A Royal Celebration: A Review of The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory
- Hannah Zunic
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.
IT’S READING HAS RUINED MY LIFE’S 300th POST!! HIP-HIP HOORAY!
Yes, that’s right, I now have 300 reviews, listicles, versus matches, and general absurdity on this site. I’ve been doing this for five and a half years. I have spent countless hours writing, reading, falling in love with a new book each and every week, and of course, losing my mind every step of the way. Thank you to everyone who has ever read any post on this site. When I began RHRML all the way back in 2020, I had no idea what I was doing, what I was going to do, how long the site would last, and even if beginning the site would be worth it; all I knew was RHRML was a way to hone my writing skills post college. Well guess what? I’ve had a blast writing reviews and spewing utter madness. I shall continue on for at least 300 more posts!
As this is my 300th post, I wanted to celebrate the milestone in style. I couldn’t just post any old review. Nay, nay. Today’s post must be a good one. Which is why I’m bringing all of you a new review of The Royal Diaries!
Please give a warm welcome to The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory!
As always, a spoiler alert is in order. If you’ve read any other review on this site then you’ll know I simply love the spoil the entirety of the books I read. This will be your one and only warning. Also, a quick content and trigger warning for this book. Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile takes place in ancient Egypt. There are lots of mentions of slavery and racism. Kristiana Gregory does not shy away from this aspect of history. This book also doesn’t shy away from gore. The severed head on a shield has lived in my head rent free since I was a child reading this book for the first time. Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile is truly not a book for the faint of heart. With all of that, let’s get to the synopsis.
Cleopatra VII is one of the daughters of Ptolemy XII, and she is most definitely her father’s favorite child. Ptolemy XII has faith in Cleopatra. She’s certainly the smartest of his children with her mind for languages and ability to read a situation. Being her father’s favorite does come with some problems. Namely the big target on her back calling for assassins and her father’s political rivals to end her life.
That’s what Cleopatra’s oldest sister Tryphaena wants to do. She recognizes the threat Cleopatra poses, she recognizes that Cleopatra will fight for the throne when Ptolemy XII dies, and Cleopatra certainly knows these are Tryphaena’s thoughts. Which is why young Cleopatra travels with her dad to Rome in search of help to secure his throne. Travel really isn’t the right word as she mainly goes with her father to Rome in order to escape certain death. When in Rome, I guess!
In this new land, Cleopatra meets basically every prominent figure of the time; save for Caesar. More importantly she learns exactly what these men, and the ancient world, think of her father. With this new knowledge she realizes how much work she must do to save herself and her father, and work towards justly ruling Egypt in the future and keeping the kingdom safe from forces beyond her control.
Out of all The Royal Diaries books, this was really the only one I read multiple times as a child. I did not understand half of what was happening back then, but I reread the book many a time as my hyper-fixation was ancient Egypt. As an adult, I appreciate this book even more. This book is bloody and this book is dark! Kristiana Gregory does not shy away from anything! She is clearly showing her young readers the brutality that existed in this time with Rome crucifying their enemies/prisoners, the brutal and vicious deaths of Ptolemy XII’s daughters Tryphaena and Berenice, and the atrocities of what happened to enslaved people. These topics are detailed and discussed with respect.
Though I am once again questioning the book’s age range. The Royal Diaries often feel like they should be for more advanced readers than ages 9-12. While discussing slavery does make sense for readers this age, the imagery of Berenice’s severed head on plate does not. I speak from experience here as said image has lived in my head rent free since I first read this book. Though please note I am no expert on what is appropriate for children of any age as I am not a parent or a teacher; so take what I say with a grain of salt. I still applaud Kristiana Gregory for not sugar coating history. I’d rather these topics and history be shown to kids thus opening up dialogue between child and parent or teacher.
Objectively, this book is fantastic. Cleopatra’s characterization and character arc are standouts for me. Cleopatra is vastly intelligent from the start and she manages to become smarter based on the events she witnesses. There’s clear correlation between her experiences in Rome and her growing as a person. Cleopatra isn’t a character who refuses to admit when she’s wrong. Every event is a learning opportunity for her and gives her the chance to think about the kind of queen she’ll be in the future. She’s a strong, active character and her character arc is oh so satisfying. I cannot complement Kristiana Gregory’s writing enough.
Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile is one of the best entries in The Royal Diaries series. And I’m not just saying this because I’m blinded by nostalgia. Yes, the nostalgia certainly plays a role in my enjoyment of this book, but the writing and story stand on their own.
With that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you for joining me today and celebrating RHRML’s 300th post! Book Nerds, I hope you had a fantastic time celebrating with me. I shall see you all again next week with another new review. If you can’t wait that long then you can always follow RHRML over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). Come revel in some literary goodness over there. I post almost daily so something is always going on. If you want something not related to books, then you check out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. It stars me and two of my dearest friends, and we talk pretty much everything and anything. We have reviews on Scooby-Doo, Disney, and Barbie films; plus so much more! There’s bound to be something you’ll find interesting.
Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.
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