Stephanie Dray

Pledging allegiance to Emperor Augustus, Selene faces uncertainty among the imperial politics and religious persecution of Rome and must decide between her loyalty to the emperor or to Egypt and her birthright in this sequel to Lily of the Nile. Original. 35,000 first printing.

Song of the Nile

This book means so much to me and I count it among my absolute favorites. I recently reread it and had to share a review.

Song of the Nile by the incredible Stephanie Dray is the second book in a trilogy focusing on Cleopatra Selene. This may be my favorite of the entire series. I savor every word of this series and this book in particular. The prose is so beautiful and lyrical. It’s powerful writing and Dray at her finest.

Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the infamous Queen Cleopatra VII, is one of the most fascinating historical figures and I can’t imagine any other book or series bringing her more to life or imagining her life better than this one. It may not be every reader’s cup of tea, but I also enjoy the magical/historical fantasy moments of this series. It’s central to Selene and her story and is written realistically.

After suffering so much loss in her life, Selene is nothing if not resilient. She always remembers her dead and often chooses them over the living/her own life. This book sees her grappling with her lost legacy of the rightful Queen of Egypt and following a new path of Queen of Mauretania. This is an opportunity to try and be free of Rome and emperor Augustus, though in truth theirs is a relationship that will never truly end.

This book does a wonderful job of explaining gaps in the historical record with a little more hope regarding her brothers, or at the very least gives Selene closure. So much is packed into this one book. I love the setting, especially Selene’s court in Mauretania. Dray brings this little known part of the ancient world to life, and it’s bustling with colorful people and atmosphere. I’ve never seen it depicted in another book, certainly not one about Selene. That’s another thing I appreciate about this series: it follows Selene’s entire life.

I appreciate that Selene is an imperfect character who holds onto the past in a way that is almost frustrating, yet compelling. She’s experienced so much loss and is still so resilient. She’s my favorite literary character and historical figure.

Check trigger warnings before reading, but please add to your TBR. This is the ultimate ancient historical fiction book.

Amanda

This book means so much to me and I count it among my absolute favorites. I recently reread it and had to share a review.

Song of the Nile by the incredible Stephanie Dray is the second book in a trilogy focusing on Cleopatra Selene. This may be my favorite of the entire series. I savor every word of this series and this book in particular. The prose is so beautiful and lyrical. It’s powerful writing and Dray at her finest.

Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the infamous Queen Cleopatra VII, is one of the most fascinating historical figures and I can’t imagine any other book or series bringing her more to life or imagining her life better than this one. It may not be every reader’s cup of tea, but I also enjoy the magical/historical fantasy moments of this series. It’s central to Selene and her story and is written realistically.

After suffering so much loss in her life, Selene is nothing if not resilient. She always remembers her dead and often chooses them over the living/her own life. This book sees her grappling with her lost legacy of the rightful Queen of Egypt and following a new path of Queen of Mauretania. This is an opportunity to try and be free of Rome and emperor Augustus, though in truth theirs is a relationship that will never truly end.

This book does a wonderful job of explaining gaps in the historical record with a little more hope regarding her brothers, or at the very least gives Selene closure. So much is packed into this one book. I love the setting, especially Selene’s court in Mauretania. Dray brings this little known part of the ancient world to life, and it’s bustling with colorful people and atmosphere. I’ve never seen it depicted in another book, certainly not one about Selene. That’s another thing I appreciate about this series: it follows Selene’s entire life.

I appreciate that Selene is an imperfect character who holds onto the past in a way that is almost frustrating, yet compelling. She’s experienced so much loss and is still so resilient. She’s my favorite literary character and historical figure.

Check trigger warnings before reading, but please add to your TBR. This is the ultimate ancient historical fiction book.

Song of the Nile

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