Customer Reviews

Queen of Kings

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Everything is true. Once a story is told, it becomes true. Every unlikely tale, every tale of wonders, has something real at its core." This quote in the "Historical Note" section after the novel serves to properly introduce an amazing, wondrous tale. For when one begins this novel about the famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, one is not expecting this story of love and war conducted on human, mythological, and supernatural multi-levels. The love of Antony and Cleopatra is well-known, but the devastation that follows Rome's defeat of Egypt sets loose days and nights of terror that will make the reader shiver many, many times in the following pages.

For Octavius, the Roman leader, sends a messenger to Cleopatra, telling her that Antony has committed suicide. Cleopatra does not discover the truth until much later, as she is busy creating an incomplete spell in which she attempts to invoke the powers of Sekhmet. Her goal is to defeat Roman power but what she unleashes are the powers of death, destruction, chaos, plague, and every form of evil one could possibly conceive. It's as if Pandora's box has opened to unleash the fury of darkness and chaos upon every corner of the world.

Cleopatra becomes Sekhmet's furious tool of evil, fueled by the blood of her hapless victims of both high and low birth. But the neatness of this story becomes even more complex when the powers of the mythological underworld,a priestess, sorceress, historian, serpents, gods, and goddesses take sides in a war between Cleopatra and those who support Octavius. Plague, war, thefts, battles, vicious murders, and ritual sacrifices fill these pages with a story that defies imagination yet seems all too real and horrific!

Maria Dahvana Headley has written a timeless, literate, and wonder-filled story that is an absolute must read. The list of sources and historical references after the story are quite impressive and provide a long list of material to be read for those who are as gripped by this story as this reviewer was and is. Superb story that was obviously fueled by the creative Muses - don't miss this gem!

Maria Headley's novel takes the traditional Romeo and Juliet-esque ending of Cleopatra and Marc Antony's love story and turns it inside out.
What would the most powerful woman on earth do if her lover died? She would call in scholars, goddesses, and monsters to bring him back from dead of course ... but at what cost?

If you've always been seduced by Cleopatra's story but have craved a fresh retelling than this is the book for you. Headley takes the historical details (the fatal war between Rome and Egypt, Cleopatra's mysterious death, excerpts from Virgil and ancient texts) and merges them with fantasy and mythology (the Goddess Sekmet, Cleopatra's curse of eternal life, shades, and sorcery.) The result is a breathtaking voyage through Egypt, Rome, and even Hades, in which Cleopatra's unending love for Marc Antony serves as our guide.

Oh man. Dead-alive Cleopatra? About time, is all I can say. Not since Richard Burton singlehandedly made wearing codpieces seem cool again has a book resurrected the notion that boy-kings and artifacts are dull, dull, dull and sorcerers, witches, and the soul-lust of Sekhemet are engrossingly hip. I put aside Game of Thrones to dig my fingers into the blood drenched sands of the Nile, and I'm sure glad I did. 30 BC is now officially my favorite year in all of history. My only question: when does the next volume come out?

Deliciously Dark, Sexy and Suspenseful!

More please! Headley presents a wonderful book that I got from her for FREE at Book Expo America 2011 - This book sat on my desk for months - How was I to know that it is one of the best kept secrets of 2011?

The story of Cleopatra is timeless and draws the reader into a world of magic, sex and power - with a very special twist: just what bit Cleopatra? Headley does an AWESOME job of mixing history with myth - taking the reader on a fantastic ride! I could not put this book down! I felt the sand between my toes, the smells of the ancient traditions and I felt the POWER!!!!

The author states this book is part of a trilogy and I am grateful.
Long live the Queen!

I think everyone knows at least a little of the story of Cleopatra. But no matter what you thought you knew this book will open your eyes to a new way of viewing history.

In this book you dont just read about the Queen of Egypt. You read about a wife, mother and queen who loses her one true love and will do anything to get him back and get revenge. Including sacrificing herself and in the end even her kingdom. She becomes almost completely inhuman after her ritual. But she still holds onto enough of herself to try and save her children and send Mark Antony to the afterlife all Egyptians dreamed of, even as she dooms herself.

The book is set against the historical backdrop of Octavian invading Egypt and Rome taking control of what was Cleopatra's kingdom. You get a lot of what we believe is historical fact for these events. Which when combined with the paranormal aspects the author has created has developed such a complex, interesting story you cant not read and find out what happens.

This is a well-written, well-researched novel that will open history back up for more people to read and enjoy. She cleverly weaves in both Roman and Egyptian mythology and beliefs. To a point where you can easily say, whats to say all of this really didn't happen. She seems to effortlessly weave together both history and fantasy (paranormal) to create a story that keeps you reading and turning the pages all the way to the conclusion.

From the first pages, the storm of a plot increased without respite in intensity until it left me spent and breathless at the end. The imagery, the angst, the longing, and the magic compelled me to keep reading. What I loved most was the melding of historical context (a fun acquisition of knowledge about actual figures, events, and mythology of the Roman era) with characters and quests reminiscent of "The Lord of the Rings." Like the protagonists in the Russian fairy tales of the Baba Yaga, Cleopatra does not know whether her acts are of her own volition or by compulsion, adding to the draw of the story, and leaving the reader to root for her to the end. It was a great read. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I had heard about this book online and have been looking forward its release. I just finished and it was everything that I hoped it would be. It weaves together history, romance, the supernatural and more into a wild ride that takes you right through to an amazing conclusion.

Don't miss this one.

We've all heard the stories about the great love of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Well, that story is getting a whole new twist here. Queen of Kings opens with the Egyptian queen and her husband on the cusp of war with the Roman emperor Octavian and his legion. They are outnumbered. But Cleopatra has one last idea on how they can defeat Rome. She summons an ancient Goddess to suffuse her with power. But things go terribly wrong.

Octavian finds a way to trick Mark Antony into suicide, which sets off a rage in Cleopatra which is unequaled. Her summoning spell has left her bound to the blood-thirsty goddess Sekhmet. She is now immortal; more beast than woman; and without her great love. Now, Cleopatra is hellbent on destroying Octavian, rescuing her children he has taken, and finding a way to reunite with Mark Antony in the afterlife.

It took me awhile to get into this book. Things were very slow-moving in the first hundred or so pages. I didn't feel like much was happening beyond Cleopatra and Mark Antony's deaths and honestly, I had no idea where the story was going. The book was set up in a prologue that indicates 50 years later, Cleopatra lives on; the monster lives on. The narrator is warning the future. So I kept thinking maybe we'd see Cleopatra live on beyond ancient times or that the storyline would progress beyond the scope of her lost love. But that was a misconception on my part. Everything Cleopatra does, everything she is, centers on Mark Antony.

Things do pick up maybe about 175 pages-in. I finally saw a chance for things to move in a direction I could root for. (Up until that point, I feared we were destined for an entire book about how miserable Cleopatra's eternity would be without her soul-mate. ) And the story moves to encompass pivotal new characters that will help shape the battles between the Cleopatra and Octavian as well as Cleopatra and the goddess who holds her soul.

This book is chock-full of Roman and Egyptian mythology. And it doesn't scrimp on paranormal elements. But we're not talking typical sexy-vampire stuff. Everything paranormal here is very dark. Cleopatra is barely a woman anymore after her transformation. She is a beast, save for the shreds of her being that hold on to the love she has for her husband and children. This is a rich and complicated story, especially once you get into the meat of it.

Personally, I don't mind the dark. But there were many points I felt like we moved beyond dark, into abject misery and hopelessness. And even that I could have forgiven, if the book had ended just one page sooner. After all we endured at Cleopatra's side, I needed a different ending than we got. I understand why it ended this way; but I didn't like it. 3 1/2 stars.

I put off reading "Queen of Kings", usually avoiding dark tales, and was warned that the book contains "very graphic" images. It does, but I enjoyed it. The author writes passionately of interesting characters on fascinating journeys through ancient times and mythic worlds. A nice blend of historical, mythical, & imaginative beings, creatures, & mortals, this is an intriguing tale filled with action, entertaining details, & never-ending possibilities.

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First, its not actually a vampire book. Don't get me wrong, I love a vamp book. However, this book combines elements of the vampire tale with other monsters and god of ancient times in an entertaining and different way.

Second, I love this time period in history and have read many of the sources the author used for her background material so it was a fun read from that standpoint. THe author also did a nice job of using the historical information in a way that built up her story. Plus, I have toured the many of the places the author discusses in the Campi Flegrei.

Third, the story is fun and very readable--even for people not so excited about this time.

My one complaint is that I did not agree with the characterization of Augustus as well as Marcus Agrippa. But you cannot agree on everything. All and all a fun book.