With her parents both 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, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim what’s 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 Roman emperor’s sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans…

Now trapped in a Roman court of intrigue, where her heritage is reviled and her faith is suspect, 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. But can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is to win or die?

Lily of the Nile is Stephanie Dray’s first novel in the trilogy following Princess Selene. Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, loses both her parents in the war between Egypt and Rome. Not only does Egypt lose its rulers, but it also loses any chance of hope when Selene and her twin brother, Helios – the rightful heirs to the throne – are taken to Rome as prisoners of war and the emperor’s hostages. While Helios schemes and plots escape, Selene plays a more political game as she attempts to curry the emperor’s favor and save Egypt. Along the way, her faith and loyalty are tested. Tumultuous inner conflict threatens her sense of self and she almost breaks from the pressure of trying to be what everyone else wants her to be. But in the end, Selene realizes who she can trust above all else: herself and her faith.

When our protagonist, twelve-year-old Selene, was first-introduced, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her story. I thought of her as just a child – why would I listen to the story of someone who couldn’t possibly understand everything going on around them? But I quickly learned Selene was one of the smartest, sharpest, and strongest heroines in literature. She was wise beyond her years and a shrewd observer. As a master of logic and reasoning, it was impossible for anyone not to respect her. Stephanie Dray described Selene so realistically that I felt as if I knew her inside and out. We saw her fears, doubts, and confusion. We understppd why she made certain decisions and we saw how carefully she chose her words. Never before had I seen the intricacies of the human mind and behavior so clearly fleshed out in a novel.

And Selene wasn’t the only three-dimensional characters. The emperor, Octavian, and his sister, Octavia, were two characters that never ceased to surprise me. At first, they were easy to hate; they were The Enemy. But as the reasoning behind their actions came to light, the world stopped seeming to black and white, and instead delved into so many shades of gray that, like Selene, I was left questioning my own beliefs. Lily of the Nile truly makes you consider your ideas of right and wrong and offers a glimpse at what it really means to be the ruler of a nation.

As someone who could never sit still through a history lesson, but loves historical fiction, I was enthralled by Dray’s descriptions of Egypt and Rome. Not only were Dray’s descriptions rich, but the magnitude of her knowledge of customs, traditions, and everyday life was astounding. Every facet of Roman life fascinated me and the clarity with which the politics were laid out left me feeling educated and even, at times, enlightened. Dray’s specificity so thoroughly transported me to another time and place that I almost thought the events of Lily of the Nile were happening all around me which, as a lifelong reader, is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

And while I loved the realistic aspects of Lily of the Nile, the magical elements certainly didn’t hurt. It was exciting to see some of the myths we grow up learning come to life. I loved the intertwining of religion and heka (magic) that allowed Egyptian rulers to gain respect and even fear. Following along as Selene came into her powers and renewed her faith in the goddess Isis was a thrilling journey and gave Selene a strength that was all her own, something she could claim in Rome’s patriarchal society. While the book may begin a little slow, the ending, in my opinion, is thunderous and well-deserved. My only problem is that it ends on a cliff-hanger and now I’m left anxiously anticipating the sequel.

Pages: 340
Publication Date: January 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Challenge: Historical Fiction/Debut Author
Rating : ★★★★★

Teaser Quote: “I held my hands aloft to read the twisting hieroglyphics while the barren woman knelt on the marble, weeping. The crowd gathered with eyes glistening and dreamy. Some trembled. Others murmured prayers and clutched hands. As I looked upon their faces, I knew that I’d unleashed something more powerful than myself.”