Book Review: Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Posted by on
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt.  Stunning, unbelievably wealthy and extraordinarily intelligent, she allied herself to two of the world's most powerful men, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, in an effort to keep Egypt free and unspoiled by Roman conquest - but it was not to be.  In 30 BC, Julius Caesar's adopted son and heir, Octavianus, defeated Antony's armies and invaded Alexandria, capitol of Egypt and home to Cleopatra and her children - Caesarion, son of Julius Caesar, twins Cleopatra Selene and Alexandros Helios and their baby brother Ptolly, the children of Marc Antony.  In the aftermath, Antony threw himself upon his sword in despair, and Cleopatra committed suicide - some say to save her beloved children, others out of grief for Antony, and still others to spare herself enslavement to Octavianus and Rome.  Egypt had fallen.

Usually, that's where the story ends - with the suicide of Cleopatra.  But what happened to her orphaned children?

Raised in royal opulence with her siblings, Cleopatra Selene's entire world is stolen from her by Octavianus.  Her parents dead, her kingdom looted and destroyed by Rome, all she has left is her brothers. Even they are not safe - threatened by Caesarian's Roman lineage, Octavianus has Cleopatra Selene's beloved older brother hunted down and murdered.  Cleopatra Selene, Alexandros and little Ptolly are enslaved and shipped to Rome, where they will be raised in Octavianus's household by his sister, Octavia (and the wife Antony left to be with Cleopatra) and his wife, Livia, who is rumored to be quite skilled at mixing poisons.  Rome not only owns Egypt, it owns Cleopatra Selene, body and soul.

In Rome, Cleopatra Selene fights to stay strong, protect her brothers, and find a way to take her mother's kingdom back from Octavianus.  Living in the home of her family's murderer, Cleopatra Selene's life is a tangle of secrecy, deception and lies.  Other than her brothers, the one bright light in her life is Juba.  A handsome soldier who serves Octavianus and lives in his household, Juba is at heart a scholar.  He also is a captive - born a prince of Numidia, he was brought to Rome by Julius Caesar as a small child. With most of Alexandria's vast library of scrolls dismantled and absorbed into Octavianus's personal collection, Juba and Cleopatra Selene spend many hours discussing and debating the history of Rome, Egypt, and Numidia. Still, Cleopatra Selene wants only one thing - to gain freedom for her family - and Egypt.

Intensely researched and riveting, Cleopatra's Moon brings to light the story of the aftermath of the fall of Egypt.  As Cleopatra journeys from Egypt to Rome she undergoes an intense personal journey, transforming her from a spoiled, precocious royal child to a self-reliant, independent young queen.  For all fans of historical fiction, lovers of all things Egyptian, and anyone who wants more of the story after seeing the awesome Cleopatra exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum, check this one out @the library!

Megan
(now reading Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick - shy foreign exchange student is actually a ninja assassin?  Awesome!!)