The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice

Title: The Passion of Cleopatra  (Ramses the Damned #2)

Author: Anne Rice

Publisher: Anchor Books 2017

Genre: Horror

Pages: 399

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Anne Rice); Popsugar - By Two Authors; Finishing the Series 

Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life. But as these ancient rulers defy one another in their quest to understand the powers of the strange elixir, they are haunted by a mysterious presence even older and more powerful than they, a figure drawn forth from the mists of history who possesses spectacular magical potions and tonics eight millennia old. This is a figure who ruled over an ancient kingdom stretching from the once-fertile earth of the Sahara to the far corners of the world, a queen with a supreme knowledge of the deepest origins of the elixir of life. She may be the only one who can make known to Ramses and Cleopatra the key to their immortality—and the secrets of the miraculous, unknowable, endless expanse of the universe.

I finally got to read the long-awaited sequel to The Mummy. Overall I really enjoyed the continuation of the story. We get to see how the relationships between Ramses, Julie, Alex, and Cleopatra evolve. We get to see and hear the backstory of the elixir. We get to hear about the long-lost kingdom of Shaktanu. I even loved the inclusion of a few new characters from the past. When they first appeared, I was concerned that they would muddle the storyline, but in the end they were good additions. I loved traveling around the world with all the characters. What I wasn't a huge fan of was a few of the long philosophical passages about the soul that appeared towards the end of the novel. To me, they got a bit preachy in tone. 

Ramses the Damned:

• #1 The Mummy
• #2 Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mummy by Anne Rice

Title: The Mummy (Ramses the Damned #1)

Author: Anne Rice

Publisher: Ballantine Books 1989

Genre: Horror

Pages: 399

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (Anne Rice); Mount TBR; Popsugar - Eccentric Character

He was Ramses the Damned in ancient Egypt, but awoke in opulent Edwardian London as Dr. Ramsey, expert in Egyptology. He mixes with the aristocrats and samples their voluptuous lifestyle, but it is for his beloved, Cleopatra, that he longs, and will do anything to be with...

In my middle school and high school obsession with Anne Rice, I somehow never actually read The Mummy. I think I got sucked into the Interview with a Vampire series and neglected her other works. I'm so glad that I finally picked this one up. I love Egyptian history and the early 20th century interest in archaeology. I immediately fell in love with the setting and characters. I loved traveling from England to Egypt throughout the course of the book. My favorite character has to be Elliott. I loved his entire storyline. Definitely an interesting character study. As Rice is the author, I was expecting a full out horror story. I won't call this horror necessarily, but the story has sufficient suspense and horror to keep me guessing as to what would happen next. This was such a page-turner. After getting about 20 pages in, I just couldn't pause in my reading. Loved it! I can't wait to pick up the sequel next month.

Ramses the Damned:

• #1 The Mummy
• #2 Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mummy Readalong

From Gather Together and Read:

Everyone knows I'm a huge Anne Rice fan (duh, the reading challenge might be a clue lol). She's my favorite author and she has written a sequel (with her son, Christopher Rice) to one of my favorites of her books, The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned. The new book is titled Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra. So, I've decided to host a read-along of the first book in honor of the sequel's release in November. This will be a reread for me and frankly, I'm pretty excited. Rereading a favorite is always fun!
 

I read The Mummy years and years ago, but frankly don't remember much of what happened. This is the perfect event for me to revisit the story. And maybe I will read the sequel when it arrives!

Next up on the TBR pile: