Editorial Content for The Drowning King: A Fall of Egypt Novel
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In CLEOPATRA’S SHADOWS, author Emily Holleman recreated the fall of ancient Egypt and the life of its final queen, Cleopatra VII, through the eyes of Cleopatra’s sister, Arsinoe. Arsinoe carved out a unique niche for herself as a slightly immature but engaging and prophetic princess in the first Fall of Egypt novel. But it’s in this second book that she comes into her own as a woman and embraces her royal heritage --- and all the deadly consequences that has to offer.
As our story opens, Arsinoe’s capricious drunkard of a father, Ptolemy XII Auletes (“the Piper”), is on his deathbed. Arsinoe has little love for the man who abandoned and ignored her in favor of his beloved elder daughter, but, despite her reservations, she maintains a girlish loyalty to Cleopatra’s cause. However, waking nightmares still haunt the dreams of the youngest Ptolemaic princess.
"THE DROWNING KING contains everything that a real-life 'Game of Thrones' would: sibling incest, backstabbing court politics, invasions and treachery at every turn."
As she fears she’ll become as ruthless as her father and late half-sister, Berenice, Arsinoe does her best to maintain her fealty to Cleopatra as her sister ascends to the throne alongside their younger brother --- also named Ptolemy. But twin vultures of relentless ambition and Roman greed threaten all Arsinoe holds dear.
As she did in CLEOPATRA’S SHADOWS, Holleman deftly balances two perspectives: Arsinoe and, this time around, Ptolemy. The young prince-turned-king is a compelling character as he matures from a vain boy surrounded by sycophantic advisors into a puppet monarch left to his own devices, desperately trying to find his footing in a treacherous political environment.
Arsinoe, too, is engaging; Holleman has scaled back the focus on the prophetic dreams and concentrated on Arsinoe’s own ambitions, which make her that much more interesting. While her perspective --- Rome equals evil --- might seem too straightforward, the way Holleman threads Arsinoe’s traumatic experiences and familial betrayals into her narrative turns what might otherwise be an average 16-year-old’s simplistic point of view into a formidable political opinion.
THE DROWNING KING contains everything that a real-life “Game of Thrones” would: sibling incest, backstabbing court politics, invasions and treachery at every turn. Don’t miss this enthralling installment in the Fall of Egypt saga, and be sure to pick up the remaining two volumes when they hit shelves.
Teaser
It's the dawn of a new era for Egypt as Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy, are welcomed to the throne after their father's death. Long overlooked by his father in favor of the beguiling Cleopatra, Ptolemy is determined to prove his ability as both man and king --- but, at 11, he is no match for his elder sister, who's quick to assert her primacy throughout the land. Their sister Arsinoe is torn between her siblings in one of history's greatest power struggles. When Cleopatra is forced to flee a rebel uprising, Arsinoe decides she has no choice but to follow her sister into exile. Yet while Cleopatra gathers an army to retake the crown, Arsinoe begins to doubt whether her sister is the champion Egypt needs.
Promo
It's the dawn of a new era for Egypt as Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy, are welcomed to the throne after their father's death. Long overlooked by his father in favor of the beguiling Cleopatra, Ptolemy is determined to prove his ability as both man and king --- but, at 11, he is no match for his elder sister, who's quick to assert her primacy throughout the land. Their sister Arsinoe is torn between her siblings in one of history's greatest power struggles. When Cleopatra is forced to flee a rebel uprising, Arsinoe decides she has no choice but to follow her sister into exile. Yet while Cleopatra gathers an army to retake the crown, Arsinoe begins to doubt whether her sister is the champion Egypt needs.
About the Book
Ancient Egypt, 51 B.C. Sisters Arsinoe and Cleopatra face a devastating choice: to allow Rome's army to siphon power from their ailing father, or to take matters --- and the dynasty --- into their own hands.
It's the dawn of a new era for Egypt as Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy, are welcomed to the throne after their father's death. But joint rule breeds its own conflicts: can the Nile be shared? Long overlooked by his father in favor of the beguiling Cleopatra, Ptolemy is determined to prove his ability as both man and king --- but, at 11, he is no match for his elder sister, who's quick to assert her primacy throughout the land.
Their sister Arsinoe is torn between her siblings in one of history's greatest power struggles. As the palace echoes with rumors, scandals and betrayal, Arsinoe's love for her childhood friend Alexander deepens into a forbidden passion that could endanger both their lives. When Cleopatra is forced to flee a rebel uprising, Arsinoe decides she has no choice but to follow her sister into exile.
Yet while Cleopatra gathers an army to retake the crown, Arsinoe begins to doubt whether her sister is the champion Egypt needs. Faced with the choice of betraying her family or her country, Arsinoe will determine a kingdom's fate and the course of history.
