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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
**Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review**
First five star read of the year! This story was intriguing from beginning to end. I did not expect any of the twists that were in this and the shock of each one made me read faster. I loved everything about this book. If you are a historical fiction lover or want to get into historical fiction this is an absolute must read. This is by far my favorite Egyptian fiction read and I cannot wait until it releases so that I can purchase a copy to add to my shelves!
First five star read of the year! This story was intriguing from beginning to end. I did not expect any of the twists that were in this and the shock of each one made me read faster. I loved everything about this book. If you are a historical fiction lover or want to get into historical fiction this is an absolute must read. This is by far my favorite Egyptian fiction read and I cannot wait until it releases so that I can purchase a copy to add to my shelves!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
informative
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
“In the end, everyone’s heart will be weighed.”
From reading the first sentence, I knew this book would be good. The prose in this Egyptian historical fiction by Malayna Evans was honestly the best I have read in a while. I loved the author’s descriptive storytelling. Not only could I easily imagine the scenery, the environment, or the people described in the book, but I felt like the author was showing me what it actually felt like, being in Ancient Egypt.
All the characters were well thought out, and Nefura’s character arc was beautifully completed by the end of the book. If you’re an avid reader like me, you might see some of the foreshadowing towards the end start to build up once you’re a little over halfway through, but I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the court intrigues and scheming.
The author also managed to put the history of women at the forefront. In the book, there are multiple descriptions of the female pharaoh being depicted as a man, and how women were considered to be ‘broodmares’. This story presents a more nuanced view than we are used to seeing in traditional history books, by giving these women different voices and stories of their own, as most of them work together towards a greater purpose.
As a historian myself, I loved the addition of the glossary at the beginning of the book. It reminded me of my own classes in Ancient History, and I was glad to see a chapter added at the end where the author explained which parts of the story were rooted in research and theories concerning Ancient Egypt. It shows the care and effort that went into writing this book, something which I as a reader greatly appreciate.
Overall, I would definitely recommend reading this book. People who are into historical fiction/mythology books such as Circe, Clytemnestra, and Ariadne will most likely enjoy this book as much as I did.
- This review was based on an Advanced Reader Copy.
From reading the first sentence, I knew this book would be good. The prose in this Egyptian historical fiction by Malayna Evans was honestly the best I have read in a while. I loved the author’s descriptive storytelling. Not only could I easily imagine the scenery, the environment, or the people described in the book, but I felt like the author was showing me what it actually felt like, being in Ancient Egypt.
All the characters were well thought out, and Nefura’s character arc was beautifully completed by the end of the book. If you’re an avid reader like me, you might see some of the foreshadowing towards the end start to build up once you’re a little over halfway through, but I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the court intrigues and scheming.
The author also managed to put the history of women at the forefront. In the book, there are multiple descriptions of the female pharaoh being depicted as a man, and how women were considered to be ‘broodmares’. This story presents a more nuanced view than we are used to seeing in traditional history books, by giving these women different voices and stories of their own, as most of them work together towards a greater purpose.
As a historian myself, I loved the addition of the glossary at the beginning of the book. It reminded me of my own classes in Ancient History, and I was glad to see a chapter added at the end where the author explained which parts of the story were rooted in research and theories concerning Ancient Egypt. It shows the care and effort that went into writing this book, something which I as a reader greatly appreciate.
Overall, I would definitely recommend reading this book. People who are into historical fiction/mythology books such as Circe, Clytemnestra, and Ariadne will most likely enjoy this book as much as I did.
- This review was based on an Advanced Reader Copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
So I really wanted to like this book. I was so interested in an adult historical fiction based on Egyptian mythology — I haven’t read anything similar to that and was excited to delve into this world. While the set up was intriguing (Neferura believes her virginity is linked to the gods being happy with her & her half-brother & her mother have an ongoing violent fued over power as pharaohs), I found myself getting whiplash from the back & forth in the plot (it is so slow-paced up until the 40% mark & then you’re left wondering “what is happening? how did this all unfold so quickly?!”) & the graphic descriptions of sexual & physical violence really fucked me up.
Even with content warnings, I don’t know that I would have delved into this book, knowing that the violent scenes don’t particularly add to the plotline or character development. I really think we could have done with no on-page sexual violence or animal violence/cruelty, and the point of the trauma that these characters endured would still get across. I really do empathize with the need to prove that yes, this violence did indeed happen, and women are historically just not believed. However, as a writer in 2024, you have the choice to do the least harm possible, and those scenes viscerally took me out.
As far as the overarching plot, I wasn’t entirely invested in it because I wasn’t vehemently rooting for Neferura. She of course starts off as very naive and sheltered in the beginning of this book, but I never got to really know her; the author explains what is going on through tons of exposition and info dumping, usually through letters/scrolls, and the rest is Neferura being shocked and disappointed by the way her mother, half-brother & the rest of her court act. It’s a merry go round of betrayal & political backstabbing, but it just didn’t pull me in.
I would try another book by this author in the future, but this book just wasn’t for me.
So I really wanted to like this book. I was so interested in an adult historical fiction based on Egyptian mythology — I haven’t read anything similar to that and was excited to delve into this world. While the set up was intriguing (Neferura believes her virginity is linked to the gods being happy with her & her half-brother & her mother have an ongoing violent fued over power as pharaohs), I found myself getting whiplash from the back & forth in the plot (it is so slow-paced up until the 40% mark & then you’re left wondering “what is happening? how did this all unfold so quickly?!”) & the graphic descriptions of sexual & physical violence really fucked me up.
Even with content warnings, I don’t know that I would have delved into this book, knowing that the violent scenes don’t particularly add to the plotline or character development. I really think we could have done with no on-page sexual violence or animal violence/cruelty, and the point of the trauma that these characters endured would still get across. I really do empathize with the need to prove that yes, this violence did indeed happen, and women are historically just not believed. However, as a writer in 2024, you have the choice to do the least harm possible, and those scenes viscerally took me out.
As far as the overarching plot, I wasn’t entirely invested in it because I wasn’t vehemently rooting for Neferura. She of course starts off as very naive and sheltered in the beginning of this book, but I never got to really know her; the author explains what is going on through tons of exposition and info dumping, usually through letters/scrolls, and the rest is Neferura being shocked and disappointed by the way her mother, half-brother & the rest of her court act. It’s a merry go round of betrayal & political backstabbing, but it just didn’t pull me in.
I would try another book by this author in the future, but this book just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence
Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexual content
As soon as I saw this historical fiction based on Egypt I had to read it! It gave me everything I wanted from it, a mix of life during that time and a political battle to survive. This made me want to return to Egypt ASAP. At the end there’s also some more factual information that’s great to read and find out more detail on background that inspired the story. Neferura was an amazing character, being a female princess she held some power but this was difficult for her to keep hold of. I most loved her friendships that she managed to maintain despite being set apart from others. The read itself was very accessible and would appeal to a lot of people. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion
adventurous
medium-paced
Neferura takes Egyptian history and turns it into a story that is easy to read and appreciate. The text is definitely aimed at a younger audience than myself, which it definitely assists in making the story palatable but it does appear to be written for a much younger audience than the YA audience it is aimed at.
The beginning of the story is quite slow, but it does pick up towards the second half of the book, which I did enjoy more. Some events feel a bit "too easy" in terms of pushing the plot along and getting our heroes to where they need to be. I love seeing female friendship in these stories, so the relationships between these characters were very heart-warming.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and appreciated the writing, it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-arc of this one, all opnions are my own.
The beginning of the story is quite slow, but it does pick up towards the second half of the book, which I did enjoy more. Some events feel a bit "too easy" in terms of pushing the plot along and getting our heroes to where they need to be. I love seeing female friendship in these stories, so the relationships between these characters were very heart-warming.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and appreciated the writing, it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-arc of this one, all opnions are my own.
