Kleopatra by Karen Essex

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

May 7, 2010

Kleopatra is the first book in the Kleopatra series by Karen Essex, who writes lots of historical fiction (she’s great at it, too!).

This beautifully written novel is about Kleopatra’s childhood and upbringing. The novel ends when she becomes queen at the age of 18, and her story continues in the sequel called Pharaoh.

If you’re not overly familiar with the history of Cleopatra (“Kleopatra” is the traditional Greek spelling), this book will turn you on to the subject. It’s loaded with extravagant details about Egyptian culture back then, and there’s nothing boring about it. One thing I appreciate about Karen Essex is she’s not pretentious in her writing. She writes this one so well, it’s incredibly educational.

Cleopatra seems to have been a spoiled child, but it’s easy to fall in love with her and respect her as the book progresses—especially as she becomes more mature and intelligent. By the time she’s named queen at the end of the book, you can’t help but root for her and see her succeed.

I had originally purchased this book to learn more about Cleopatra. It was well worth it, and I highly recommend it if your goal is just that.

I’ve also reviewed Dracula in Love (2010) by Karen Essex for this website, and don’t forget to check out the follow-up to Kleopatra, called Pharaoh (2002).

Karen Essex has also written these books:

What did you think about Kleopatra? What other books have you read by Karen Essex?

Last Updated on February 19, 2026 by Sarah Ann

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