Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book. Post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.

If you haven’t treated yourself to an Angela Hunt book yet, what are you waiting for?  She’s such a versatile writer!  I’ve enjoyed her contemporary fiction in the past, and her historical fiction is just as amazing.  Hunt makes women of the Bible come alive!  In Egypt’s Sister, we get to see what happens behind the scenes of Cleopatra’s court.

Before you head into this book, note that you’ll probably want to jot down a list of characters. I wish one was provided in this book because there are so many unconventional names, some with our translations to remember!  Chava, Urbi (Cleopatra), HaShem (God), Omari, Nuru, and a whole host of others.  In an interesting side note, names play a very powerful role in the story, so it’s important to remember them.

This is a LONG book, over 360 pages, plus an Author’s Note at the end.  I would have preferred to see this as a trilogy, maybe, or at least separated into two stories.  When Egypt’s history mingles with Caesar’s campaigns, it becomes a tangled mess of history and drama.  I love that type of story, but was swept away into finishing the book rather than enjoying the mentions of amazing historical events.  One of my favorite sections in the book was the description of midwife medications.  I love learning about old remedies, and this was really interesting to me.

It’s hard to admit that I didn’t like Chava.  Her privileged upbringing as the dearest friend of Cleopatra set her up for disappointment when she fell from grace.  Though she made the best of her struggles, and I respected her decisions to stand up for her beliefs, she still seemed so entitled by the end of the book.

Do you enjoy reading historical fiction?

Thanks to Bethany House for providing me with a copy of this book.