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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received an ARC copy of Neferura from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While Malayna Evans' novel promises an intriguing look into ancient Egypt through the eyes of Neferura, the daughter of Egypt's renowned pharaoh Hatshepsut, the execution falls short. The book is well researched, offering interesting insights into the complexities of the era's politics and court life. However, the pacing feels off, with the story dragging in the first half and only picking up momentum later on.
While the depiction of female friendships is heartwarming, the character development leaves much to be desired. Characters lack depth and consistency, detracting from the overall immersion in the story. Additionally, despite being marketed as fantasy, the inclusion of magical elements is sparse, if non-existent.
One of the book's highlights is Hathor's network of female spies, but their potential is overshadowed by the lack of exploration into their characters. I would love a book on Hathor and her "magic", her spies, and working the courts - she's a much more interesting and flawed character. Neferura is introduced as perfect daughter, god-wife, etc. that she's almost boring.
The repetitive language and YA-style writing further contribute to the book's shortcomings, making it feel predictable and monotonous. Despite addressing mature themes such as sexual assault and incest (historically accurate and yet still uncomfortable to read), the writing style feels juvenile, failing to effectively convey the gravity of these topics. Overall, Neferura falls short of its promise as a captivating historical fantasy. While it offers glimpses into ancient Egypt, it lacks the depth and coherence needed to fully engage readers in Neferura's story.
While Malayna Evans' novel promises an intriguing look into ancient Egypt through the eyes of Neferura, the daughter of Egypt's renowned pharaoh Hatshepsut, the execution falls short. The book is well researched, offering interesting insights into the complexities of the era's politics and court life. However, the pacing feels off, with the story dragging in the first half and only picking up momentum later on.
While the depiction of female friendships is heartwarming, the character development leaves much to be desired. Characters lack depth and consistency, detracting from the overall immersion in the story. Additionally, despite being marketed as fantasy, the inclusion of magical elements is sparse, if non-existent.
One of the book's highlights is Hathor's network of female spies, but their potential is overshadowed by the lack of exploration into their characters. I would love a book on Hathor and her "magic", her spies, and working the courts - she's a much more interesting and flawed character. Neferura is introduced as perfect daughter, god-wife, etc. that she's almost boring.
The repetitive language and YA-style writing further contribute to the book's shortcomings, making it feel predictable and monotonous. Despite addressing mature themes such as sexual assault and incest (historically accurate and yet still uncomfortable to read), the writing style feels juvenile, failing to effectively convey the gravity of these topics. Overall, Neferura falls short of its promise as a captivating historical fantasy. While it offers glimpses into ancient Egypt, it lacks the depth and coherence needed to fully engage readers in Neferura's story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Violence
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
tense
slow-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:
Yes
Neferura is a feminist retelling of Hatshepsut – a woman that become a pharaoh - daughter that focus around politics and winning back power to her family. This is a great book for those who, as me, enjoys an Egyptian history with female empowerment.
We follow Neferura’s life, traveling through an intricate network of secrets and conspiracies after the return of her half brother Thutmose. They both wanted to be the pharaoh that rule over Egypt. The premise of this book was very interesting, and it was the thing that made me want to read it, however, I felt like something was missing.
The writing style was not for me, and I wish there’re more character development in the story. I did like the authors notes that provided historical context to this story. Overall, it was a good retelling of a historical figure, the intrigue and the politics in this book was quite good. I wish the pacing was a bit faster than it was, but I recommend it to Egyptian mythology fans and historical retellings.
Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
emotional
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
One of my favourite topics to study is Ancient Egypt to this was right up my street. This comes from the perspective of a character in Ancient Egypt that isn't well known and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.
I think the author did a brilliant job at creating the scenery of ancient Egypt. I liked how they merged historical characters with the characters that have been created. If you wasn't familiar with Ancient Egypt you would never know. You can tell the author put in a lot of research for this story which I can appreciate.
This had high stakes, espionage, power struggles and a love story. However, it was really slow until part 3 and there was just too much political intrigue for me.
One of my favourite topics to study is Ancient Egypt to this was right up my street. This comes from the perspective of a character in Ancient Egypt that isn't well known and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.
I think the author did a brilliant job at creating the scenery of ancient Egypt. I liked how they merged historical characters with the characters that have been created. If you wasn't familiar with Ancient Egypt you would never know. You can tell the author put in a lot of research for this story which I can appreciate.
This had high stakes, espionage, power struggles and a love story. However, it was really slow until part 3 and there was just too much political intrigue for me.