Began reading: 6.9.2017
Completed reading: 11.9.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
As the Romans steal power from the throne, a crucial decision will determine the course of history.
Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy are established on the throne. Long overlooked by his father in favour of the beguiling Cleopatra, eleven-year-old Ptolemy is desperate to assert himself as a man and a king – but he and his advisors are no match for Queen Cleopatra.
Yet when Cleopatra alienates Rome’s remaining legions and flees the palace, Ptolemy finally gets his first taste of power. As Cleopatra joins forces with her sister, Arsinoe, Ptolemy must prepare to prove his ruthlessness to Caesar.
Arsinoe doubts where her sister’s loyalties lie, and when news comes that Cleopatra has manipulated Caesar to regain the throne, she is torn between her warring siblings. She must choose whether it will be her sister or brother she betrays and which side to take – a decision that will determine the fate of a kingdom…
The Drowning King by Emily Holleman is a historical fiction novel that explores the lives of royalty in ancient Egypt. I have been dying to get my hands on this novel ever since I discovered that my library holds a copy. It took such a long time to borrow it because so many people kept getting it before me. But FINALLY I can say that I have read it, and I wasn’t disappointed!
Following the death of Ptolemy
XII Auletes, his three eldest children Cleopatra, Arsinoe and Ptolemy XIII are
thrown in the deep end of political intrigue. As they are forced to work
together, they will each develop a taste of power and begin craving more.
Noticing the growing tension between Alexandrians and Romans, Cleopatra plans
to flee the palace and bring Arsinoe with her. Gathering troops, the royal
sisters will need to work together to overthrow their weak younger brother;
their plans are jumbled when Arsinoe is abandoned by Cleopatra yet again, only
to find that her sister is siding with the Romans – seducing Julius Caesar.
Ptolemy struggles with the sudden authority he possesses and has difficulties with
exercising his power. This will become almost impossible when Cleopatra returns
and stages a coup for the throne. Meanwhile, Arsinoe has learned that she will
never sit on the throne, but when she’s caught between her siblings and the
looming threat that Rome holds, she will be forced to choose a side or risk her
life to obtain what was always out of her reach.
The book was well-written, as expected. In my opinion, there is one word to describe Holleman’s writing style: eloquent. I loved her writing in Cleopatra’s Shadows, and I was grateful that it hadn’t changed in this text. The use of literary techniques including foreshadowing, point of view and suspense assisted with the flow of the narrative and added depth. There were also a couple of great quotes, including:
‘When a king falls ill, his kingdom falls ill with him’ (p. 12).
The greatest victories come when our enemies least expect them (p. 82).
She’d spoken their victory into being, like the native gods of old, and baptised it in blood (p. 368).
I mentioned in my review for Cleopatra’s Shadows that I thought the plot was interesting and unique, and I stand by what I said. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, and ancient Egypt has always been a fascinating topic for me (I fell in love when I had to do an assignment on it back when I was 13). In high school, I chose to study ancient history and I loved every minute of it. Anyway, my point is that I was able to apply my knowledge of ancient Egypt and the Romans to what I was reading, and I was addicted. I loved the re-telling because we got more of an insight into Cleopatra’s reign from the eyes of two lesser-known characters. There isn’t much to know about Arsinoe (I learned about her from Horrible Histories), so I enjoyed learning more about her (even if it is fictional).
Another aspect of writing that Holleman utilised in her previous book that appeared in this one was the uncertainty of characters’ fates in the form of plot twists. I mentioned in the review for the first book that the uncertainty was very creative – something that not a lot of writers think to incorporate. I could see that the plot twists reflected the unpredictability of Egyptian rule, especially in terms of the crown. For example, Cleopatra’s and Ptolemy’s abandoning and returning to the throne was unpredictable, similar to how their siblings fought to reign. Like I said, I thought this tactic was clever and I hope to see more of this in Holleman’s future works.
I firmly believe that Holleman is one of the best writers when it comes to styling a conclusion. Both perspectives ended in an intriguing way, just like Arsinoe’s and Berenice’s in the previous novel. In this book, Arsinoe’s conclusion hinted at foreshadowing, particularly her death. There is a claim that Arsinoe was murdered by Marc Antony, under Cleopatra’s orders. With this in mind, the final line in Arsinoe’s perspective states:
She could no longer tell which was friend and which was foe (p. 400),
which I think is foreboding and a look into what’s to come. I thought that Ptolemy’s conclusion was vivid and bittersweet – bittersweet because he always seemed to feel like a disappointment, but at the same time he would never feel like that again. I don’t know if there will be a third book, but if there is then I’m so excited to see how Holleman concludes Arsinoe’s life.
There were numerous characters in this novel, and I was super excited when each other them had their own unique personalities and their own flaws. Each character had a motive to claim the throne, or work their way as close to it as possible, which was intriguing. Their flaws made them stand out amongst each other, especially Ptolemy siblings’ flaws – their hunger for power ultimately brought about their demise. I enjoyed seeing how they negotiated and battled each other for the throne, so their flaws made their characters and the plot line enhanced my fascination.
I only had one minor issue with this incredible book, and that was that it was a little repetitive. I understand that Ptolemy was trying to prove that he can be a man and a good king, but he felt like a weakling and his constant “I’m such a good king but Arsinoe will do all the work for me” thing irritated me. I was constantly thinking, “sorry hon, but Arsinoe ain’t doin’ this for you because SHE DON’T LOVE YOU”. The repetitive nature of going to war also felt tedious, but that was historically accurate so I’ll let that slide.
My favourite character is still Arsinoe because she was loyal, wise, clever and determined. She stayed loyal to Egypt, despite her sister’s growing attraction to Rome. I might not have agreed with her hunger for power, but her reasons for wanting the throne were justifiable.
I didn’t like Cleopatra and her growing weakness for Rome. I found this interesting because she’s always portrayed as a compassionate but beguiling woman, so I thought that her representation in the novel was refreshing. While I’m glad that Arsinoe and Alexander finally did it, I was irritated with Alexander for constantly pressuring Arsinoe. I wasn’t sure if he was truly in love with her or if he just wanted to known as the queen’s consort, but he really frustrated me.
My favourite part of the novel was Arsinoe’s break from Cleopatra because she was finally able to establish herself as a confident and independent Ptolemy. I thought that it was a long time coming, but it demonstrated her loyalty to her people, which is admirable.
Recommendation time! If you like Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Stephanie Thornton, The Empress of Rome series by Kate Quinn, and the Numinous World series by Jo Graham, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Exodus: Gods and Kings, Cleopatra, Agora and Pompeii.
My review for Cleopatra’s Shadows can be found by clicking on the title.
Happy reading!
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