Cleopatra – Natasha Solomons

Published By: Manilla Press
Pages: 400
Released On: 08/05/2025

Cleopatra, Egyptian Princess, grows up the favoured daughter of the Pharoah, hiding amongst the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria with her beloved slave Charmian, longing for the chance one day to write her own story.

Then when her father dies, willing that Cleopatra rule with her selfish brother Ptolemy, danger stirs. As the young Egyptian Queen sails the Nile to greet her people, he plots to destroy her and take the throne for himself.

But while Ptolemy has the power of Egypt behind him, Cleopatra has her wits. And when the great Caesar arrives from Rome, she realises he could be the key to her salvation – though courting this powerful man could cost her everything.

Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne and her beloved Egypt and finally write her own history?

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Manilla Press for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I have been so excited about this book – and just look at that cover, it’s so beautiful.

I have read quite a lot of Egypt-related books recently and I am here for it. Like most people it seems, I was fascinated by Ancient Egypt and Egyptology as a kid and I’m starting to feel that again thanks to this influx of the genre.

The background, scene setting, historical points – they’re all so beautiful. You can see how much research Natasha has had to carry out to make this so vivid and lifelike.

For the most part, it is heavy on the prose and light on dialogue, and I like that, that’s how I write actually. For me, it leads you better into the story and only through that do you get to understand the characters.

The characters are so well created. The goodies, the baddies, and the in-betweens. Few of them are 100% villains, instead most are morally grey; they’re violent because o the time they live in and that’s what is expected from them in context. Cleopatra’s story is not one I know well, but she is depicted as the fierce and powerful leader that we all know, but Natisha has also shown her as a loving, caring friend.

I don’t really know much about Cleopatra, but having done a quick Google, from what I can tell, this is so accurate its like Natasha was there alongside Cleopatra. You can tell she has a passion for this subject, you don’t get this level of passion into the story without having some sort of love for it.

I read this in less than 24 hours it was so addictive, it reads almost like a thriller, so engrossed I was in it. It’s brutal and gory and violet and fierce and sad and bloody, but if you look between all of that, you’ll also find love and friendship and hope.

I own a copy of Natasha’s book Fair Rosaline, but it still remains on my TBR, but having read this I know it needs to go to the top of my list because her storytelling and writing is wonderful.