Author: Saara El-Arifi
Publication: March 3, 2026 by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Find it on: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones | Libro.fm
Rating: 4/5★
Cleopatra tells her own story in this evocative and sensuous historical epic from the bestselling and award-winning author of Faebound and The Final Strife.
“Enchanting, smart, and subversive—this is El-Arifi’s masterpiece.”—R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis
This stunning edition includes designed endpapers and a custom case stamp.
YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.
Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.
Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.
Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.
How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.
Death will silence me no longer.
This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.
"This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived."
Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi took me by surprise in the best way possible. When I started the book I didn't realize how in love I would fall with this novel. Not only was it one of the best retelling of Cleopatra's life, it also ended up as one of my favorite books of the year. I can't recommend it enough!
Cleopatra is one of my favorite figures from history and I've read my fair share of both nonfiction and fiction books about her life so not every fictionalized story about her has been a hit for me in the past. With Saara El-Arifi’s Cleopatra, it felt as though she revitalized the queen who has been portrayed countless times. The story was told in a way that felt refreshingly new and original. Another thing I loved about Cleopatra was how El-Arifi portrays her with deeply human emotions. She had her flaws, she made mistakes, she was ruthless at times but also had the capacity for love as is shown in her relationships with her children and her lifelong trusted companion Charmion.
The one minor point was the ending. Anyone knowing how the life of Cleopatra ended knows how tragic it was. I was fully prepared to cry my eyes out and I nearly did. However, the story ended with some fantasy elements. The author's choice (which is her full right of course!) to end the story in this way wasn't my favorite ever. It took me a little out of the story and I was a little confused, to be honest. This is just my personal preference and in the end this was only minor compared to my love for the entire book.
The audiobook was narrated by the incredible Adjoa Andoh and she did an amazing job at voicing pharaoh Cleopatra as well as the other characters.
About the author:SAARA EL-ARIFI is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and historical fiction. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie.After a decade of working in marketing and communications, she returned to academia to complete a master's degree in African studies specialising in Cleopatra's myth and her impact on Black women.She currently resides in London as a full-time procrastinator.
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