The Wandering Queen: An enchanting feminist retelling of the story of fierce Queen Dido and her tragic love affair with Prince Aeneas from the bestselling author of The Daughters of Sparta

‘A beautifully woven tale with brilliant, confident writing, [Heywood] has illuminated the stories of ladies too often relegated to the role of villain or damsel’ CLAIRE M ANDREWS

The King of Tyre is dead, his final words anointing his clever and strong-willed daughter, Elissa, as the new queen until his young son, Pygmalion, comes of age. But betrayal and danger soon haunt Elissa, and she is forced to flee the kingdom – exiled with a band of loyal followers and a broken heart.

After an arduous search for a new home, Elissa and her people settle in North Africa, and she is crowned Queen Dido: the ferocious and devoted ruler of her newly established city of Carthage. Soon a powerful trading hub, Carthage thrives under Dido’s governance.

But when a band of Trojan survivors, led by the valiant Aeneas, washes up on a nearby shore, Queen Dido is reminded of a promise she made long ago, never to trust or to love another again. Can Dido overcome her past and open herself – and her city – up to Aeneas, or is their love doomed to burn everything to the ground?