Book Review & Giveaway : Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Book Details:
Random House, Crown Publishers
# ISBN-10: 0307409120
# ISBN-13: 978-0307409126
Hardcover, 430 pages

Synopsis:

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome, but only two—the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander—survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

My review:

In my opinion, Cleopatra's Daughter is a brilliantly-written historical fiction full of twists and turns. Michelle Moran has done a great job in introducing the world of ancient Rome to her readers and leading them to embark on this wonderful journey to the past.

In the olden days, boys were already considered as adults when they reached their 15th birthday, and girls were available for marriage once they reach the age of 15. Selene was afraid of growing up because she feared that Octavian might arrange a betrothal for her to one of the old Senators of Rome. She was also worried that her brother might be killed by Octavian so that Alexander will never have the chance to start a rebellion. (It turned out to be true. Alexander did not live to wear his toga virilis.)

Kleopatra Selene is my favourite character in this story. Although she lost all her next-of-kin (including her twin brother Alexander towards the end of the story) and ancestral kingdom, she managed to cope her sadness and proved herself worthy to Rome in order to fulfill her dreams of returning to her homeland. Selene was extremely talented in architecture and she worked hard as the assistant of Vitruvius, a famous engineer and architect, in order to improve her architecture skills. I'm glad that Selene had a happy-ending in her love life. Her romance with Marcellus, Octavian’s nephew never blossom, but she eventually found her knight in shining armour and lived a blissful life.

The Romans regarded the Gauls as barbarians but I think they themselves were no better. They mistreated their slaves by torturing, and even killing them. In the story, a rich merchant, Pollio wanted to throw an old slave into a pool full of eels to kill him because the old man accidentally dropped a crystal glass. Slaves for sale were locked up in cages like animals. There was another incident in the story which clearly portrayed the injustice in ancient Rome. When Fabius, one of the richest men in Rome was murdered, all his slaves, 200 people of various ages, from young lads to old men, were mercilessly killed. Even the babies were poisoned to death before they had the chance to see the world. This showed that the ruling clans of Rome never really cared and no laws were ever made to ensure the safety of the poor slaves and to champion their rights.

Michelle's decision of making Selene as the narrator of this story is no doubt a perfect choice. As I read through the pages, I felt as if I was in ancient Rome with Selene herself, who was seeking survival in a foreign land full of envy, perils and conspiracies.

Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran is truly a remarkable historical fiction. If you enjoy reading stories of ancient Egypt and Rome, then Cleopatra's Daughter is a book you will definitely love!

A million thanks to Michelle for her generosity of sending me a review copy of Cleopatra's Daughter. This book has exceeded my expectations and I really enjoyed reading it. I hope I can read more books by Michelle in the future!

Thank you, Michelle!

Book rating : 10/10 - A perfect score!

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Now readers, I've a great news for all of you! Michelle has agreed to sponsor a giveaway on my blog! One lucky reader will win a paperback copy of The Heretic Queen and another lucky winner will be getting a hardcover of Cleopatra's Daughter. Both books are autographed copies.

Mandatory entry:
To enter, simply leave a comment telling me why you want to win. ( 1 entry)

Extra entries:

*Visit Michelle Moran's official website and tell me something you've learned about the author. ( 1 entry)

*Sign up for Michelle's Mailing List. (2 entries)

*Become a new follower of my blog. (1 entry)

*Already a follower. ( 2 entries)

*Tweet this giveaway and leave the link. (1 entry)
You may tweet as many times as you like. Every tweet will be counted as 1 entry.

*Update your Facebook status and leave the link. (1 entry)

*Blog about this giveaway and leave the link. ( 3 entries)

*Post this giveaway on other websites/social networks and leave the link. (2 entries for each site)

*Refer a friend to enter. Your friend must state your name in his/her comment. ( 2 entries)

*Leave a comment in any of my September posts other than the giveaways. You may leave as many comments as you like, but only one comment will be counted for one post. (1 entry for each comment)

Can't wait to read Cleopatra's Daughter? Buy it here:

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~Michelle Moran's official website~

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER: a novel
The death of Cleopatra was only the beginning...

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER
Excerpt
Cleopatra's Daughter Q&A
Synopsis

Visit CleopatrasDaughter.com
Check out Michelle's blog at michellemoran.blogspot.com

Please remember to leave your e-mail address. You may leave it in the form (ex: aikychien at yahoo dot com) to avoid spammers.

Giveaway ends 23rd September, 2009 at 8.00 pm Malaysia time.

Giveaway is open worldwide. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. The mandatory rules MUST be completed for the extra entries to count. Winner(s) will be chosen via Random.org. The winner will have 3 days to respond, or another winner will be chosen.

Update: Giveaway is now closed.