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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
DNF at 72%
since i only had about 80 pages left I thought about pushing through but to be honest the book bored me to no end. The main character was incredibly dull and had no personality. The plot was uninteresting to no end (quite a feat with how much is going on and all the palace intrigue). And lastly there were some elements in this book that felt like anti-trans dog-whistles (not sure if they really were tho, I just get iffy with the repeated use of sex over gender)
since i only had about 80 pages left I thought about pushing through but to be honest the book bored me to no end. The main character was incredibly dull and had no personality. The plot was uninteresting to no end (quite a feat with how much is going on and all the palace intrigue). And lastly there were some elements in this book that felt like anti-trans dog-whistles (not sure if they really were tho, I just get iffy with the repeated use of sex over gender)
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a good historical fiction with a tiny bit of spell use on the side. I couldn't put it down!
The world felt very real and I was transported to the time of Pharaohs and their court. I know only little of the time and how they lived, so this world and people who were living in it very so well created. I could see the love for the time from the author.
I really liked the MC and her friends. The mother and brother were so well written too. Every character was interesting in their own way and they gave so much of themselves to better what they thought was right. The character growth was lovely to see and especially the MC realising she needs to take control of her own fate.
The themes that were explored were awesome and well made. I especially loved the kind of coming of age feel that I got from the MC and the found family vibe with her and her friends.
The spell use was very little, so this really felt like historical fiction more than fantasy or anything like that. Great for anyone who loves that type of stuff!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The world felt very real and I was transported to the time of Pharaohs and their court. I know only little of the time and how they lived, so this world and people who were living in it very so well created. I could see the love for the time from the author.
I really liked the MC and her friends. The mother and brother were so well written too. Every character was interesting in their own way and they gave so much of themselves to better what they thought was right. The character growth was lovely to see and especially the MC realising she needs to take control of her own fate.
The themes that were explored were awesome and well made. I especially loved the kind of coming of age feel that I got from the MC and the found family vibe with her and her friends.
The spell use was very little, so this really felt like historical fiction more than fantasy or anything like that. Great for anyone who loves that type of stuff!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark, Malayna Evans, and NetGalley for the ARC!
This book was a mixed bag for me. There were a few elements that I really enjoyed, but I also had some issues.
First, let’s talk about what I struggled with. Something to know about me: I hate unnecessary repetition. This is a frequent issue throughout the book. As a result, things/situations are also constantly over-explained.
There is very little action in the book and it feels like it is made up mostly of conversations. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if it didn’t feel like we were witnessing the same conversation over and over again, even between different characters. It makes the plot lag and messes with the pacing. There are times where it feels like we are being built up to some action, but it is always quickly brushed over and resolved.
I couldn’t emotionally connect to any of the characters, they felt underdeveloped.
I also wanted it to feel more atmospheric. We’re given this really cool setting of ancient Egypt, yet I never felt like I was really put into the story.
Regardless of these issues, I was still able to find some enjoyment. The research that was done for this was absolutely stellar. The author has a PhD in Egyptian History and it shows. From their gods, to their culture and customs, materials and foods, and their language: you could tell everything was accurately depicted of this time and I really appreciated that. It was my favorite part of the book.
I also really enjoyed the network of female spies and the examples of strong, healthy, and supportive female friendships and relationships - there is no backstabbing here, which is nice.
I found that even when the plot itself was lagging, it was still easy to read. It did have a YA feel to it (it is not marketed as YA), so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this up.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if you have a strong interest in ancient Egypt, love a band of strong, vigilante women, and/or are a fan of YA writing, I think you could enjoy this!
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction
Sub-Genre: Romance
Age: Adult (That's what it's billed as, but we'll talk about this.)
Spice Level: Mostly fade to black
Violence Level: People are killed but off the page
NEFERURA wasn't what I expected. Somehow I thought it would show how Neferura completely changed the kingdom, or defied her mother, or would use more magic.
This is more about a young woman working at coming into her own. For this reason, this felt like a YA novel instead of adult. Though, it is billed as an adult novel.
I also never had a sense of how old Neferura was, but she read young, as in 16ish. And she might have been since the book mentions that many died in their 40s. It really shifts everything in a woman's life if she has to marry young because she could be dead as early as her 30s. Neferura's mother also wielded so much power over her life. She had very limited options to make choices, though she does make a few key ones through the story. Do you see what I mean by the age seeming more YA?
Neferura is also abused, but it's not on the page more than a gripped arm. Really I'm thankful that it was off page, but I still needed more of an acknowledgement to know what was happening. I wasn't even sure she'd slept with her husband.
The things I loved:
Female friendships
Hathor's irreverence
Egyptian pantheon
Exploring a different place and time
I think many people will enjoy this story—it has something of a feminist bent.
Happy reading!
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction
Sub-Genre: Romance
Age: Adult (That's what it's billed as, but we'll talk about this.)
Spice Level: Mostly fade to black
Violence Level: People are killed but off the page
NEFERURA wasn't what I expected. Somehow I thought it would show how Neferura completely changed the kingdom, or defied her mother, or would use more magic.
This is more about a young woman working at coming into her own. For this reason, this felt like a YA novel instead of adult. Though, it is billed as an adult novel.
I also never had a sense of how old Neferura was, but she read young, as in 16ish. And she might have been since the book mentions that many died in their 40s. It really shifts everything in a woman's life if she has to marry young because she could be dead as early as her 30s. Neferura's mother also wielded so much power over her life. She had very limited options to make choices, though she does make a few key ones through the story. Do you see what I mean by the age seeming more YA?
Neferura is also abused, but it's not on the page more than a gripped arm. Really I'm thankful that it was off page, but I still needed more of an acknowledgement to know what was happening. I wasn't even sure she'd slept with her husband.
The things I loved:
Female friendships
Hathor's irreverence
Egyptian pantheon
Exploring a different place and time
I think many people will enjoy this story—it has something of a feminist bent.
Happy reading!
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can see why the parallels between this book and Kaikeyi. Both elipse over a great period of time between action scenes, both feature powerful women overlooked as lesser for their role as women. But the execution of these stories is so far removed from one another that the comparison only sours this story beyond what I may have felt about it going in cold.
While I enjoyed most of the climactic moments of the story, I found them to be lacking in both the character work (that would have driven home moments of emotional impact) and the foreshadowing that would be necessary for the plot resolutions to feel well earned. The romance has a solid grassroots beginning, but doesn't truly bloom before the story drives it home. The friendships feel shallow though the story makes it clear they're meant to be impactful. And the resolution, while enjoyable, is unsubstantiated. In fact it only hints at the conclusions direction in the last five to ten percent of the book.
The decision for Neferura to become spy master in Hathor's place (while I do ultimately like it) wasn't properly established as anything Neferura would be good at. For most of the book she was so completely out of her depth with trying to outmaneuver her mother or Thutmose. When she goes to Iset after childbirth she let's loose the only secret she had to keep. Then when she goes save Iset she has no instinct for stealth, no ability to rally herself from grief (and that's fine unless you're being written into the role of "powerful woman who has endured grief and will use her intellect to escape an untimely death.")
I appreciate that the Authors Note provides historical context to the story, but as richly developed as the backdrop of the world around these character is, it doesn't translate as well to the characters, their motivations, or the progression of the plot.
While I enjoyed most of the climactic moments of the story, I found them to be lacking in both the character work (that would have driven home moments of emotional impact) and the foreshadowing that would be necessary for the plot resolutions to feel well earned. The romance has a solid grassroots beginning, but doesn't truly bloom before the story drives it home. The friendships feel shallow though the story makes it clear they're meant to be impactful. And the resolution, while enjoyable, is unsubstantiated. In fact it only hints at the conclusions direction in the last five to ten percent of the book.
I appreciate that the Authors Note provides historical context to the story, but as richly developed as the backdrop of the world around these character is, it doesn't translate as well to the characters, their motivations, or the progression of the plot.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I admit I know very little about Egypt and its pharaohs beyond the very famous ones, but Neferura piqued my interest nonetheless.While at first, I made the erroneous connection to the similarly named Nefertiti, a glance at the blurb and some Googling about the different pharaohs showed me how wrong I was, with Neferura being the daughter of Hatshepsut. While Neferura herself has largely been overshadowed by her legendary mother, the struggle to get out of her massive shadow makes for a solid driving force for the book itself, even if the Neferura of the book is largely a product of Malayna Evans’ imagination, although that is well-balanced with a great sense of place and a wealth of knowledge of the setting and time period, due to Evans’ background in Egyptology.
Neferura as a character is well-drawn, and I like how Evans imagines her as she navigates finding her place in the world as the daughter of two pharaohs and sister to another. She has no real role models, no one who has traversed the path in the same way as she does, so she’s forced to make it more or less on her own, while also dealing with the tense family situation due to her mother and brother’s politically fraught co-pharaohship. She also doesn’t make the wisest decisions as a result, being rather naive, but she’s fairly easy to sympathize with, given the struggles she deals with throughout.
I really enjoyed seeing the roles of strong women in this society. While Neferura doesn’t have the easiest relationship with her mother, Hatshepsut is still recognized as the powerful pharaoh she is. I also really enjoyed Neferura’s bond with some of the other women in the story, like Satiah, especially in how that allows for nuances in female sexuality.
This was an enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more books from Malayna Evans. I recommend this book if you’re interested in historical fiction about Ancient Egypt.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and author Malayna Evans for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this novel to review. All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
Neferura is a historical fantasy set in the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt and is loosely based upon the life of the titular Egyptian princess, Neferura.
Neferura is introduced with a glossary of terms, and with author Malayna Evans stating that she has chosen to use certain vocabulary as it would have been utilized by Ancient Egyptians (as opposed to using classical or more modern vocabulary). This (in my opinion) is a good choice which adds depth and immersion to a story set thousands of years in the past. While this is categorized as adult fiction, I do think that this novel could very easily be enjoyed by an older young adult or new adult audience.
Malayna Evans is a white, American author, but she does have a Ph.D. in Egyptian history, and her knowledge is made apparent in Neferura through thorough, atmospheric historical detail. The depiction of the Ancient Egyptian relationship to the Kemetic gods is easy to comprehend and contextualize, and does not devalue the significance of Ancient Egyptian religion.
While I did enjoy the idea of a network of solidarity between the women in this novel, I found the execution lacking in some respects. Neferura’s relationship to Satiah, and the power imbalance inherent to their dynamic, exemplifies this well. I do think that there is a difference between a story told from a woman’s perspective and a story told through a feminist lens, and this, alongside other, larger and smaller grievances (like Neferura stating that her mother wears kohl to distract from her “double chin and crooked nose”), ultimately left me wanting more from the 'feminist' aspects of Neferura.
Neferura is a historical fantasy set in the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt and is loosely based upon the life of the titular Egyptian princess, Neferura.
Neferura is introduced with a glossary of terms, and with author Malayna Evans stating that she has chosen to use certain vocabulary as it would have been utilized by Ancient Egyptians (as opposed to using classical or more modern vocabulary). This (in my opinion) is a good choice which adds depth and immersion to a story set thousands of years in the past. While this is categorized as adult fiction, I do think that this novel could very easily be enjoyed by an older young adult or new adult audience.
Malayna Evans is a white, American author, but she does have a Ph.D. in Egyptian history, and her knowledge is made apparent in Neferura through thorough, atmospheric historical detail. The depiction of the Ancient Egyptian relationship to the Kemetic gods is easy to comprehend and contextualize, and does not devalue the significance of Ancient Egyptian religion.
While I did enjoy the idea of a network of solidarity between the women in this novel, I found the execution lacking in some respects. Neferura’s relationship to Satiah, and the power imbalance inherent to their dynamic, exemplifies this well. I do think that there is a difference between a story told from a woman’s perspective and a story told through a feminist lens, and this, alongside other, larger and smaller grievances (like Neferura stating that her mother wears kohl to distract from her “double chin and crooked nose”), ultimately left me wanting more from the 'feminist' aspects of Neferura.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
Brief mention of taking an herbal remedy to induce abortion.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
💥It is a historical fiction where Neferura is both the narrator and the protagonist. Through the story, the readers get to learn about her mother, a Pharaoh who had brought immense development in Egypt during her time. We get to know about the lives of pharaohs and commoners. We learn about different customs and beliefs of the people of Ancient Egypt. It was quite interesting to know about the rituals that they practiced.
💥In this story women play a very important role. Starting from the Pharaoh who is a woman, her daughter, Neferura, the handmaids, the wise woman and an aged woman, Thuiu, each one helps in changing the course of the story. The author has beautifully portrayed that powerful and rich does not always go side by side because even if you are not rich, you can always hold some kind of potential.
💥This book had transferred me to the time of Pharaohs where I had become a part of the story. Readers interested in historical fiction and Ancient Egypt will surey like this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
💥In this story women play a very important role. Starting from the Pharaoh who is a woman, her daughter, Neferura, the handmaids, the wise woman and an aged woman, Thuiu, each one helps in changing the course of the story. The author has beautifully portrayed that powerful and rich does not always go side by side because even if you are not rich, you can always hold some kind of potential.
💥This book had transferred me to the time of Pharaohs where I had become a part of the story. Readers interested in historical fiction and Ancient Egypt will surey like this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.