Raised together in the Alexandrian palace, Chava, the Hebrew daughter of the royal tutor, and Urbi, an Egyptian princess, become as close as sisters--and rivals with their dreams of greatness. When Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne as Queen Cleopatra, Chava believes their bond is strong enough to survive. But absolute power has a way of changing everything.
The ultimate betrayal rips Chava from everything she's ever known and sends her to the lowest rung of Roman society where she must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life, if she hopes to rise again.
The author of more than 100 published books and with nearly 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Note, The Nativity Story, and Esther: Royal Beauty. Romantic Times Book Club presented Angela with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, Angela completed her PhD in Biblical Studies in Theology.
She and her husband live in Florida with their mastiffs. She can be found online at www.angelahuntbooks.com.
MY REVIEW:
I always enjoy historical fiction and this book about the early years of Cleopatra and those around her was very interesting indeed.
We start out getting to know Urbi, the Egyptian princess who will become Queen and her friend, Chava. The story is really told from the point of view of Chava and I really enjoyed how the story is seen through her eyes.
Chava has lived a life of luxury with Urbi and they have been best friends. However, after Urbi becomes Queen, Chava is determined to be supportive and to her. Unfortunately, they have a disagreement and Chava is torn from all she has known to be sold into slavery and live a totally different life than she is used to.
It was interesting to me to see Chava's jewish beliefs and her belief in God evolve as she goes along. She starts out as someone I wasn't liking too much but evolved into someone strong and who relies on God.
There were some really slow parts for me - some of the historical descriptions and facts grew tiresome and were a bit dry. I also didn't feel really invested in these characters as much as I would have liked. I think, too, I was expecting maybe a bit more about Cleopatra and not about her discarded friend.
All in all, I did enjoy this book but it wasn't something I thought much about when I sat it down. It's an interesting story but not a compelling one for me. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Bethany House
Blessings - Julie
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