Historical crushes, old and new.

I am a sucker for anything dealing with ancient Egypt or ancient Rome, so I was immediately captivated by Michelle Moran's novel, whose cover caught my eye in what was supposed to be a non-buying visit to Barnes and Noble.

Cleopatra's Daughter is told through the eyes of Kleopatra Selene, daughter of Kleopatra and Marc Antony (historical crush number one.)  From her life as an independent, proud Egyptian, she and her twin Alexander are taken back to Rome after Octavian conquered Alexandria.  As "guests" (read: royal prisoners) in the home of Octavian's sister Octavia (they were so original, those Romans!) Selene deals with her homesickness and her conflicting fear of, and growing respect for, the man who conquered her homeland and drove her parents to suicide.  On the advice of her nemesis (or is he?) Juba (historical crush number two) starts to make herself "useful" to Octavian in hopes of not only surviving, but of someday returning to the throne.

Marc Antony as envisioned by HBO

Side note:  Juba was the prince of Numidia (which was in what's now Algeria and Tunisia - I had to look it up too) when Octavian conquered that land.  He surrendered and because one of Octavian's closest advisors, along with Agrippa.

Also, he was hot!

Part coming-of-age story, part political drama, Moran's book is exquisitely detailed. She creates believable, sympathetic characters from names that might otherwise be left to the pages of history books.  Selene is a thoroughly engaging narrator (and I so want her clothes!); Juba (!) is a wise-ass frenemy who derides her desire to be an architect at the same time he is anonymously supporting her projects.  I was really intrigued by her portrayal of Octavian.  He was shown as being kind of a tool in HBO's Rome, and he's definitely shown as being ruthless in this book - but with moments of unexpected fairness and compassion.

In fact, the whole book reads somewhat like Rome, without the sex but almost as violent. A must-read for any lover of historical fiction.  I've since found out that Moran has also written historical novels about Nefertiti and her niece, Nefertari.  I'm so there.

Who I recommend it to: Any reader of historical fiction, teenagers who have had it up to their eyeballs with vampire books.

Bibliocat gives it:  4 out of 5 catnip mice.