Release Date: September 2009
Pages: 431
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Rating:

Summary:

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two–the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander–survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

Review: This book was CRAZY full of historical information. I didn't know anything about Egypt or Rome in this time, and let me tell you, I kind of wish I didn't.

Rome was AWFUL in this time period. The only reason I didn't put this book down was because it was all real. I found it fascinating how base a people could be, and yet their society worked.

It was a very slow book, history can't always move as fast as a plot. It spans about 5 years, and while the book ended at a happy point, if you read the rest of the history you find out that it didn't really end up happily after that. However, I still really enjoyed this book. And kept going with it even though it took me a couple weeks.

In conclusion: Read this if you want to learn about history, but know that Rome was all about sex and money. This is most certainly an adult book. Fascinating, but not for the faint of heart.

~Enna Isilee