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rowan21's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
4.0
I just took a moment before writing this review to read what I wrote about the first two books in the series, and was surprised to find I never read the second book! This accounts for the times I didn't remember events that were being referred to, which I just attributed to the passage of time - oops! Honestly, though, I enjoyed this book a lot and didn't feel I missed anything much, and based on other readers' reviews, the second book in the series was more dark and graphic, which I am fine without.
I liked that Selene came to really understand herself, recognize what was of greatest value, and find a contented life amidst her tribulations.
I liked that Selene came to really understand herself, recognize what was of greatest value, and find a contented life amidst her tribulations.
wellington299's review against another edition
4.0
This is the final book in an excellent trilogy of Cleopatra's daughter. This daunting book of 576 pages tries to tell of a story of a dauntless queen who lived in the turbulent and twisted early period of the Roman Empire.
Most people are at least vaguely aware of Caesar, Marc Anthony, Cleopatra, and Augustus. They were giants and legends in history. Selene was a byproduct of that age .... and a byproduct of Anthony and Cleopatra love. No one remembers her and I applaud Stephanie Dray for telling a remarkable story about Selene.
My main grievances with the book are the length and complications of Selene's family tree. I wonder if this book could have been broken in two? Not much can be done about the bewildering family tree.
It's a long read. There were times I thought about putting it down and moving on to another book. But I'm glad to have stuck around to read about this Daughter of the Nile.
samantha_randolph's review against another edition
5.0
"For years, Cleopatra Selene has been a victim of her emperor, Augustus Caesar. Now, at twenty years old, Selene has finally managed to semi-escape him in the kingdom that she is now queen over with her husband, Juba. But as her power grows, Augustus draws her back into Rome and back into the plots that might leave her loved ones dead. For once and for all, Selene will have to protect her family and face the emperor's madness." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=42852
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Wow. It's been a few days since I've finished this one, and I'm still struggling with how to articulate just how much I adored this book. Loved it so much I want to just yell at everyone in all caps to convey my deep passion for it!
Daughters of the Nile is the final volume in Dray's trilogy about Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene. (I've reviewed both the previous volumes, Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile.)
At this point in Selene's journey, she's begun openly resisting Roman emperor Caesar Augustus in her endeavor to fully own her life. After struggling with the heavy weight of her family's name and legacy, the lure of ruling Egypt always tempting her, Selene has paid for her ambitions -- and what was just her burden is now affecting others: her husband, King Juba, her daughter, Isadora, her niece, Phythodorida. But pursuing her own dream isn't easy nor gifted to her by Augustus, and as with the previous novels, Dray doesn't coddle the reader nor hold back on the brutality, cruelty, and gutting reality of life for women in this era.
This is a historical fantasy, technically, but Dray's use of magic in this series is subtle and understated and felt so natural that I never noticed it. The characters aren't using magic to enchant people or get work done; like everything else in this series, using magic comes at a considerable cost, and the decision to evoke magic is weighed carefully.
Dray's storytelling skill is just marvelous, and seen not only in this book but in the trilogy over all. Selene's life is one of tragedy, and yet, as a heroine she is dynamic, determined, and dedicated toward getting what is hers. Dray artfully conveys Selene's growth, from a young prisoner of war in Lily of the Nile to a teenaged monarch and mother struggling with demons and her desperate desire to win at all costs in Song of the Nile to, finally, a woman fully realizing what must be sacrificed to save what she loves in Daughters of the Nile.
There are no static characters in these books; everyone changes, grows, develops, and their actions make complete sense. Even the twisted, torturous Augustus -- a monster -- had moments of humanity, and had characters who loved him as much as they loathed him.
And oh, how I loved these characters. Dray is as hard on everyone else as she is on Selene and to say Dray gutted me is an understatement. As I was finishing this book, my wife woke to find me sobbing -- shoulder-shaking sobs! -- at 3am. I had my heart broken about ten times in this book, and the way Dray built up, drew out, and brought all that pain and pathos to life was just astounding. I loved every agonizing minute.
Here's the bottom line: Daughters of the Nile might be one of the best concluding volumes in a series I've ever read, and Dray's Cleopatra Selene trilogy among the best historical fiction trilogies out there. It has everything for hungry readers of historical fiction: rich and atmospheric details that evoke a foreign time and place, a standout cast of characters that live and breath, resonant themes and deep emotional interactions that are impossible to shake off, and some deliciously disturbing soap opera-y elements in case you were feeling safe.
Daughters of the Nile is the final volume in Dray's trilogy about Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene. (I've reviewed both the previous volumes, Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile.)
At this point in Selene's journey, she's begun openly resisting Roman emperor Caesar Augustus in her endeavor to fully own her life. After struggling with the heavy weight of her family's name and legacy, the lure of ruling Egypt always tempting her, Selene has paid for her ambitions -- and what was just her burden is now affecting others: her husband, King Juba, her daughter, Isadora, her niece, Phythodorida. But pursuing her own dream isn't easy nor gifted to her by Augustus, and as with the previous novels, Dray doesn't coddle the reader nor hold back on the brutality, cruelty, and gutting reality of life for women in this era.
This is a historical fantasy, technically, but Dray's use of magic in this series is subtle and understated and felt so natural that I never noticed it. The characters aren't using magic to enchant people or get work done; like everything else in this series, using magic comes at a considerable cost, and the decision to evoke magic is weighed carefully.
Dray's storytelling skill is just marvelous, and seen not only in this book but in the trilogy over all. Selene's life is one of tragedy, and yet, as a heroine she is dynamic, determined, and dedicated toward getting what is hers. Dray artfully conveys Selene's growth, from a young prisoner of war in Lily of the Nile to a teenaged monarch and mother struggling with demons and her desperate desire to win at all costs in Song of the Nile to, finally, a woman fully realizing what must be sacrificed to save what she loves in Daughters of the Nile.
There are no static characters in these books; everyone changes, grows, develops, and their actions make complete sense. Even the twisted, torturous Augustus -- a monster -- had moments of humanity, and had characters who loved him as much as they loathed him.
And oh, how I loved these characters. Dray is as hard on everyone else as she is on Selene and to say Dray gutted me is an understatement. As I was finishing this book, my wife woke to find me sobbing -- shoulder-shaking sobs! -- at 3am. I had my heart broken about ten times in this book, and the way Dray built up, drew out, and brought all that pain and pathos to life was just astounding. I loved every agonizing minute.
Here's the bottom line: Daughters of the Nile might be one of the best concluding volumes in a series I've ever read, and Dray's Cleopatra Selene trilogy among the best historical fiction trilogies out there. It has everything for hungry readers of historical fiction: rich and atmospheric details that evoke a foreign time and place, a standout cast of characters that live and breath, resonant themes and deep emotional interactions that are impossible to shake off, and some deliciously disturbing soap opera-y elements in case you were feeling safe.
dmdeacon's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
eafiu's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This conclusion to the series touched me very deeply, both in the general emotional sense and in a very specific way. I have one very raw wound about reading fiction, a wound that opened when I read Stephen King's Wizard and Glass as a teenager: I can't bear watching characters I care very much about walking to their assured doom, knowing or unknowing. That novel was basically the epitome of it, mixed with my own childhood horror of witch burnings. Reading, I'd have to stop and pace every few pages just to control myself as I went from horror to disgust to despair and back. After finishing it (and it took a long time), I found myself super sensitive to even a hint of a situation like that, so reading has become harder for me. I've had troubles with many similar books later on.
This series, though? This was harder than all of them - and that is a compliment. The situation was not as hopeless as it was in Wizard and Glass, but Stephanie Dray's writing made me feel completely immersed in Cleopatra Selene's claustrophobic impasse with Octavian. That broke me enough while reading that at the 60% mark, at the third act of the book (it has 4), I gave up. I decided my heart is not going to take not knowing how it all ends. So I jumped to the Epilogue, continued reading the rest of the chapters in reverse order. It was something I had never done before.
I do not regret it, because it was still a fascinating reading experience and the last chapters (that I ended up reading at the height of my own despair) came as a balm. I cried a lot, both with happiness and sadness, all the emotion that I had built up.
This book was one hell of a finisher for one hell of a series. In a good way.
This series, though? This was harder than all of them - and that is a compliment. The situation was not as hopeless as it was in Wizard and Glass, but Stephanie Dray's writing made me feel completely immersed in Cleopatra Selene's claustrophobic impasse with Octavian. That broke me enough while reading that at the 60% mark, at the third act of the book (it has 4), I gave up. I decided my heart is not going to take not knowing how it all ends. So I jumped to the Epilogue, continued reading the rest of the chapters in reverse order. It was something I had never done before.
I do not regret it, because it was still a fascinating reading experience and the last chapters (that I ended up reading at the height of my own despair) came as a balm. I cried a lot, both with happiness and sadness, all the emotion that I had built up.
This book was one hell of a finisher for one hell of a series. In a good way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Ableism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Sexual violence
abookishaffair's review
5.0
Sigh, they say that all good things have to come to an end and unfortunately, that saying extends to really good book series (oh, but couldn't they go on forever, please???). Unfortunately, "Daughters of the Nile" is the final book in Stephanie Dray's Cleopatra's Daughter trilogy. What I can tell you, is that this is a very fitting and very good ending to this trilogy. While you would be able to "get" this book without reading the first two books, I want you to go back and read the first two books (Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile) because I love you and want you to be happy. Seriously, if you love historical fiction and magical realism, these books are for you.
As with the previous two books, Dray sweeps us up in the world of Cleopatra Selene. After being able to live a fairly free life in Mauritania, Selene and her family have to go back to Rome, which means that Selene is back in the line of fire of the Emperor and finds some others that would love to take her down along the way. All of the wheeling and dealing between the various rulers of the time take the spotlight in this book and it was absolutely fascinating to me.
One of the things that I'm going to miss most about these books is the characters. The relationships between Selene and so many of the other people in the book felt really real to me, which made the story feel even more real. Yes, Selene is a powerful leader (and I loved reading about her rule) but she still has to continue to be a wife to Juba and a mother to her children. Dray is able to show us all of these different sides of Selene, which really drew me in. I loved reading about her and I'm going to miss her.
This is a very fitting end to this series! I don't want to give anything away but I was very satisfied with this ending even if I'm in a little bit of mourning over the ending of this series.
As with the previous two books, Dray sweeps us up in the world of Cleopatra Selene. After being able to live a fairly free life in Mauritania, Selene and her family have to go back to Rome, which means that Selene is back in the line of fire of the Emperor and finds some others that would love to take her down along the way. All of the wheeling and dealing between the various rulers of the time take the spotlight in this book and it was absolutely fascinating to me.
One of the things that I'm going to miss most about these books is the characters. The relationships between Selene and so many of the other people in the book felt really real to me, which made the story feel even more real. Yes, Selene is a powerful leader (and I loved reading about her rule) but she still has to continue to be a wife to Juba and a mother to her children. Dray is able to show us all of these different sides of Selene, which really drew me in. I loved reading about her and I'm going to miss her.
This is a very fitting end to this series! I don't want to give anything away but I was very satisfied with this ending even if I'm in a little bit of mourning over the ending of this series.