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The Goddess Queen
There was a moment, just over two thousand years ago, when the whole Mediterranean world could have been ruled by a woman. The Roman Republic was crumbling, torn apart by rivalries. Egypt was a wellspring of wealth. But its rulers had squandered their advantage and ended up hopelessly indebted to the protection racket that called itself Rome. Now a woman, as Pharaoh, had a chance to reclaim what Egypt had lost, to forge an alliance which would save both Rome and Egypt. Ancient history, high politics, sex and power collide in this dramatic story of the Egyptian queen who confronted and contested the power of Rome. This is Cleopatra and Antonius as you've never seen them before, in the first novel from number one bestselling author Alice Roberts.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Alice Roberts
45 books877 followersAlice May Roberts is an English anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, physical anthropologist, palaeopathologist, television presenter and author.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book was (regrettably) god awful for the 70 odd pages I read. I know 70 pages is not usually a good measure of a book but there were some fundamental issues that run throughout this book and will undoubtedly continue through the rest of the book that hamper readability so much that I don’t want to keep reading.
So where to start?
I’ll start on a positive because there weren’t many; the initial characterisation of cleopatra was okay. It wasn’t that in depth, and you don’t get much insight into her psyche beyond snarky comments that indicate that she doesn’t like her younger brother Ptolemy and she finds politicking a bit boring at times. Additionally, the concept is interesting - a novel charting the rise of Cleopatra as the ‘Goddess Queen’. That’s the end of my positives. Now I must rant.
Antonius (Mark Antony) initially seemed interesting enough even if the attempts to characterise him as a laddish, brusque military man who womanises everyone at every opportunity came across as forced and consequentially jarring. Each chapter that followed was more difficult to read. Roberts has missed the mark here. The characterisation is so unsubtle and he comes across as reprehensible. Whether that was the intention or not, it’s done so crudely. I think it’s possible to construct Antonius’ character in that way without doing it in such a vulgar manner.
My first observation was that Alice Roberts - a world-renowned, fantastic historian of the prehistoric and classical era - takes pains to capture historical accuracy at every opportunity. On paper this seems admirable but, in practice, it doesn’t work. Just like the ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Gladiator’ movie, artistic depictions of historical events or eras have to take liberties in the name of entertainment. No, they are no longer perfectly historically accurate but they make for (generally) entertaining watches. The nitty-gritty of history isn’t sexy or flashy and that’s why some bits get left out or aspects get changed. Roberts falls into the trap of sacrificing any semblance of a narrative, characterisation or readability to maintain some form of ‘historical accuracy’. The prose is dry and dull, as Roberts constantly drops snippets of - admittedly - interesting details about ancient Egyptian history and culture, name-dropping characters and names of months and points of religious interest throughout the text BUT in doing so, the narrative contains no substance. Cleopatra does ultimately feel two-dimensional and her thoughts come across as petulant and annoying, the supporting cast are given no time at all, certain pages are solely exposition and to be honest most of the book feels like exposition. As a likely symptom of Roberts’ role as a historian, the book reads like either a novelised non-fiction or a dramatised documentary - page 56 exemplifies this well if anyone had access to a snippet and wanted to know what I refer to. The structure reinforces this idea as certain chapters solely show a festival tradition or a religious procession that doesn’t advance the plot but simply exists to show that these things happened. This would be brilliant detail in a non-fiction about the life of cleopatra but in the fiction format, it doesn’t work at all.
I have a brilliant comparison with ‘Hera’ by Jennifer Saint that I have started since deciding to put ‘The Goddess Queen’ down, in that this book makes Roberts’ books’ shortcomings even more glaring. In the couple chapters I’ve read of ‘Hera’, Saint has begun to develop an interesting character in Hera, she has taken time to build out the world in a manner that is interesting and engaging, and she has included details about the world of the gods which aren’t trying to be ‘historically accurate’ but still are still able to paint a vivid image of an era without dropping exposition in every other sentence. The comparison falls short in that there is more flexibility with mythology but I still think it serves the purpose of demonstrating how Roberts’ book could have been enhanced tenfold by acknowledging that historical accuracy can be maintained without cramming thousands of details down the reader’s throat to the point where there’s no entertaining narrative substance left.
I wish I wasn’t so down on this book because I’m all for more historical fiction that challenges the centuries-old propaganda around certain figures from history that has given us false impressions but the execution in this book was so poor. Roberts has omitted zero details about culture, religion, characters that were present, historical facts and because of this, there’s barely any story and it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read in the slightest.
So where to start?
I’ll start on a positive because there weren’t many; the initial characterisation of cleopatra was okay. It wasn’t that in depth, and you don’t get much insight into her psyche beyond snarky comments that indicate that she doesn’t like her younger brother Ptolemy and she finds politicking a bit boring at times. Additionally, the concept is interesting - a novel charting the rise of Cleopatra as the ‘Goddess Queen’. That’s the end of my positives. Now I must rant.
Antonius (Mark Antony) initially seemed interesting enough even if the attempts to characterise him as a laddish, brusque military man who womanises everyone at every opportunity came across as forced and consequentially jarring. Each chapter that followed was more difficult to read. Roberts has missed the mark here. The characterisation is so unsubtle and he comes across as reprehensible. Whether that was the intention or not, it’s done so crudely. I think it’s possible to construct Antonius’ character in that way without doing it in such a vulgar manner.
My first observation was that Alice Roberts - a world-renowned, fantastic historian of the prehistoric and classical era - takes pains to capture historical accuracy at every opportunity. On paper this seems admirable but, in practice, it doesn’t work. Just like the ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Gladiator’ movie, artistic depictions of historical events or eras have to take liberties in the name of entertainment. No, they are no longer perfectly historically accurate but they make for (generally) entertaining watches. The nitty-gritty of history isn’t sexy or flashy and that’s why some bits get left out or aspects get changed. Roberts falls into the trap of sacrificing any semblance of a narrative, characterisation or readability to maintain some form of ‘historical accuracy’. The prose is dry and dull, as Roberts constantly drops snippets of - admittedly - interesting details about ancient Egyptian history and culture, name-dropping characters and names of months and points of religious interest throughout the text BUT in doing so, the narrative contains no substance. Cleopatra does ultimately feel two-dimensional and her thoughts come across as petulant and annoying, the supporting cast are given no time at all, certain pages are solely exposition and to be honest most of the book feels like exposition. As a likely symptom of Roberts’ role as a historian, the book reads like either a novelised non-fiction or a dramatised documentary - page 56 exemplifies this well if anyone had access to a snippet and wanted to know what I refer to. The structure reinforces this idea as certain chapters solely show a festival tradition or a religious procession that doesn’t advance the plot but simply exists to show that these things happened. This would be brilliant detail in a non-fiction about the life of cleopatra but in the fiction format, it doesn’t work at all.
I have a brilliant comparison with ‘Hera’ by Jennifer Saint that I have started since deciding to put ‘The Goddess Queen’ down, in that this book makes Roberts’ books’ shortcomings even more glaring. In the couple chapters I’ve read of ‘Hera’, Saint has begun to develop an interesting character in Hera, she has taken time to build out the world in a manner that is interesting and engaging, and she has included details about the world of the gods which aren’t trying to be ‘historically accurate’ but still are still able to paint a vivid image of an era without dropping exposition in every other sentence. The comparison falls short in that there is more flexibility with mythology but I still think it serves the purpose of demonstrating how Roberts’ book could have been enhanced tenfold by acknowledging that historical accuracy can be maintained without cramming thousands of details down the reader’s throat to the point where there’s no entertaining narrative substance left.
I wish I wasn’t so down on this book because I’m all for more historical fiction that challenges the centuries-old propaganda around certain figures from history that has given us false impressions but the execution in this book was so poor. Roberts has omitted zero details about culture, religion, characters that were present, historical facts and because of this, there’s barely any story and it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read in the slightest.
July 12, 2026
Overall I’d say it was a pretty enjoyable read, not lyrical or overly descriptive for a fiction but still a good read. It was well researched and as factually accurate as it could be from the place setting and glimpses into the ruling system important to the story.
There were a few things that made me bump it down to a 4, there was no smut but more like a factual description of the glimpses of sex between characters, some would fade to black while others would be almost clinical. Slightly weird to read through but that could just be me.
The time jumps while necessary were a lil jarring but got use to it.
There were a few things that made me bump it down to a 4, there was no smut but more like a factual description of the glimpses of sex between characters, some would fade to black while others would be almost clinical. Slightly weird to read through but that could just be me.
The time jumps while necessary were a lil jarring but got use to it.
September 15, 2026
What was that 😭
September 21, 2026
I’ve tried to think of an intro paragraph for this review, but honestly? Words kind of fail me.
To start off, the blurb makes it seem like the book will focus on the period of time when Cleopatra and Antony were lovers, making it kind of a fraternal twin to Natasha Solomons’ recent Cleopatra novel, which made the strange decision to stop after Caesar’s death. It’s not– it’s a standard Cleopatra novel that begins with her being crowned queen and ends after she dies. It’s only in the last quarter of the book that she goes to meet Antony at Tarsus, and thus that whole period of history has as little room to develop as it does in most of the other Cleopatra novels with a similar structure; many events happen off-page and are then awkwardly recounted to the audience afterwards. Antony’s POV is a change, but undermined by the fact that Roberts is so obviously much more interested in Cleopatra.
Like most modern writers who have touched the topic of the last Ptolemaic monarch, Roberts wants to rehabilitate Cleopatra from the Roman propaganda that has defined her for most of history. Instead, I found her Cleopatra to be pretty boilerplate for the most part– an Egyptian patriot rooted more in the pharaonic past than the Hellenistic present, an exceptional woman in a male dominated world, proud of her royal heritage and dedicated to being queen, and with a desire to retain Egypt’s independence from Rome, all wrapped up in a feminist framing so poorly supported by history that maintaining it requires making several female philosophers up whole cloth. Her relationships with powerful Romans combine business with pleasure, but Caesar barely makes an impression and Antony is largely the drunken, eastern obsessed, and Cleopatra-bewitched wreck that enemy propaganda portrayed him as. Roberts does try some new things with her Cleopatra– page time is actually devoted to the Judea affair, one particular change makes Cleopatra come off as even more manipulative than in real life (whether this was intentional is another thing), and there’s a fascinating moment at the end where Cleopatra realizes that by pursuing an overseas empire she has abandoned the unified Egypt she swore to create and protect, but it’s too late for it to go anywhere– but I have perhaps read too many novels to be impressed by this type of revisionism.
There is one thing readers who have only encountered Cleopatra through legend will recognize in this book, though– her potent sexuality. Roberts’ Cleopatra is heavily sexualized. We see her in sex scenes, told both directly and indirectly, we read of her getting wet and being “so deliciously on the brink of an orgasm” seeing Antony running naked and at a banquet, we find out that her sexual awakening came from a statue of an unspecified Thutmoses, and we learn that she enjoys getting whipped in the bedroom. Her sexual partners range from Antony to Calpurnia, and her affair with the latter was the most bonkers change in a book that made a few bonkers changes; I’m still not sure if I loved it or hated it. Mostly, I’m not really sure what purpose it served, since after Cleopatra leaves Rome she never thinks about it again, even when she’s in despair and on the brink of death. It’s a bit baffling that a book wanting to change the narrative about a sexualized historical figure would go about it by sexualizing her even more, but it’s possible that a woman having only two lovers throughout her thirty nine year life simply wasn’t empowering enough for Roberts. I understand that Cleopatra was a sexual being and that we shouldn’t take her sexuality away from her, but was it really necessary to depict her enumerating her new epithets “accompanied by a firm stroke of (Antony’s) bulging penis”?
It is clear that Roberts is at pains to be as historically accurate as possible, to the point of using “Gallia” and “Italia” instead of “Gaul” and “Italy", although she doesn’t commit enough to use “Roma” instead of “Rome”, and not even Cleopatra ever calls Egypt “Kemet”. Her ambitions are particularly clear in the Egypt sections– in practice, this means that there are more mentions of grain, taxes, and religious festivals than usual. She does a good job evoking the luxury of the Ptolemaic court, though this worldbuilding is sometimes hindered by florid prose (the opening scene is a good example) and paragraphs that read like a slightly narrativized non-fiction book. Her grasp on Roman culture is sadly much looser, whether that be Rome being described as a “democracy” in a positive sense, politics being a battle between two factions of capitalized Patricians and Democrats, Antony’s family background, who was considered part of the senate, a mystical year where Caesar and Pompey were co-consuls, or Roman women’s rightlessness (Stacy Schiff seems to be the cause of that last one, based off the postscript). I was also put off by Roberts’ mean-spirited portrayal of Cicero, who is introduced as deeply pathetic and is subsequently mocked by pretty much every character who talks about him, for everything from his marriage to his appearance; it’s hard to escape the conclusion that this is simply Roberts’ genuine opinion of him, and the one interesting trait she does give him (he was apparently very fond of Caesar’s daughter Julia, as everybody who mentions her seems to have been, which makes it a shame that she never appears in a flashback) never goes anywhere and makes little sense historically.
Worse than this is the writing style. It's mostly faux-antique, especially the Cleopatra sections, but modern statements and phrases frequently interrupt it. Examples include Cytheris being “daughter-in-law material”, protesting that Thebes had already given “tons” of grain, Cleopatra and Caesar/Egypt and Rome being “friends with benefits”, multiple references to “populism”, multiple references to the “patriarchy” in its modern sense, Cicero running a “rumour mill”, Dolabella getting a crowd to shout “no kings”, and an Ozymandias reference. Roberts makes the somewhat childish decision to have characters scream in all-caps, and the dialogue can veer between awkward and lazy (“there was far too much political maneuvering while Caesar was out of Rome”, not to mention the various times when characters lament how history will see them) to downright bad (an army being “more vigorous, youthful, resilient, and well-armed than any other, ever”). My immersion was also a bit broken by the jarring instances of characters swearing, not only because they swear in ways that are very modern, but because they all swear in basically the same way.
If true objectivity about fiction could ever be reached, I’d have to say that this objectively isn’t a very good book– but I couldn’t honestly say I hated it, either. It’s not because of the nuggets of creativity, though there certainly are some; it’s because, to put it bluntly, it's a fascinating trainwreck. With every pointless embellishment, every bad sex scene, every melodramatic all-caps screaming match, and every unsubtle feminist tract coming out of Cleopatra and her associates’ mouths, I read on transfixed, wondering how bad it could get. The book has an almost campy so-bad-it’s-good quality. For experienced readers who are sick of Cleopatra books that play it too safe and blend into each other, I can recommend this one as a baffling, but fun, romp– where else are you going to read about Cleopatra and Calpurnia having sex in a bath?
To start off, the blurb makes it seem like the book will focus on the period of time when Cleopatra and Antony were lovers, making it kind of a fraternal twin to Natasha Solomons’ recent Cleopatra novel, which made the strange decision to stop after Caesar’s death. It’s not– it’s a standard Cleopatra novel that begins with her being crowned queen and ends after she dies. It’s only in the last quarter of the book that she goes to meet Antony at Tarsus, and thus that whole period of history has as little room to develop as it does in most of the other Cleopatra novels with a similar structure; many events happen off-page and are then awkwardly recounted to the audience afterwards. Antony’s POV is a change, but undermined by the fact that Roberts is so obviously much more interested in Cleopatra.
Like most modern writers who have touched the topic of the last Ptolemaic monarch, Roberts wants to rehabilitate Cleopatra from the Roman propaganda that has defined her for most of history. Instead, I found her Cleopatra to be pretty boilerplate for the most part– an Egyptian patriot rooted more in the pharaonic past than the Hellenistic present, an exceptional woman in a male dominated world, proud of her royal heritage and dedicated to being queen, and with a desire to retain Egypt’s independence from Rome, all wrapped up in a feminist framing so poorly supported by history that maintaining it requires making several female philosophers up whole cloth. Her relationships with powerful Romans combine business with pleasure, but Caesar barely makes an impression and Antony is largely the drunken, eastern obsessed, and Cleopatra-bewitched wreck that enemy propaganda portrayed him as. Roberts does try some new things with her Cleopatra– page time is actually devoted to the Judea affair, one particular change makes Cleopatra come off as even more manipulative than in real life (whether this was intentional is another thing), and there’s a fascinating moment at the end where Cleopatra realizes that by pursuing an overseas empire she has abandoned the unified Egypt she swore to create and protect, but it’s too late for it to go anywhere– but I have perhaps read too many novels to be impressed by this type of revisionism.
There is one thing readers who have only encountered Cleopatra through legend will recognize in this book, though– her potent sexuality. Roberts’ Cleopatra is heavily sexualized. We see her in sex scenes, told both directly and indirectly, we read of her getting wet and being “so deliciously on the brink of an orgasm” seeing Antony running naked and at a banquet, we find out that her sexual awakening came from a statue of an unspecified Thutmoses, and we learn that she enjoys getting whipped in the bedroom. Her sexual partners range from Antony to Calpurnia, and her affair with the latter was the most bonkers change in a book that made a few bonkers changes; I’m still not sure if I loved it or hated it. Mostly, I’m not really sure what purpose it served, since after Cleopatra leaves Rome she never thinks about it again, even when she’s in despair and on the brink of death. It’s a bit baffling that a book wanting to change the narrative about a sexualized historical figure would go about it by sexualizing her even more, but it’s possible that a woman having only two lovers throughout her thirty nine year life simply wasn’t empowering enough for Roberts. I understand that Cleopatra was a sexual being and that we shouldn’t take her sexuality away from her, but was it really necessary to depict her enumerating her new epithets “accompanied by a firm stroke of (Antony’s) bulging penis”?
It is clear that Roberts is at pains to be as historically accurate as possible, to the point of using “Gallia” and “Italia” instead of “Gaul” and “Italy", although she doesn’t commit enough to use “Roma” instead of “Rome”, and not even Cleopatra ever calls Egypt “Kemet”. Her ambitions are particularly clear in the Egypt sections– in practice, this means that there are more mentions of grain, taxes, and religious festivals than usual. She does a good job evoking the luxury of the Ptolemaic court, though this worldbuilding is sometimes hindered by florid prose (the opening scene is a good example) and paragraphs that read like a slightly narrativized non-fiction book. Her grasp on Roman culture is sadly much looser, whether that be Rome being described as a “democracy” in a positive sense, politics being a battle between two factions of capitalized Patricians and Democrats, Antony’s family background, who was considered part of the senate, a mystical year where Caesar and Pompey were co-consuls, or Roman women’s rightlessness (Stacy Schiff seems to be the cause of that last one, based off the postscript). I was also put off by Roberts’ mean-spirited portrayal of Cicero, who is introduced as deeply pathetic and is subsequently mocked by pretty much every character who talks about him, for everything from his marriage to his appearance; it’s hard to escape the conclusion that this is simply Roberts’ genuine opinion of him, and the one interesting trait she does give him (he was apparently very fond of Caesar’s daughter Julia, as everybody who mentions her seems to have been, which makes it a shame that she never appears in a flashback) never goes anywhere and makes little sense historically.
Worse than this is the writing style. It's mostly faux-antique, especially the Cleopatra sections, but modern statements and phrases frequently interrupt it. Examples include Cytheris being “daughter-in-law material”, protesting that Thebes had already given “tons” of grain, Cleopatra and Caesar/Egypt and Rome being “friends with benefits”, multiple references to “populism”, multiple references to the “patriarchy” in its modern sense, Cicero running a “rumour mill”, Dolabella getting a crowd to shout “no kings”, and an Ozymandias reference. Roberts makes the somewhat childish decision to have characters scream in all-caps, and the dialogue can veer between awkward and lazy (“there was far too much political maneuvering while Caesar was out of Rome”, not to mention the various times when characters lament how history will see them) to downright bad (an army being “more vigorous, youthful, resilient, and well-armed than any other, ever”). My immersion was also a bit broken by the jarring instances of characters swearing, not only because they swear in ways that are very modern, but because they all swear in basically the same way.
If true objectivity about fiction could ever be reached, I’d have to say that this objectively isn’t a very good book– but I couldn’t honestly say I hated it, either. It’s not because of the nuggets of creativity, though there certainly are some; it’s because, to put it bluntly, it's a fascinating trainwreck. With every pointless embellishment, every bad sex scene, every melodramatic all-caps screaming match, and every unsubtle feminist tract coming out of Cleopatra and her associates’ mouths, I read on transfixed, wondering how bad it could get. The book has an almost campy so-bad-it’s-good quality. For experienced readers who are sick of Cleopatra books that play it too safe and blend into each other, I can recommend this one as a baffling, but fun, romp– where else are you going to read about Cleopatra and Calpurnia having sex in a bath?
July 26, 2026
Received an advanced copy of this through work and was absolutely delighted to have it in my hands.
When Rome was busy conquering the Mediterranean, Egypt held one of its greatest Pharaohs from across Ancient history in its palm. Not a man, but a woman of nine tongues. Emerging as lady of the two lands, reclaiming her right to rule from her brother and embodying Egypt’s greatest Goddess: Isis ✨
Archaeologist Alice Roberts , who I really admire, has a magnificent eye for detail. Roberts has managed to deftly sew the flesh back onto the skeleton of our well beloved Cleopatra. Stepping away from Cicero’s poisonous propaganda that has seeped through time, and blending material culture and history to make this as immersive as possible. I can’t help but be enamoured by almost every reimagining of Egypt’s Goddess Queen. This I have really enjoyed, savouring every smell and vision of Alexandria along the way. The breadbasket of antiquity and home at the time to the greatest Library the eyes have ever paid witness to. I wish I could have seen it ✨
Formidable women make an appearance across this story, including Fulvia and Calpurnia. We see Charmion as a diplomatic sidekick rather than a simple handmaiden attending to her majesty. It was really exciting to see more of that side of Cleopatra’s golden court and to see female minds working together. Snatches of conversation and agency give you an idea of how they must have felt in their respective positions. Oh if the entire Mediterranean world had been ruled by a woman ✨
This time we also have Marcus Antonius’s story, which makes this fictional piece the success that it is. Far from a Roman brute, typical tyrant or infatuated fool willing to be swallowed up in a game of geopolitics. More of a mercurial character looking to soak up the divine magic and spiritual wealth of Egypt. I love that this isn’t written as the build up to a saucy romance, but a passionate meeting of two distinct civilizations. A tremendous force to be reckoned with. Some of Marcus’s chapters were my favourite from the entire book, burning with the complexity of a fallen commander and wounded lion caught between duty and the arms of the Eastern Empire. It feels very true to his memory ✨
When Rome was busy conquering the Mediterranean, Egypt held one of its greatest Pharaohs from across Ancient history in its palm. Not a man, but a woman of nine tongues. Emerging as lady of the two lands, reclaiming her right to rule from her brother and embodying Egypt’s greatest Goddess: Isis ✨
Archaeologist Alice Roberts , who I really admire, has a magnificent eye for detail. Roberts has managed to deftly sew the flesh back onto the skeleton of our well beloved Cleopatra. Stepping away from Cicero’s poisonous propaganda that has seeped through time, and blending material culture and history to make this as immersive as possible. I can’t help but be enamoured by almost every reimagining of Egypt’s Goddess Queen. This I have really enjoyed, savouring every smell and vision of Alexandria along the way. The breadbasket of antiquity and home at the time to the greatest Library the eyes have ever paid witness to. I wish I could have seen it ✨
Formidable women make an appearance across this story, including Fulvia and Calpurnia. We see Charmion as a diplomatic sidekick rather than a simple handmaiden attending to her majesty. It was really exciting to see more of that side of Cleopatra’s golden court and to see female minds working together. Snatches of conversation and agency give you an idea of how they must have felt in their respective positions. Oh if the entire Mediterranean world had been ruled by a woman ✨
This time we also have Marcus Antonius’s story, which makes this fictional piece the success that it is. Far from a Roman brute, typical tyrant or infatuated fool willing to be swallowed up in a game of geopolitics. More of a mercurial character looking to soak up the divine magic and spiritual wealth of Egypt. I love that this isn’t written as the build up to a saucy romance, but a passionate meeting of two distinct civilizations. A tremendous force to be reckoned with. Some of Marcus’s chapters were my favourite from the entire book, burning with the complexity of a fallen commander and wounded lion caught between duty and the arms of the Eastern Empire. It feels very true to his memory ✨
September 18, 2026
Although The Goddess Queen is a fictional interpretation of Cleopatra’s life, I found it particularly interesting because many aspects of the story resonate with theories I have developed over the years about how history is recorded, interpreted and, ultimately, passed down to us.
I have always been fascinated by the possibility that what we accept as historical fact is not necessarily the complete truth.
So much of our understanding of the ancient world comes from accounts written long after the events themselves, often by people who had their own political, cultural or personal reasons for portraying events in a particular way.
To me, that raises an important question: how much of the history we inherit is actually history, and how much is the interpretation of those who recorded it?
Cleopatra is a perfect example of this. The image of her that has survived through history has been shaped by people who came after her, and I have often wondered whether the woman behind that image was very different from the one history has chosen to remember.
That is one of the reasons I enjoyed Roberts’ fictional interpretation. While I understand that this is a novel and not a historical account, I found myself repeatedly thinking, this is how I could imagine it having happened.
In several places, her interpretation sits surprisingly close to my own thoughts about what may have taken place and how subsequent historical accounts may have distorted or simplified those events.
Perhaps that is what I enjoyed most about this book. It didn’t simply tell me another story about Cleopatra; it encouraged me to question the stories I have already been told.
I’m certainly not suggesting that my own theories are fact — far from it. But I have always believed that history should leave room for questions, especially when the evidence has been filtered through generations of people with their own perspectives and agendas.
For me, The Goddess Queen was therefore more than an enjoyable piece of historical fiction.
It was an invitation to look at Cleopatra, and at history itself, through a slightly different lens.
All in all a very enjoyable read.
I have always been fascinated by the possibility that what we accept as historical fact is not necessarily the complete truth.
So much of our understanding of the ancient world comes from accounts written long after the events themselves, often by people who had their own political, cultural or personal reasons for portraying events in a particular way.
To me, that raises an important question: how much of the history we inherit is actually history, and how much is the interpretation of those who recorded it?
Cleopatra is a perfect example of this. The image of her that has survived through history has been shaped by people who came after her, and I have often wondered whether the woman behind that image was very different from the one history has chosen to remember.
That is one of the reasons I enjoyed Roberts’ fictional interpretation. While I understand that this is a novel and not a historical account, I found myself repeatedly thinking, this is how I could imagine it having happened.
In several places, her interpretation sits surprisingly close to my own thoughts about what may have taken place and how subsequent historical accounts may have distorted or simplified those events.
Perhaps that is what I enjoyed most about this book. It didn’t simply tell me another story about Cleopatra; it encouraged me to question the stories I have already been told.
I’m certainly not suggesting that my own theories are fact — far from it. But I have always believed that history should leave room for questions, especially when the evidence has been filtered through generations of people with their own perspectives and agendas.
For me, The Goddess Queen was therefore more than an enjoyable piece of historical fiction.
It was an invitation to look at Cleopatra, and at history itself, through a slightly different lens.
All in all a very enjoyable read.
September 18, 2026
So my bad for walking into this book with preconceived ideals of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. I was expecting a spectacular love story of two star-crossed lovers to unfold. However, they didn’t meet until the 3/4 of the book and that was the point! I really liked the ending, which sufficed in pulling at heart strings. But the whole tale told was completely not what I expected- and I think that was the whole point. The tale of Cleopatra, not written from biased classical text and scathing patriarchal eyes, and wagging fingers. I should give this more stars but I kinda wanted a fairytale/disneyfied love story.
September 18, 2026
My bad - I opened the first page expecting a factual account and not a novel - that took me a while to get used to.
But eventually got myself in step and settled in to enjoy the ripping yarn.
Ken Follett you had better watch out.
But eventually got myself in step and settled in to enjoy the ripping yarn.
Ken Follett you had better watch out.
September 14, 2026
I really wanted to love this, but it felt so brief - no aspect of her life was ever fully developed. Also, way too much Anthonius in a book entitled "The Goddess Queen".
Additionally, I think without a clear understanding of how the Roman Republic worked, you'd have struggled to understand Anthonius' chapters.
Additionally, I think without a clear understanding of how the Roman Republic worked, you'd have struggled to understand Anthonius' chapters.
Want to Read
May 7, 2026NEED NEED NEED NEED 😍😍😍
September 4, 2026
The Goddess Queen brings ancient history to life through a dramatic combination of historical fiction, political intrigue, power, ambition, and personal conflict. Set during a turbulent period when the Roman Republic was beginning to fracture and Egypt was struggling under increasing Roman influence, the novel places Cleopatra and Antonius at the center of a story shaped by competing ambitions and the fate of empires.
The relationship between Cleopatra and Antonius provides the novel with a compelling emotional and political foundation. Cleopatra is presented as a ruler determined to reclaim what Egypt has lost, while Antonius is a disgraced Roman commander seeking his own path back to power. Their meeting creates a fascinating tension between two people whose personal choices could have consequences far beyond their own lives.
The political dimension is equally engaging. Egypt's wealth, Rome's growing influence, rivalries within the Roman Republic, and the struggle for control create a setting where alliances can quickly become opportunities for betrayal. The story has the scale of an epic historical drama while keeping its focus on the individuals attempting to survive and shape an increasingly unstable world.
What makes the novel especially appealing is the opportunity to encounter Cleopatra and Antonius through a fresh fictional interpretation. Rather than treating them simply as familiar historical figures, The Goddess Queen explores their ambitions, vulnerabilities, relationships, and competing visions of power. The combination of ancient history, high politics, romance, conflict, and questions of leadership gives the story broad appeal for readers interested in both historical authenticity and immersive storytelling.
With a Goodreads rating of 3.57 from 7 ratings and 6 reviews at the time of the supplied listing, The Goddess Queen is still at an early stage of its reader presence. As Alice Roberts's first novel, its focus on Cleopatra, Antonius, Egypt, Rome, and the dramatic political world of the ancient Mediterranean provides strong opportunities to introduce it to historical fiction readers, ancient history enthusiasts, book clubs, and audiences fascinated by one of history's most enduring royal figures.
The relationship between Cleopatra and Antonius provides the novel with a compelling emotional and political foundation. Cleopatra is presented as a ruler determined to reclaim what Egypt has lost, while Antonius is a disgraced Roman commander seeking his own path back to power. Their meeting creates a fascinating tension between two people whose personal choices could have consequences far beyond their own lives.
The political dimension is equally engaging. Egypt's wealth, Rome's growing influence, rivalries within the Roman Republic, and the struggle for control create a setting where alliances can quickly become opportunities for betrayal. The story has the scale of an epic historical drama while keeping its focus on the individuals attempting to survive and shape an increasingly unstable world.
What makes the novel especially appealing is the opportunity to encounter Cleopatra and Antonius through a fresh fictional interpretation. Rather than treating them simply as familiar historical figures, The Goddess Queen explores their ambitions, vulnerabilities, relationships, and competing visions of power. The combination of ancient history, high politics, romance, conflict, and questions of leadership gives the story broad appeal for readers interested in both historical authenticity and immersive storytelling.
With a Goodreads rating of 3.57 from 7 ratings and 6 reviews at the time of the supplied listing, The Goddess Queen is still at an early stage of its reader presence. As Alice Roberts's first novel, its focus on Cleopatra, Antonius, Egypt, Rome, and the dramatic political world of the ancient Mediterranean provides strong opportunities to introduce it to historical fiction readers, ancient history enthusiasts, book clubs, and audiences fascinated by one of history's most enduring royal figures.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5 rounded up.
I was really looking forward to Alice Robert's fictional retelling to Cleopatra and Antonious, especially knowing it would have a historian's eye for detail.
The Goddess Queen is told from the perspective of both Cleopatra and Antonious in alternative chapters, starting from the first year of Cleopatra's reign to the very end. This way, we get a perspective on both of their lives way before they meet each other. Its an incredibly detailed book that covers a long span of history, with a lot of the detail brought to life with the author's description of how they both lived, how they ate, what they wore etc. That was a incredibly rich way to tell the story, but sometimes it took me out of the fictional story narrative.
I enjoyed seeing the world through both of their eyes separately, but its a shame that their meeting and relationship starts really quite late in the book, I was expecting a bit more of that given the way the book was marketed.
A lot of the language was incredibly colloquially, which on the one hand - why wouldn't have been colloquial and casual in their respective ancient greek/egyptian/latin but sometimes that can take you out of the time period.
SPOILER:
.
.
.
There are some choices made that didn't work for me, though the author absolutely has free reign to offer new fictional alternatives - but Caesarion not being Caesar's son and of her priest didn't work for me, but I can see the motivation. Cleopatra's romantic relationship with Calpurnia though? Can't say this was a choice that works for me at all.
Overall, its well worth a read given the detail, it covers a wide time period and its a great way to learn more about the Roman Republic, but some of the retelling choices didn't work for me.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an advanced review copy!
I was really looking forward to Alice Robert's fictional retelling to Cleopatra and Antonious, especially knowing it would have a historian's eye for detail.
The Goddess Queen is told from the perspective of both Cleopatra and Antonious in alternative chapters, starting from the first year of Cleopatra's reign to the very end. This way, we get a perspective on both of their lives way before they meet each other. Its an incredibly detailed book that covers a long span of history, with a lot of the detail brought to life with the author's description of how they both lived, how they ate, what they wore etc. That was a incredibly rich way to tell the story, but sometimes it took me out of the fictional story narrative.
I enjoyed seeing the world through both of their eyes separately, but its a shame that their meeting and relationship starts really quite late in the book, I was expecting a bit more of that given the way the book was marketed.
A lot of the language was incredibly colloquially, which on the one hand - why wouldn't have been colloquial and casual in their respective ancient greek/egyptian/latin but sometimes that can take you out of the time period.
SPOILER:
.
.
.
There are some choices made that didn't work for me, though the author absolutely has free reign to offer new fictional alternatives - but Caesarion not being Caesar's son and of her priest didn't work for me, but I can see the motivation. Cleopatra's romantic relationship with Calpurnia though? Can't say this was a choice that works for me at all.
Overall, its well worth a read given the detail, it covers a wide time period and its a great way to learn more about the Roman Republic, but some of the retelling choices didn't work for me.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an advanced review copy!
October 3, 2026
“Myro was a great friend of another female philosopher, Andronike, who combined a fierce intellect with a wonderful sense of humour; she wrote her own treatises about women and power, war and democracy. She agreed with Cleopatra that Romans were shockingly uncivilised in excluding women from their schools, government and leadership roles in general. ‘Our society still keeps women down, of course, but they’re missing out on half the talents among their people,’ she’d pointed out, more than once.”
The story of Antony and Cleopatra, told from both points of view. A captivating narrative, showing the politics in detail and dealing with opinions and events glossed over in other accounts, e.g. Robert Harris’s Cicero trilogy and Bruno Heller’s Rome. Depicts Cicero from Antony’s view, which is much more hostile than Harris & Heller. History’s depiction of Cleopatra as a greedy temptress comes down to us from Roman accounts and it’s refreshing to see events from her and Antony’s points of view. An excellent and robust read.
The story of Antony and Cleopatra, told from both points of view. A captivating narrative, showing the politics in detail and dealing with opinions and events glossed over in other accounts, e.g. Robert Harris’s Cicero trilogy and Bruno Heller’s Rome. Depicts Cicero from Antony’s view, which is much more hostile than Harris & Heller. History’s depiction of Cleopatra as a greedy temptress comes down to us from Roman accounts and it’s refreshing to see events from her and Antony’s points of view. An excellent and robust read.
October 15, 2026
There’s an almost ‘bad boy’ liking that Alice Roberts seems to have for Marc Anthony, regardless of what he does in life. Alice’ portrayal of Cleopatra as a manipulating good looking woman who at times cant read the room - who would agree to their son (by Kalimachos) being adopted by another Roman man to further her power grabbing - is scarcely believable at times. By the end of the book, the famous library at Alexandria is still standing and that may be correct history but … Cleopatra’s pushing of Anthony into the disastrous sea battle at Actium while she scooted away with her treasure ship back to Egypt hopefully woke him up to the single-minded power-grabbing nature of the goddess queen.
So in summary, at the end of the book, I liked neither of the two main protagonists - I knew enough history to dislike Octavia’s from the get go.
So in summary, at the end of the book, I liked neither of the two main protagonists - I knew enough history to dislike Octavia’s from the get go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2026
I absolutely loved The Goddess Queen! This was such an enjoyable read and one of my favourite things was the storytelling. The historical setting felt vivid and immersive, while keeping the story moving.
I found myself genuinely invested in the historical figures and their stories. I particularly loved the way Cleopatra’s experiences are brought to the forefront. There’s a really nice balance between historical detail and the storytelling, so it never feels like you’re simply being given information about the past.
If you enjoy historical fiction, stories about powerful women, or simply want a really well-told historical story that you can completely immerse yourself in, I would definitely recommend picking this up!
Thank you Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy :)
I found myself genuinely invested in the historical figures and their stories. I particularly loved the way Cleopatra’s experiences are brought to the forefront. There’s a really nice balance between historical detail and the storytelling, so it never feels like you’re simply being given information about the past.
If you enjoy historical fiction, stories about powerful women, or simply want a really well-told historical story that you can completely immerse yourself in, I would definitely recommend picking this up!
Thank you Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy :)
September 25, 2026
3.75 stars
Entertaining and clearly well researched, filled with vivid descriptions of life in first century Egypt and Rome. I appreciated how much historical and political detail was incorporated without ever feeling dry, but occasionally found the dialogue a bit too modern. Whilst I don’t think it added anything to the tale of Cleopatra, it was nice to get Marcus Antonius’s perspective, even if it was primarily that of an ultimate frat star who still somehow managed to woo one of the most cultured, intellectual, and image-conscious rulers of the time.
Entertaining and clearly well researched, filled with vivid descriptions of life in first century Egypt and Rome. I appreciated how much historical and political detail was incorporated without ever feeling dry, but occasionally found the dialogue a bit too modern. Whilst I don’t think it added anything to the tale of Cleopatra, it was nice to get Marcus Antonius’s perspective, even if it was primarily that of an ultimate frat star who still somehow managed to woo one of the most cultured, intellectual, and image-conscious rulers of the time.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was delighted to receive an early proof copy of this wonderful fictional retelling of Antonius and Cleopatra and I absolutely adored it!
Alice Roberts breathes new life into this legendary story, balancing historical accuracy and fiction PERFECTLY, It’s atmospheric, dramatic and the most perfect book anyone who loves historical fiction with an edge!
Alice Roberts breathes new life into this legendary story, balancing historical accuracy and fiction PERFECTLY, It’s atmospheric, dramatic and the most perfect book anyone who loves historical fiction with an edge!
September 13, 2026
As my version was signed by Alice I’ve given it 4 stars however without that it might have only been worthy of 2.
Having read most of Alice Roberts excellent non fiction this I must say was somewhat of a disappointment…..and to cap it all what a potty mouthed Cleo….
Having read most of Alice Roberts excellent non fiction this I must say was somewhat of a disappointment…..and to cap it all what a potty mouthed Cleo….
October 4, 2026
2 stars for the research. But this story was boring and the characters mostly flat and unrelatable. The only scenes with feeling were the births. The jumps in time were necessary but they felt like left big gaps.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2026
Really enjoyed however, due to the time jumps, which I understand were necessary, I kept losing track of what was happening in the second half
October 14, 2026
This is a well written factually accurate read.
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