This is the sequel to [b:Black Ships|2192272|Black Ships (Numinous World, #1)|Jo Graham|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266621797s/2192272.jpg|2198000] and it's a worthy successor. This is yet another story of Cleopatra but told from her handmaiden's point of view. The stories dizzied my head as I thought back to the epic [b:The Gates of Rome|330947|The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1)|Conn Iggulden|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313874666s/330947.jpg|1808829] and the magical [b:Lily of the Nile|8413892|Lily of the Nile (Cleopatra's Daughter, #1)|Stephanie Dray|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1281454009s/8413892.jpg|13275554] (two historical novels I loved).

The book is longish and she has A LOT of characters to the story. If this book was made into a book 1 and book 2, I might have considered it a 5 star book.

The author appends a teaser of her third book and I would much like to see what she can do there and shed some light in aftermath of Alexander's death. ( )

The Hand of Isis is the story of Cleopatra told through the eyes of her loving sister Charmian. It spans Cleopatra’s life from her birth and childhood to her death.

Some people won’t like the sex scenes and the candid way sex was part of the story. However, I found it refreshing. Additionally, including homosexual and bisexual characters made it feel representative of people generally. I loved Charmian’s candid approach towards sex.

A significant part of the story involves the Egyptian gods and Jo Grahams slightly odd way of dealing with faith and dead. This will alienate some readers, however I found it an interesting angle to take and felt it added something to the story. It raises some questions about the role of religion in understanding and dealing with death, and asks questions about our abilities to accept people with different beliefs to our own.

My complaints about the book are mostly a feeling that the pacing was inconsistent, meaning my attention was lost at times. Normally this type of book compels me to complete reading it quickly; however, I put it down for days at a time and eventually finished it in little over a month. It seemed to jump focus. Towards the middle, I felt told about Cleopatra’s activities and character, and not shown them. The relationship between the sisters was weaker in the second half, which was unfortunate as this was a major strength of the book in the first half.

This was a book I didn’t quite know what to think about. My opinion of it changed so much depending on my mood. Sometimes I genuinely didn’t think it was very good. Yet somehow, I couldn’t forget about it. It was almost as if it was haunting me, making me read until the very end. I didn’t want to read the end. I’m not too clued up about the history of Cleopatra. I’ve never watched a film about her and this is the first book about her I’ve read. I did however know she would die. I didn’t want her to die. Maybe it was the conflicting emotions that made me dislike the book at times. Sometimes I loved it. I could relate to the characters which seeing as they lived over 2000 years ago and had a very different standing in life, not to mention living in a different continent and society, seems like an achievement. The vivid descriptions made me want to know more about Alexandrian society and the scientific and engineering inventions mentioned.

I look forward to reading more of Jo Graham’s work, but I’m going to wait a while until I do.
( )

After enjoying [b:Black Ships|2192272|Black Ships (Numinous World, #1)|Jo Graham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442089577s/2192272.jpg|2198000], I was eager to see what Graham could do with the Cleopatra story. Well -- marvelous! This is a perspective on Egypt's queen I hadn't read before, through the eyes of her half-sister and hand-maiden (born to a slave or the same father, Pharoah, and pledged to Egypt's service). The writing is so accomplished but never calls attention to itself. Graham isn't a historian (good!) so I'm not commenting on what we know of the event. But the way she animates her main characters and brings us into the life of ruling a regional power is fascinating. Her female leads are spot on -- smart, capable, in control of their lives and decisions until the end. Among other things, sex (and one riveting scene of rape) are handled brilliantly. The rape victim never becomes degraded, but the pain and shock of that moment reverberate through the book. And when the main character has ho-hum sex with suitors we feel her disappointment and distance. But when she's with her lover later -- a bisexual Roman aide to Caesar's right-hand man and Cleopatra's final lover -- the heat sizzles, especially when there's a menage a trois with the aide's male lover. It's not salacious, but beautiful and the love that connects them is lovely. Highly recommended. ( )

I don't remember crying the first time I read this book, but I sure bawled at the end the second time. I enjoyed this book much more than the first two in the series, particularily her strength and memories of her past lives. ( )

Although Hand of Isis didn't pull me in so quickly as Black Ships, Graham's writing still brought the world of ancient Egypt to life in such a visual way that the book was difficult to put down. For me, the characters weren't quite as compelling as they had been in Black Ships, which was the major difference, but readers who were more wrapped up in the world and the story may even enjoy this one more. Graham's writing works to do justice to each moment and each scene, which is no small undertaking in a world that's so foreign to most readers, and I came away from the book feeling as if I'd journeyed backward in a history class and watched a story unfold, which was pretty wonderful.

All told, I'd recommend it. ( )