A well written story for those with a deeper knowledge of ancient Egypt

This is the story of a teacher and his student, and their influence during a steampunk inspired take on the history of Cleopatra.

First and foremost, I found this book to be well written on many levels. There is a near poetic style to the narrative flow, and the main characters Amani and Philostratos are intimately and fully realized. But I'm legitimately torn between giving this 3 stars or 4. The characters are noble in their quest to save the history of their cultures during a time of war but, for me, it was easy to feel lost without the deeper knowledge of that history surrounding Cleopatra's reign.

I feel like if I knew more about that history, I would have gotten more out of the story. I would have better understood the logistics when it came to the historical power struggle. That’s what was missing for me. That’s what got me lost, a vague understanding of the overall mission.

That having been said, I think that anyone who has a deeper interest in the history of Cleopatra and ancient Egypt will really enjoy this take. It will help fill out the backstory of a number of secondary characters—sometimes historical figures—that were crucial to the plot. So, I’m hovering at a 3.7 or 3.8 rating that bumps this up to the 4.
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