What We're Reading: Edward

Cleopatra's Daughter

by Michelle Moran

The deaths of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra brings to an end their enduring love story. They leave behind three children. The nine year old twins Alexander and Celene, and young brother Ptolemy. Octavian Caesar has them transported to Rome for his triumph. Ptolemy dies aboard ship on the way to Rome. In Rome the twins stay with Octavian's sister, Octavia. Octavia was Marc Anthony's wife before he met Cleopatra. As the twins grow to adulthood, they experience Rome at the start of the great empire. Selene writes of her experiences in Rome from the depths of a slave rebellion to the heights of debauchery at an imperial banquet. All the while, Selene is focused on returning to her beloved Egypt. Everyone seems to be keeping an eye on her activities. Will the twins survive the intrigues of Rome? Will they return to Egypt?

This book is the third in a series after Nefertiti (2007) and Heretic Queen (2008).