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Lily of the Nile, by Stephanie Dray
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With her parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, Princess Selene must save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...
In the aftermath of Alexandria's tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she's ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she's put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene's captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor's sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans...
Trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to honor her mother's lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?
- Sales Rank: #297675 in Books
- Published on: 2011-01-04
- Released on: 2011-01-04
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x .96" w x 5.50" l, .66 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 368 pages
Review
"Graceful history infused with subtle magic and veiled ancient mysteries...this is a different kind of book, and a true achievement." --Vera Nazarian, two time Nebula Award nominated author of Lords of Rainbow
Dray deftly mixes magic & history in her debut, the first of a projected trilogy set in ancient Egypt. Selene proves a vibrant protagonist as she goes toe to toe with Octavian... eagerly look forward to the next installment. --Publisher's Weekly
Selene's struggle to understand her destiny is universal. Glimpses of the cult of Isis leave one wanting to know more...keeps you turning the pages until the end. --Diana Paxson, bestselling author and collaborator on the Mists of Avalon series
With clear prose, careful research, vivid detail and a dash of magic, Stephanie Dray brings true life to one of Egypt's most intriguing princesses. --Susan Fraser King, bestselling and award winning author of Queen Hereafter and Lady MacBeth
From the Back Cover
With her parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, Princess Selene must save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...
In the aftermath of Alexandria's tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she's ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she's put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene's captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor's sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans...
Trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to honor her mother's lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?
About the Author
Stephanie Dray is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women s fiction. Her work has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for RWA s RITA Award, and won NJRW s Golden Leaf. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation s capital.
Most helpful customer reviews
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic Read
By Vanessa Edwards
First of all, I have to tell you, I was unbelievably THRILLED to win this in the Goodreads.com Giveaway. I never win things. And it was a book. About Egypt. I was psyched.
The book was AWESOME. I adored it. I've recommended it to the school librarian, spread the word through school about the author's writing competition, The Cleopatra Literary Contest for Young Women, and basically told everyone they should read it.
I loved the book. I found it to be extremely well written and well researched. The characters, even those who did not appear often had depth and a history all their own. Small details, like the decorations for the Saturnalia festival and the Roman wedding ceremony dress and preparations had obviously been researched and added life to the story. For me, who has always had a fondness for ancient cultures, especially Egypt, it made the story that much better.
Over the course of the story, the reader watches as Seleste grows from a royal child into a strong, independent woman. She fights to protect her family, her people, her goddess, and herself. But it isn't just about family, loyalty, faith or empowerment, though it is about those things. Its about learning who you are and what you are willing to do to achieve your dreams and protect those you love. And what you are willing to give up. In this, the author has done an excellent job. She could easily have made Seleste the perfect historical figure - kind, loving, determined and without any qualms about the things she had to do to survive, or the darker sides of her personality. Instead Mrs. Dray has given us the whole person: she worries about what she's doing, she lies, she has a temper, has a crisis of faith, and makes mistakes.
Mrs. Dray's novel kept me reading, captured me with beautiful detail and emotion and a plot rife with political intrique and self-discovery. I recieved the book on Monday, intending to read the first chapter and then put it aside until Christmas Break. Instead I couldn't put the book down.
The book is excellent, although if the reader doesn't share a love of ancient Egypt or Rome, they may find it boring in parts. The political intrigue in the book is easier to understand if you know the history involved. But that's the only fault I can give it. I would recommend it to anyone. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Stephanie Dray's next book.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Enjoyable if a little uneven
By Cass M.
It's difficult to read this book and not draw comparisons to Michelle Moran's 'Cleopatra's Daughter', which I read back in March. Not only do they cover the same subject matter, they do so for almost exactly the same timeframe -- from the death of the famous Cleopatra to just before her daughter's wedding. Cleopatra Selene is taken to Rome, paraded in Augustus's triumph, and forcibly adopted into the imperial family. She has to deal with adjusting to her new life and status, with her rebelliously inclined brother, with political threats and personal trials, and with the dubious legacy left to her by her parents. The story has the same basic shape in both books.
Dray definitely gives the story a new angle, though; she positions the life of Cleopatra Selene in relationship to the Cult of Isis. For most of the book, this is fascinating. It gives Selene a wonderful sense of mystery, something that marks her out from her surroundings and from the Roman attitudes she's pressured to adopt, and I like that it's a little bit brutal. Isis's messages to Selene appear as bloody hieroglyphs, literally carved into Selene's skin in moments of emotional distress. Faith isn't easy or painless, and that's definitely part of the message behind what Selene has to learn. The connection also has political implications, as Augustus accuses the Isiacs of plotting sedition against him, intending to make Selene and her less-compliant twin Helios the figureheads of a new rebellion. Selene learns how to plot and how to negotiate, striking deals with the loathed emperor in order to keep her people safe, even if it means personal sacrifice. The magic in the book is tangibly real, in a very religious way, and treated as such, which keeps the book from wandering into fantasy territory, and it definitely adds a new and exciting element to the story.
On the other hand, there are times when it definitely wanders into preachy territory. When Selene starts educating anyone else about the Isiac cult and sacred femininity, it sort of grinds the story to a halt, because the reader is then, too, getting lectured. It feels, at times, a lot like Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'Mists of Avalon', only not quite as deftly handled (and MoA is itself far from flawless in that regard). The explications often stick out awkwardly from the rest of the story, and it hindered my enjoyment.
'Lily of the Nile' is an inventive tale, and Dray fills out the gaps in Selene's story admirably, expanding her life past the scraps that history hands down to us. She also makes some different choices regarding interpreting the historical record. The twins' younger brother, Philadelphus, lives long past when most historians seem to think he probably died. One of Antony's other sons, Iullus, gets a bit of stage time, and Antyllus gets a mention. Julia starts her love affairs early, and Octavia and Agrippa suffer unfulfilled passion for each other (and I have to wonder if HBO's 'Rome' inspired that bit of invention). I'm glad that Dray felt the freedom to play around with some of the historical question marks and ellipses. And yet, there was something that didn't quite grab me as strongly as I'd hoped it would. I think it was that so many characters felt glanced at, rather than fully fleshed out. The imperial household had so many great personalities in it, but quite a few of them get rather short shrift, hardly mentioned at all, or downgraded to pretty two-dimensional characters. This is often a trouble in first person narratives, and it's why I'll take a good strong shifting-third any day of the week -- but that's down to personal preference. Since we only see what Selene sees and know what she knows, there's a lot left missing from the rest of the story.
I did enjoy the read, despite some mixed feelings, and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel, which will actually follow Selene through her adult life as Queen of Mauretania. I've felt cheated out of that before, so it's nice to know we'll be getting the rest of the story from Dray.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
History with a touch of magic...
By Darlene @ Peeking Between the Pages
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is a novel that weaves fact with fiction and gives us some insight into the life of Cleopatra's daughter Selene and I found it fascinating. I was first introduced to Cleopatra and her daughter in the wonderful Michelle Moran's Cleopatra's Daughter which I loved! So when I first saw Lily of the Nile I knew I would want to read it and see what Stephanie Dray would do with the character of Selene and luckily I was not disappointed.
I think what I liked the most about Stephanie Dray's portrayal of Selene's story was the element of magic that she weaved throughout the story. I've always believed in the magic that must have surrounded Ancient Egypt so to see it woven into the story of Selene so artfully was really wonderful. It made the novel that much more enjoyable for me.
The novel begins with what most people already know of the story of Cleopatra - when both she and Mark Antony kill themselves and Selene and her brothers are captured and taken to Rome to live under the very watchful eye of Octavian - the ruler of Rome. This is a different life for the children as they are of Egyptian royalty and are most certainly not treated as royalty in Rome. As time passes though, Selene realizes she carries magic she believes was passed on to her from her mother and Isis. It also becomes apparent that her younger brother also has some magical ability and her older brother is strong, much stronger than what would be normal. People, especially Octavian begin to look at Selene differently with her obvious intelligence and the swirl of magic that surrounds her.
Selene grows into quite the young lady. She carefully watches what is going on around her and uses it when she needs to. I really liked the spunkiness of her character and that she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she thought or to discreetly fight for what she wanted. She was a strong personality from a child and it only grew with her into adulthood. There were many characters in this novel but it wasn't hard to follow along with them at all. Of course I was already familiar with the story so that may have helped but some of the others I really liked were Julia and Octavia and would have loved to see their stories expanded on a bit too.
I loved all the pieces of history I learned throughout Lily of the Nile and I was really impressed with the vivid detail that Stephanie Dray used in describing the Rome of the past. While Michelle Moran's novel was much more historical in it's telling, Stephanie Dray's novel adds the elements of fantasy and magic. So, if you enjoy that type of thing you will really like her telling of the story of Selene. I know I did! The best thing is that this is just the beginning of a trilogy by Stephanie Dray and I simply can't wait for the next one!
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