Review of : Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer

Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer

Sorry this is going to be a bit crappy.. I can't brainstorm any, because I'm a bit under the weather. Also, there are some SPOILERS! So I'm warning you right now, if you keep reading, it may ruin the book for you!


Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 291
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Released: June 7th, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
My Rating: 3/5
Date Started: August 4th, 2012
Date Finished: August 8th, 2012
Source: Library

Synopsis:

It is the first century B.C. Cleopatra, the third of the pharaoh's six children, is the one that her father has chosen to be the next queen of Egypt. But when King Ptolemy is forced into exile, Cleopatra is left alone to fend for herself in a palace rife with intrigue and murder. Smart, courageous, ambitious and sensuously beautiful, she possesses the charm to cause two of history's most famous leaders to fall in love with her. But as her cruel sisters plot to steal the throne, Cleopatra realizes there is only one person on whom she can rely--herself.

In Cleopatra Confesses, award winning author Carolyn Meyer writes the story of the teenage girl who would become Egypt's most unforgettable queen, from her early years to her her ultimate destiny. 

I liked this book okay overall. The beginning to middle was great and kept me interested, but the ending seemed a little forced and boring. Let me explain why..

The characters made up for some of it, though they had their bad parts too. Characters I liked : Charmion, Cleopatra, King Ptolemy, Demetrius, Julius Ceasar. Characters I disliked : Arsinoe (she ended up just like Berenike and Tryphaena), Berenike, Tryphaena, Ptolemy XIII. I loved loved loved Charmion, just because of how sweet she was to Cleopatra in her up's and downs. She was always there for Cleopatra. (SPOILER ALERT!) Plus, she is Cleopatra's half sister! I was so happy when I read that! (: Cleopatra almost made it to the dislike list, purely because of what she did collectively in the second half of the book. I loved her as a child because she was really smart and maneuvered her way out of tough decisions. As she got older, she grew on my nerves because she didn't solve the problems as she should have done as the ruler of Alexandria. King Ptolemy was good enough to make it on the like list. He was fatherly enough to Cleopatra, but I think he should have tried to come out of exile a bit earlier that 2 years. (SPOILER ALERT!) I was a bit sad when he died, because then Cleopatra was alone, while her two sisters claimed the throne and were most likely trying to kill her. Demetrius was my favorite character by far, besides Charmion. I like to learn about new things, and he was a teacher, so I really related to him on that level. He was just a such a cute little man. Someone that Cleopatra could go to and explain her feelings. Julius Caesar was iffy. He genuinely wanted to see Alexandria thrive with money and crops, so he helped the best he could. But it seemed sometimes this was all a plan to score points with Cleopatra and get her to love him. Which worked. That was low, because he already had a wife back home, and he had the guts to have a son with her!

Reasons for the characters I disliked. Arsinoe! Even as a small child, she always wanted something. She was greedy and complained quite a lot. As she grew up, she got worse and grew into a minature Berenike. Blech! Berenike and Tryphaena were like the step sisters from Cinderella. They despised Cleopatra, and hated each other, especially when Titus came into play. They were the most viscous sisters who ever lived! (SPOILER ALERT!) But then what supposedly happened is Berenike banished Tryphaena and Titus off Alexandria and onto a boat, because they truly loved each other. Berenike just wanted Titus so she could rub it in Tryphaena's face. Once they were on a boat far away in the Nile, Berenike was rumored to have sent guards to kill them. They were never seen again! But Berenike is then served a hot fresh plate of karma, when King Ptolemy comes out of exile, and hear's of her taking his position and killing her sister. She is knifed through the heart. And finally, Ptolemy XIII. He is the second youngest in the family, and didn't play a huge part until the second half of the book. He rules with Cleopatra at a young age, but was miss-leaded but his regents. He thinks of no other than power and more power. This was all planted into his head by his regents. They are power hungry, and with stop at nothing to get Cleopatra out of the throne.

Plot: As I have said above, I liked the book until near the end, So this includes the plot to a point. I love books with a plenty amount of action and adventure. It supplied with with that! From the long trip on the Nile to Berenike and Tryphaena ruling, it was exciting! Plenty of good surprises and charming writing that made this part worthwhile. After the middle though, the book slowed down a lot. Cleopatra was in power, but it seemed like the author had nothing to write about. I was bored until about the last 4 chapters because the action sped up again. For which I'm glad.

Cleopatra Confesses was good enough to where I recommend it to my fellow bloggers, but not anymore than that.

Review of : Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 310 pgs.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Released: September 20th 2011
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Mythology
My Rating: 3/5
Date Started: July 10th, 2012

Date Finished: July 17th,  2012
Source: Library


Synopsis: 

Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.

So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.

Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . 



From Goodreads

Dark of the Moon was a very interesting read. There were points where I was a bit confused as to where they were, who certain characters were and the overall tale, but it was a truly enjoyable read.


This must be a first for me, reading a teen mythology book. Don't get me wrong, I love mythology as much as the next person, but this is the first time I have actually picked up a book like this. So of course, I dived in immediately.


The characters were the best part! Ariadne, Asterion, Theseus, Prokris, Minos, She-Who-Is-Goddess or Pasiphae.  And of course all of the priestesses.But, I was a bit unsure of Ariadne and Theseus's relationship. In the synopsis it say's she is drawn to him and they have a bond that might become something more. But it the book, it was kinda off and on with them. It was like one moment they liked each other and the next, they didn't even talk. The plan between Prokris and Theseus seemed like a last minute one, and I thought that it would be part of the plot big time, but didn't come into play until the end. Asterion was my favorite character because of how cute he seemed(besides the part of accidentally killing the children. I mean, come on, he didn't mean to).  Asterion seemed to be like a huge teddy bear who didn't have much control over his body or mind.


The story line was okay, based on how things played out. I think the author wanted this book to be deeper in meaning, but in my opinion didn't get there, but she was close. It seemed to me like the events and their traditions were a bit mixed together. The traditions with the whole Goddess and Velchanos thing was confusing, as to who was going to be the sacrifice to fertilize the lands and such forth. I will probably start reading up on Greek mythology now.. (:


I recommend this book to anyone who likes mythology with a bit of suspense, teen and fantasy.