The Feather of Ma'at — M.J. Mauborgne

This two-parts historical novel retells the life story of Berenike, daughter of Ptolemy II, from her golden youth as a princess in Alexandria to her tragic fate as queen of Syria.
Third century BC Alexandria is the first truly cosmopolitan city. In the aftermath of Alexander's conquests, the dominant Greek civilization tunes up with Egypt's older culture. The innovative establishment of the cult of Serapis embodies the will of the Ptolemies to unite their kingdom. The Great Library and Museum attracts the world's intelligentsia, from the far reaches of India to the confines of Celtic Europe. The Egyptian natives live in a slum in the eastern part of the city, in what was the ancient fishermen settlement of Rakhotis; on the western part of town, a vibrant Jewish community prospered and accounted for a third of the population of Alexandria.
The story begins when King Ptolemy's sister, Arsinoë, returns from exile to her native city of Alexandria. The ambitious and manipulative woman will stop at nothing to regain power and authority. She intrigues to eliminate the king's wife and eventually will marry her own brother according to the Egyptian custom.
Meanwhile, the central character, Yona Dharmaraksita, ambassador of the Empire of Maurya, is sent on a diplomatic mission to Alexandria. Upon his arrival, he will cross path with Arsinoë on the day Ptolemy's youngest son is murdered in mysterious circumstances. Yona is caught in the middle of the intrigue. More murders are committed, and it is only on the last page of the book that the mystery will be unraveled. It is also a story of coming of age complicated by familial and political intrigues.
In part two, we follow the destitute queen in her exile and discover the provincial life of Southern Egypt. Far removed from the Greek overlords, life goes on as it has for millennia, with its strange mysticism and stranger characters.