was not easy and most of the time not happy. I just need more of the “washed” history in my fiction. I like my characters to be happy. That, however, is just my POV and not something that will effect everyone while reading this story.
Why I gave it a 2.75: I wanted to give credit where it is due. The story was well written and researched. The characters were richly developed and investigated. Historical Fiction readers will love this story.
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There are times when I just can't stand something dark, and others when I crave it. So, I think this would be a good one for those dark times. Especially since it is well written and researched.
I totally agree with you about needing a washed up version. The harshness of the past isn't something I care to read about, this is probably why I don't read historical fiction much. *sighs* But yes, the story does sound well researched and I do appreciate that.
Oooh but I'm totally a sucker for dark reads… Although not HUGE on historicals, I do love Cleopatra! Decisions decisions…
I totally agree with you. Way too dark for me, too. I need to stick with YA historical and historical romance b/c it's much more sweet and nice 🙂