Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley
Publisher: Bantam Press
Goodreads Summary: There’s more than one path to immortality…

Once there was a queen of Egypt…a queen who became through magic something else…

The year is 30 BC. Octavian Caesar and his massed legions are poised to enter Alexandria. A messenger informs Egypt’s queen, Cleopatra, that her beloved Mark Antony has died by his own hand. Desperate to save her kingdom, resurrect her husband and protect all she holds dear, Cleopatra turns to the gods for help. Ignoring the warnings of those around her, she summons Sekhmet, goddess of death and destruction, and strikes a mortal bargain. And not even the wisest of Egypt’s scholar could have predicted what would follow…

For, in return for Antony’s soul, Sekhmet demands something in return: Cleopatra herself. And so Egypt’s queen is possessed. She becomes an immortal, shape-shifting, not-quite-human manifestation of a deity who seeks to destroy the world. Fighting to preserve something of her humanity, Cleopatra pursues Octavian back to Rome: she desires revenge, she yearns for her children…and she craves human blood.

It is a journey that will take her from the tombs of the Pharaohs to the great amphitheatres of imperial Rome and on, to Hell itself where, it seems, the fate of the world will finally be decided.

Blending authentic historical fiction and the darkest of fantasy, Queen of Kings is a spectacular and spellbinding feat of the imagination that fans of Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon, George R.R. Martin, Patricia Briggs, Philippa Gregory, and Ridley Scott's Gladiator won’t want to miss.
Rating: 5+ Stars
Review: I haven't read Historical Fiction since 2013, and it used to be my favourite genre.

I saw Queen of Kings sitting there for $8, and I just HAD to buy it after reading the synopsis. There was this nagging thought at the back of my head that I'd heard of Maria Dahvana Headley, and I later realised it was because I'd seen copies of Magonia everywhere.

That day, I read the prologue. The next day, I continued and read chapter 1, 2, 3 and ta-da, I was hooked. I had to read it in parts, but it was a brilliant read that I really enjoyed.

I've also read My Story: Cleopatra, which was Cleopatra's fictional diary, and I thought Queen of Kings would be similar. But guess what? I. THOUGHT. WRONG.

The My Story books were my all time favourite in 2013, but I gave them up in 2014 and moved on to YA. In 2014 and 2015 I never, ever thought I'd pick up a historical fiction again. But, I did.

Queen of Kings was so much better than the My Story's! It wasn't boring at all, and I found that it was more like a novel as well as a history lesson in one, while with the My Story's it felt like I was reading a droning fictional history diary because I needed a history lesson.

I really recommend Queen of Kings to anyone who's read YA or enjoys Historical Fiction. I hadn't read Historical Fiction in so long, and Queen of Kings really brought me back into the genre. I can't wait to read Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley as well!
Purchase Location: Bought from The Warehouse Queenstown
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Amazon|Barnes & Noble
Recommended for: Fans of historical fiction.