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The Last Pharaoh #1
Regent
"...outstanding" "...great read" "makes you really think about Cleopatra..."From the author of the Whispers of Atlantis series comes the gritty, intrigue-filled Last Pharaoh trilogy, taking the reader on a tumultuous journey with one of the most remarkable women in antiquity.( squashed evil editorial errors!)With her father sick and her sister dead by his hands, sixteen-year-old Cleopatra is poised to assume the heavy mantle of power and exercise the divine authority vested in her by the gods of Egypt.But the gilded arches and marble columns hide a grim reality and the gathering of storm clouds. A surly Rome is banging on her doors for debt repayments, the kingdom is on the verge of a civil war, and the dying king's powerful advisors seek to discard her like a rag and control the kingdom through her brother.Now, the young regent must confront her adversaries and walk the tightrope over an abyss of treachery and conflict, because one wrong move means ending three thousand years of Pharaonic rule and turning up as a corpse in the Alexandrian marshes.Experience Cleopatra's wit, intelligence, ambition, administrative acumen, and ruthlessness, in these exciting novels that transport you to a vivid ancient world full of twists-and-turns and interesting Jan 2021 - minor proofreading updates to eliminate pestilence on pages!In this Book RegentBook QueenBook. A Dangerous Daughter (free for newsletter subscribers)
- GenresHistorical Fiction
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2020
184 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 8, 2021
Cleopatra is a fascinating historical figure I really wish I knew more about. (Too many books, too little time!) The first book in a trilogy about her life and reign, this volume covers her rise to power from first acting as regent in her father's stead at the age of sixteen through her power struggles with her siblings to meeting and allying with Caesar and truly claiming her throne. I don't know anywhere near enough about this early stage of her life to judge the historical accuracy of this fictional version, but it certainly made for a gripping, highly entertaining read. While the book itself is actually really well written, numerous errors that slipped through into the published version proved to be somewhat distracting. Someone really needs to go over this text again with a fine-tooth comb - though while that issue disturbed the reading flow a little at times, it was far from sufficient to hinder my enjoyment of this novel.
December 19, 2020
I received the ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
“𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡. 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖.”
👑52 BC. Alexandria, Egypt. With her father sick, sixteen years old Cleopatra is appointed as the regent of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos and learned the lessons of ruling the empire from her tutors. But when her father died, she is forced to marry her ten-year-old brother Ptolemy XIII and became the co-ruler of Egypt. With the divine authority vested upon her by the gods of Egypt, Cleopatra now sidelines her brother and began to rule Egypt independently which turns her advisors - Pothinus, the principal advisor, Theodotus, the rhetorician, and Achillas, the general - against her and they began to instigate Ptolemy XIII to remove her from power. As the empire stands on the verge of a Civil War and Rome is banging on its doors for repayment of debts, Cleopatra had to flee from Alexandria to save her life. Can she ever return to Egypt and regain her throne?
👑The book is the 1st installment in the Last Pharaoh trilogy which is based on the Pharaonic era of Egypt and shows Cleopatra rise to power - from being a princess to the regent of her father, from being co-ruler with her brother turn husband Ptolemy to a fugitive in exile and finally the sole ruler of entire Egypt.
👑The author's writing is simple and smooth. The multiple POVs, small chapters, and fast pacing narratives make it easy to finish the book in just 2-3 sittings. However, I would have liked it more if the descriptions were vivid and more focused would have been made on the detailing of the time period.
👑Cleopatra's motives/objectives are not established properly at the beginning which makes it difficult to connect with her, but the way she matures over the book is compelling. The portrayal of the Ptolemy sisters as sulky, petulant, and royal brats felt a little exaggerated. I can understand that they were just teenagers but they were also royalty and supposed to behave more maturely. Other characters - Ponthius, junior Ptolemy, Apollodorus, and Julius Caesar - are well crafted and feel relatable.
👑The books end on an interesting point where Cleopatra virtually became the sole ruler of entire Egypt and set the stage for the next book which I'm looking forward to reading.
Overall, Regent: Rise of Cleopatra was an average read, but it’s definitely worth reading. If you are into Egyptian history/ like a fast pacing thrilling historical fiction then this book is for you.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐💫(3.5/5)
“𝙄 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡. 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖.”
👑52 BC. Alexandria, Egypt. With her father sick, sixteen years old Cleopatra is appointed as the regent of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos and learned the lessons of ruling the empire from her tutors. But when her father died, she is forced to marry her ten-year-old brother Ptolemy XIII and became the co-ruler of Egypt. With the divine authority vested upon her by the gods of Egypt, Cleopatra now sidelines her brother and began to rule Egypt independently which turns her advisors - Pothinus, the principal advisor, Theodotus, the rhetorician, and Achillas, the general - against her and they began to instigate Ptolemy XIII to remove her from power. As the empire stands on the verge of a Civil War and Rome is banging on its doors for repayment of debts, Cleopatra had to flee from Alexandria to save her life. Can she ever return to Egypt and regain her throne?
👑The book is the 1st installment in the Last Pharaoh trilogy which is based on the Pharaonic era of Egypt and shows Cleopatra rise to power - from being a princess to the regent of her father, from being co-ruler with her brother turn husband Ptolemy to a fugitive in exile and finally the sole ruler of entire Egypt.
👑The author's writing is simple and smooth. The multiple POVs, small chapters, and fast pacing narratives make it easy to finish the book in just 2-3 sittings. However, I would have liked it more if the descriptions were vivid and more focused would have been made on the detailing of the time period.
👑Cleopatra's motives/objectives are not established properly at the beginning which makes it difficult to connect with her, but the way she matures over the book is compelling. The portrayal of the Ptolemy sisters as sulky, petulant, and royal brats felt a little exaggerated. I can understand that they were just teenagers but they were also royalty and supposed to behave more maturely. Other characters - Ponthius, junior Ptolemy, Apollodorus, and Julius Caesar - are well crafted and feel relatable.
👑The books end on an interesting point where Cleopatra virtually became the sole ruler of entire Egypt and set the stage for the next book which I'm looking forward to reading.
Overall, Regent: Rise of Cleopatra was an average read, but it’s definitely worth reading. If you are into Egyptian history/ like a fast pacing thrilling historical fiction then this book is for you.
𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐💫(3.5/5)
June 15, 2024
I really enjoyed this intro to The Last Pharaoh series much more than I enjoyed Penners Spartacus series. The Spartacus series was simply okay and lacked excitement and creativity (I expected more, considering the subject matter and lack of history). Regent Cleopatra however was exciting in a level/controlled sort of way. There was a lot of fact but I didn’t feel like it was bogged down and the characters were all around enjoyable. Which is rare for me, I tend to dislike most characters in novels.
The writing was easy to follow, not too juvenile and not too eloquent. Penner was very vivid and raw with his setting/time building depictions. The only jarring thing was the use of the word “beer”. That really bugged. Penner made great use of his creative freedom in this novel and I loved how he really tried to unpack Cleopatra in a realistic light. Being able to foreshadow events we already know are going to unfold in an excitable light is next level writing skills. All in all I am ready to jump into the second book in the series and plan to look into Penners other works. I initially didn’t expect much after being slightly disappointed with his Spartacus series but I am definitely reevaluating my opinion of him at the moment.
The writing was easy to follow, not too juvenile and not too eloquent. Penner was very vivid and raw with his setting/time building depictions. The only jarring thing was the use of the word “beer”. That really bugged. Penner made great use of his creative freedom in this novel and I loved how he really tried to unpack Cleopatra in a realistic light. Being able to foreshadow events we already know are going to unfold in an excitable light is next level writing skills. All in all I am ready to jump into the second book in the series and plan to look into Penners other works. I initially didn’t expect much after being slightly disappointed with his Spartacus series but I am definitely reevaluating my opinion of him at the moment.
January 1, 2021
The Good, The Bad, Politics, and the Ruthless💃💋🔪
ADULT Ancient Egyptian Intrigue, Betrayal, and Fictionalized Account of the Rise of Cleopatra💃💋.
This is a fictional account of Cleopatra's Factual rise to be the last 👑Queen and Pharaoh👑 of Egypt🌴. The book is a fascinating mixture of FACT and FICTION, a mesmerizing account of how Cleopatra 💃💋became regent but then pushed aside her brother, who was the rightful 👑King, but was her weak and younger brother.
Before his death, Their late father, the Pharaoh👑, had decreed The two would marry, which was common among Egyptian Royalty.
The book delves into the politics of the era, and how Roman influence and Egyptian🌴 court intrigue and betrayal set off a series of events that changed history in that part of the world forever....
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems
I also got this ebook with KU.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and although it is rather slow going, it's fascinating to think about Cleopatra💋💃, a ruthless and power hungry young woman, whom the author stated was also a granddaughter of Alexander The Great. Good 🌎World building with descriptions of the palaces, dress, and the culture.
ADULT Ancient Egyptian Intrigue, Betrayal, and Fictionalized Account of the Rise of Cleopatra💃💋.
This is a fictional account of Cleopatra's Factual rise to be the last 👑Queen and Pharaoh👑 of Egypt🌴. The book is a fascinating mixture of FACT and FICTION, a mesmerizing account of how Cleopatra 💃💋became regent but then pushed aside her brother, who was the rightful 👑King, but was her weak and younger brother.
Before his death, Their late father, the Pharaoh👑, had decreed The two would marry, which was common among Egyptian Royalty.
The book delves into the politics of the era, and how Roman influence and Egyptian🌴 court intrigue and betrayal set off a series of events that changed history in that part of the world forever....
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems
I also got this ebook with KU.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and although it is rather slow going, it's fascinating to think about Cleopatra💋💃, a ruthless and power hungry young woman, whom the author stated was also a granddaughter of Alexander The Great. Good 🌎World building with descriptions of the palaces, dress, and the culture.
April 24, 2021
A very informative book about Cleopatra that was easy to read.
I learned a lot about ancient Egypt and came to admire Cleopatra; she was certainly a woman of many talents not just her talent of seducing powerful men! She had some modern ideas about governing a country; she was one of the few rulers that spoke the language of the common people (supposedly she spoke seven or eight different languages). I am getting ready to order the next book in the series was ok
I learned a lot about ancient Egypt and came to admire Cleopatra; she was certainly a woman of many talents not just her talent of seducing powerful men! She had some modern ideas about governing a country; she was one of the few rulers that spoke the language of the common people (supposedly she spoke seven or eight different languages). I am getting ready to order the next book in the series was ok
January 25, 2024
Review of Cleopatra the last Pharaoh by Jay Penner
This is a very interesting version of the early life of Cleopatra and her story as she grows into her role as Queen and leader of her people. A lot of intrigue and a view of the royal court as it could have been. It looks like sequels are on the horizon. A good read 👍
This is a very interesting version of the early life of Cleopatra and her story as she grows into her role as Queen and leader of her people. A lot of intrigue and a view of the royal court as it could have been. It looks like sequels are on the horizon. A good read 👍
January 12, 2025
This takes a little while to pick up, but is worth the wait. I enjoy his portrayal of Cleopatra and how he shows not just her appeal but also her brilliance as a tactician.
I also enjoy the political drama/dynamic between the Ptolemy siblings and the power struggle, with Rome and Caesar in the middle.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
I also enjoy the political drama/dynamic between the Ptolemy siblings and the power struggle, with Rome and Caesar in the middle.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
January 2, 2021
Enjoyable easy read .
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. The pace and well written characters allowed me to become immersed in the story.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about Egyptian history but it fitted with my conception of the era .
I'm about to embark on the 2nd tome.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. The pace and well written characters allowed me to become immersed in the story.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about Egyptian history but it fitted with my conception of the era .
I'm about to embark on the 2nd tome.
August 13, 2021
This book follows Cleopatra as she first comes to throne. The story does a great job showing the big picture of how Rome was casually redrawing the geo-political map, but also how so many large scale events were due to the squabbling of one dysfunctional family.
June 16, 2023
Read like a young adults book....small chapters and uninteresting dialogue...very disappointed considering the reviews...DNF...I managed 50 pages....
December 15, 2023
Last Pharaoh
Am interesting take on how Cleopatra came to power in all the scheming by family friends and others.
Great book as a series starter.
Am interesting take on how Cleopatra came to power in all the scheming by family friends and others.
Great book as a series starter.
July 22, 2025
I truly enjoyed this first book on Cleopatra. I really enjoy reading about an ancient Egypt.
August 29, 2025
Good story, well told but didn't need to be so long, this could have been better as a single volume and not part 1 of a trilogy.
September 9, 2024
Great fun mixing fact and fiction.
Lots of great facts.
Lots of great facts.
September 28, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. The different perspectives in the story make the pace seem quick and really adds to the omniscient view that the reader gets in watching different plans come together. I don’t know how accurate this story is but I don’t really care; I’m not reading it for a history lesson but more for a fun little tale based on history. I’m excited to read the other books in the series. I really value the look into Cleopatra’s cunning and masterful manipulation and seeing the alliances she’s able to form with her influence.
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