Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

A while ago I was able to finish the rather ambitious (and hefty) The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, which left me wondering about possible historical novels about her children. Hence me picking up Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran. Told solely from the point of view of Selene, Cleopatra's daughter, we travel with her and her brothers from Egypt to Rome, after their parents' suicides.

Rome, with all its intrigues and complex familial structures, is a totally different world for Selene – one that she initially struggles to navigate. Then again, anyone who grew up with the assumption that they are destined to rule, only to find themselves at the mercy of a merciless emperor in a foreign city, will most likely face challenges adapting to a new way of life.

With any re-envisioning of ancient times into a work of fiction, come the inherent issues of turning reality (or at least how much of it we can glean from historical sources) into a compelling tale. Moran has taken some liberties by creating a fictional organisation known as the Red Feather that seeks to overthrow existing power structures, which I felt was a little tacked on but not too annoyingly so. I did feel that the conclusion peters off without a satisfying punch, though there were a few memorable scenes throughout – I can't quite put my finger on what bothered me, except that I felt that Selene didn't quite evolve as a character, buffeted along by events instead of being active, with a twist of a realisation right at the end that felt somewhat too sudden for my liking.

Despite some of the heavy content (a focus on the issue of slavery, which was inherent to this era, as well as the trouble with arranged marriages, as well as some deaths and violence) this is still a sweet story that kept me engaged. If you're in the mood for a slow-burn historical romance without any overtly erotic scenes, then Cleopatra's Daughter may well hit the mark.