Book Title: Cleopatra's Shadows
Author: Emily Holleman
Series: Fall of Egypt #1
Date Started: February 27th 2022
Date Completed: April 16th 2022
Genres: Historical
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star
Final Rating: Four Stars
Review:
It was really nice to see a retelling in this area of history, and especially nice to follow the lesser-known sisters of Cleopatra and their stories in the run-up to their sister's ascension. Cleopatra's Shadows was an enjoyable read that I'm surprised doesn't have more traction with the growing subgenre of ancient history retellings.
While it feels pretty level with its tensions throughout the book looking back, I didn't mind that things didn't twist and turn unpredictably; the events were believable and the conflict and tension came from that. I've seen some people seem disappointed with the conclusion, perhaps because the fictionalising is so engaging for the rest of the book, the finale conflicted with that when it was based on history which is so rarely structured like a story.
It also made me realise how little I know about Egyptian history (I was obsessed with their mythology as a child), and how deeply tied it is with Greek mythology and culture. You always think of Rome and Egypt's relationship, but not necessarily much earlier in history. Holleman's ability to bring little fragments of discovery to the reader's attention, even if they're there for the fictionalised narrative, is what's so valuable about exploring history in this way.
I really enjoyed the book and found bother sisters compelling. It was an accessible and engaging fictionalised version of the history, and a good addition to the cornucopia of ancient history retellings.
