Egypt's Sister: A novel of Cleopatra by Angela Hunt

Five decades before the birth of Christ, Chava, daughter of the royal tutor, grows up with Urbi, a princess in Alexandria's royal palace. When Urbi becomes Queen Cleopatra, Chava vows to be a faithful friend no matter what--but after she and Cleopatra have an argument, she finds herself imprisoned and sold into slavery. 

Torn from her family, her community, and her elevated place in Alexandrian society, Chava finds herself cast off and alone in Rome. Forced to learn difficult lessons, she struggles to trust a promise HaShem has given her. After experiencing the best and worst of Roman society, Chava must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life. 

Egypt's Sister is the first novel in Angela Hunt's new series, the Silent Years, which follows the Jewish people during the time period between the Old and New Testament when they have no communication with God via prophets. I recently wrote a review on the second novel in this series, Judah's Wife, which covers Israel during the Maccabean era. Egypt's Sister is about the Jews living in Egypt during Cleopatra's reign as Egypt begins to fall under the control of Rome. The story centers around Chava and her childhood friendship with Urbi (aka Cleopatra) and what happens to both girls as they age. It was very interesting to see the backstory behind Cleopatra, to see the tragedy and betrayal that existed in her own family, and to watch as the decisions she made led her further and further into uncertainly, lies, and deceit. I also was intrigued to follow the fictional story of Chava as she suffered under the slavery conditions in Rome and had to learn to persevere and to forgive even in the midst of great pain. I was pulled into the story from the first page, and I could not put it down until the end. I was moved to tears at times by the realistic narration and the hardship that both girls experienced for different reasons. Overall, I highly enjoyed diving into this novel, and I look forward to reading more of Angela Hunt's new series. 

I received this novel from Netgalley and Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.