This review was originally posted on http://www.rubysreads.com. 
 I basically can't discuss this book without spoiling. 
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 I knew, when I sunk my teeth into Lily of the Nile, that I was going to be in for a great deal of angst. I don't mind angst so long as it's tempered by a happy ending, but the angstier the angst, the happier the ending needs to be for the balance to work out. I didn't find this to be the case in Song of the Nile. Selene suffers, then she suffers and after that she suffers some more. She does have a brief moment of happiness, but I didn't think it was going to last and it didn't. 
 Because of the level of angst I experienced while reading this novel, it's hard for me to be objective about it. Song of the Nile was an emotional roller coaster ride. White hot rage, bone-deep weariness, intense, incredible sadness, wrenching, nauseous anticipation--I was wrung out by the mere experience of reading the book. I can't imagine what it was like for Stephanie Dray to have written it. Writers that can evoke such visceral responses are rare and Stephanie Dray has created a masterful piece of literature. Unfortunately, despite all that the Cleopatra's Daughter books had to recommend them, my feeling on reaching the last page of Song of the Nile was one of relief. I was glad to be finished with it, and glad to leave Selene's life story behind. 
 Don't misunderstand me. I think Stephanie Dray is a talented writer, and she clearly knows her subject. Her characters zoom off the page, though I wished many of then would have stayed firmly in their fictional arena. It was the setting that Dray absolutely nailed. I can picture the hole in the wall that Selene and Helios used to communicate. I felt those African siroccos on my face just as Selene did. 
 With all of these things to recommend it, there isn't much I can say beyond it wasn't the book for me. A lot of this comes back to my (unhealthy?) addiction to happy endings, especially vis a vis the romance. My favored romantic pairing had its moment in the sun, but it didn't triumph in the end. I don't actually think any romantic pairing did. But, again, Song of the Nile isn't that kind of book. Which, sadly, makes it a book that doesn't work for me. And, for that reason, I'm not giving Song of the Nile a grade. You'll either have to check out Small's review or win a copy so you can decide for yourself!