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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I loved this book! The author weaves an intriguing tale rooted in history with a fictional story that you just want to be true. If you're an ancient history fan this book could go either way for you as the author included quite a bit of ancient names/words scattered throughout that could be tedious if you're not used to reading them. Thankfully, the author also included a glossary to help readers out which was very insightful.
You'll enjoy the book if feminist-driven stories are your jam, the backstory and tangent storylines of the side characters are fascinating and give the book more avenues for the reader to consider especially since it takes place during the great Hatshepsut's reign. Neferura and her troupe are truly a wonder of "what if" for ancient history buffs and I could have enjoyed a longer book with their further exploits. For all the vagaries surrounding the real Neferura's life, this is a story that could be one of many actualities that have been erased over time by nature or erasure from succeeding dynasties. And it is wonderful to wonder who the great pharaoh Hatshepsut's daughter Neferura was in her time and what part she played in Thutmose III's reign if any.
Thanks- NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC for an honest review.
You'll enjoy the book if feminist-driven stories are your jam, the backstory and tangent storylines of the side characters are fascinating and give the book more avenues for the reader to consider especially since it takes place during the great Hatshepsut's reign. Neferura and her troupe are truly a wonder of "what if" for ancient history buffs and I could have enjoyed a longer book with their further exploits. For all the vagaries surrounding the real Neferura's life, this is a story that could be one of many actualities that have been erased over time by nature or erasure from succeeding dynasties. And it is wonderful to wonder who the great pharaoh Hatshepsut's daughter Neferura was in her time and what part she played in Thutmose III's reign if any.
Thanks- NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC for an honest review.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS and Malayna Evans for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The author is an Egyptologist and it shows. Her descriptions of ancient Egypt and the setting of the novel bring you right into Neferura's place and time. I did enjoy Neferura's characterization quite a bit. It was wonderful getting to know her and seeing ancient Egypt through her eyes. I especially loved the troupe of her priestesses and their interactions with her. The stakes for Neferura were high and I did feel that as I was reading the story.
That being said, I had a couple of issues with this book that led me to giving it 3 stars. The first issue for me was the pacing of the story. The pacing of the first half of the novel was very slow. It was so slow that although I was enjoying the story over all, I did get a little bored at times and almost lost my motivation to continue the reading. The last half of the book, especially the last few chapters, was so fast that the closer I got to the end, several times I had to reread certain passages because I got confused about what was going on. I felt the ending came so quickly it was a little bit anti-climatic although I did enjoy the twist in the story.
My second issue was the characterization of Satiah. Satiah is one of the priestesses in Neferura's troupe who worship the god, Amun. She is beautiful, she is clever, she is manipulative and she is overall likable. However, when Satiah is weaponized to seduce Thutmose, Neferura's half brother and the co-ruling Pharaoh, something felt really wrong with it to me. Even though Satiah expresses her consent to this plan several times, the power imbalance between her and Neferura made me uncomfortable. Satiah is an orphan and poor. Everything Satiah has is due to Neferura's patronage and her place as a priestess given to her by Neferura. I just didn't enjoy that Satiah using her beauty, charm and literal body by putting herself in a dangerous position to spy for Neferura was her story arc. I would have liked to believe Satiah had agency in this but I just didn't. Perhaps if Satiah had been shown to be more intelligent and scheming I would have been ok with it, maybe not. But we were reminded over and over about her beauty and her body and how men responded to her that if felt as if she was just a tool in Neferura's belt and a plot device for the author..
By no means did I hate this book. I actually quite enjoyed it at some points. I would say the author definitely knows her stuff about ancient Egypt and it shows however this book could very much benefit from some editing for pacing. There were also some repetitive phrases used like the description of sandals clacking on the stone floor which I feel like I read way too much. Basically, I desperately want this book to be better than it is.
The author is an Egyptologist and it shows. Her descriptions of ancient Egypt and the setting of the novel bring you right into Neferura's place and time. I did enjoy Neferura's characterization quite a bit. It was wonderful getting to know her and seeing ancient Egypt through her eyes. I especially loved the troupe of her priestesses and their interactions with her. The stakes for Neferura were high and I did feel that as I was reading the story.
That being said, I had a couple of issues with this book that led me to giving it 3 stars. The first issue for me was the pacing of the story. The pacing of the first half of the novel was very slow. It was so slow that although I was enjoying the story over all, I did get a little bored at times and almost lost my motivation to continue the reading. The last half of the book, especially the last few chapters, was so fast that the closer I got to the end, several times I had to reread certain passages because I got confused about what was going on. I felt the ending came so quickly it was a little bit anti-climatic although I did enjoy the twist in the story.
My second issue was the characterization of Satiah. Satiah is one of the priestesses in Neferura's troupe who worship the god, Amun. She is beautiful, she is clever, she is manipulative and she is overall likable. However, when Satiah is weaponized to seduce Thutmose, Neferura's half brother and the co-ruling Pharaoh, something felt really wrong with it to me. Even though Satiah expresses her consent to this plan several times, the power imbalance between her and Neferura made me uncomfortable. Satiah is an orphan and poor. Everything Satiah has is due to Neferura's patronage and her place as a priestess given to her by Neferura. I just didn't enjoy that Satiah using her beauty, charm and literal body by putting herself in a dangerous position to spy for Neferura was her story arc. I would have liked to believe Satiah had agency in this but I just didn't. Perhaps if Satiah had been shown to be more intelligent and scheming I would have been ok with it, maybe not. But we were reminded over and over about her beauty and her body and how men responded to her that if felt as if she was just a tool in Neferura's belt and a plot device for the author..
By no means did I hate this book. I actually quite enjoyed it at some points. I would say the author definitely knows her stuff about ancient Egypt and it shows however this book could very much benefit from some editing for pacing. There were also some repetitive phrases used like the description of sandals clacking on the stone floor which I feel like I read way too much. Basically, I desperately want this book to be better than it is.
Man I can really push through some books with wild ass stories, but this book isn't even compelling half way through. I don't care about the characters enough to really even want to keep read tw mention of SA and Incest also think it's wild for the author to be blatant about the incest but still write it in a way that's brushing off the sexual assault
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
If you like banging your head against the wall
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My teenage obsession with Ancient Egypt carried over in adulthood, only lessened by the lack of quality media being produced about Ancient Egypt for adults. So when a novel comes out about women in Ancient Egypt during the power transition between Thutmose and Hatshepsut, I am interested to say the least.
Neferura is a real historical figure who we know a little about, but less then we would like. I was incredibly pleased to see that this novel used all known information about Neferura as its starting place, fleshing her out while keeping all historical certainties in mind as a base for her life as shown in the novel. Similarly I was deeply please to see this novel take great care to insure all details about daily life in this period in Ancient Egypt were carried over correctly into the text of the novel. It was deeply refreshing to read a period piece that took such deep care with remaining true to the period it is based on.
The novel itself was a page turner that had me stressing and deeply caught up in the intrigue and plotting that was happening at court. The development of Neferura from the quiet and obedient princess to the end of the book felt real and gritty. As did the both celebration and heart break of being a woman that is on full display in this novel. The emotional impact of this novel is not form any romantic relationships, but from chosen family, friends, and the sisterhood that women build when left with nothing but hard choices.
I would recommend this novel to you if you are looking for:
- Novels about Ancient Egypt
- Stories with a deeply feminist core
- Stories about how women deal in power
- Page Turners that keep you hooked
- Historical Novels that pay attention to History
I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
Neferura is a real historical figure who we know a little about, but less then we would like. I was incredibly pleased to see that this novel used all known information about Neferura as its starting place, fleshing her out while keeping all historical certainties in mind as a base for her life as shown in the novel. Similarly I was deeply please to see this novel take great care to insure all details about daily life in this period in Ancient Egypt were carried over correctly into the text of the novel. It was deeply refreshing to read a period piece that took such deep care with remaining true to the period it is based on.
The novel itself was a page turner that had me stressing and deeply caught up in the intrigue and plotting that was happening at court. The development of Neferura from the quiet and obedient princess to the end of the book felt real and gritty. As did the both celebration and heart break of being a woman that is on full display in this novel. The emotional impact of this novel is not form any romantic relationships, but from chosen family, friends, and the sisterhood that women build when left with nothing but hard choices.
I would recommend this novel to you if you are looking for:
- Novels about Ancient Egypt
- Stories with a deeply feminist core
- Stories about how women deal in power
- Page Turners that keep you hooked
- Historical Novels that pay attention to History
I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
slow-paced
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No