The prologue was what persuaded me to read this book, and in my opinion was the best part of it. The epilogue was the second best part, where it felt as though it summarised the prologue. In some parts of the book, Sara’s own voice is heard, where you can feel her deep love for Cleopatra. El-Arifi’s pursuit to write a book about Cleopatra from her own perspective is highly admirable. I enjoyed the categorisation of the three sections as the myths of Cleopatra. However, I personally wasn’t as big of a fan of the book as I had hoped. This could be due to my own ignorance and perception of love as there seemed to be a weight on her relationships with both Caesar and Antonius (where I am not a fan of romance). Even though some aspects of the book clash with my own interests, I believe it to be a book many people will enjoy.

This is a book that everyone should read. It is a read that will make you uncomfortable, miserable, and angry. But we are not angry enough! Women are dying because of the gender data gap. Yet many people will see that statement as an exaggeration. Though that is due to ignorance. This book is an opportunity to educate ourselves on how important it is to include women in absolutely everything.