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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I liked this book well enough. I loved the historical aspect of it, the lies, the deceit, just everything about the various relationships. But u will say it was a bit of a slow pace read for me and took a while to get into it. I think the author did well with atmospheric descriptors. There were times eye I felt like I was really there.
I subtracted a star for pace, which for me was slow, but might not be for others. Overall I did not feel this was a 5 star book but it's at least 3.5. The other half star comes from the authors PhD in Egyptology, which makes sense as to why the book is fictional but detailed and rich in history.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Malayna Evans, and sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this book for my personal review.
I subtracted a star for pace, which for me was slow, but might not be for others. Overall I did not feel this was a 5 star book but it's at least 3.5. The other half star comes from the authors PhD in Egyptology, which makes sense as to why the book is fictional but detailed and rich in history.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Malayna Evans, and sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this book for my personal review.
Magnificent! What an empowering story of women together making the world a better place. Just imagine if in reality women put their powers together to the betterment of society. I adored this novel and the growth of Neferura.
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
As someone who’s always been fascinated by ancient Egyptian history but doesn’t really know too much beyond the basics, I knew I had to read this book.
Neferura, the daughter of not one but two pharaohs, finds her world turned upside down when her half brother Thutmose returns. She quickly discovers no one in her life is quite who they claim to be and is then propelled into a journey to save her life while trying to maintain peace in the city she loves. She’s not alone in this though, she has a group of women at her side to help her along the way.
This book starts off a bit slow but I believe that in this case it was crucial for character development. At no point did I accurately predict what was going to happen next and I am usually very good at that so this book was a very fun journey for me.
I’d love a prequel that goes further into the Wisewoman and how she became the powerful women she is.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Neferura, the daughter of not one but two pharaohs, finds her world turned upside down when her half brother Thutmose returns. She quickly discovers no one in her life is quite who they claim to be and is then propelled into a journey to save her life while trying to maintain peace in the city she loves. She’s not alone in this though, she has a group of women at her side to help her along the way.
This book starts off a bit slow but I believe that in this case it was crucial for character development. At no point did I accurately predict what was going to happen next and I am usually very good at that so this book was a very fun journey for me.
I’d love a prequel that goes further into the Wisewoman and how she became the powerful women she is.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I was so happy to receive this ARC as I love the books it was compared to and I've always been fascinated with Ancient Egypt. Overall, I think this is a really interesting read with some wonderful female characters and some great relationships. There is definitely a firm sense of place - in that it is easy to invoke the time period from the temples, beautifully wrought stone tombs, lotus-filled ponds, and the shining blue ribbon of the Nile. Even Neferura stands out as an interesting young woman coming into her own and trying to navigate upheavals in power at court and those intrigues. There were quite a bit I enjoyed about the book, one of which was Hathor and her scorpions. It was really great to read about powerful women that existed outside of the typical power constructs of this time period, and that worked for a sense of 'greater good' for the average person, specifically women. This brings me also to the varied and fantastic relationships between women that exist in the story. The friendships were really meaningful and bright, and even the strained relationships felt natural.
With all the great aspects of the story, there were a few things that stood out to me that could have been molded a bit better into the story. For one, the pacing. Part 1 of the book feels very slow and at times, the writing and dialogue felt more akin to YA readership or even coming-of-age. Neferura is very naive and ignorant, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it creates a very slow reading experience. I do wish it was emphasized more that Neferura as God's Wife truly believed in this religious experience and it was often painted as 'ignorance' but this was a religion that many, many people were devoted to so sometimes when it was depicted as just being ignorant it felt a bit wrong. Additionally, for several of the important friendships that Neferura had, we as readers are 'told' instead of shown why these women are so dedicated and loyal to Neferura and Part 1 could have been bolstered a bit more with action in this category. And lastly, the pacing speeds up exponentially in the second half of the book, in Part 2/3, and I think the mismatched pacing doesn't lend itself well to the story.
I think this is a delightful read about a powerful and interesting young woman that has existed in the shadows of history.
With all the great aspects of the story, there were a few things that stood out to me that could have been molded a bit better into the story. For one, the pacing. Part 1 of the book feels very slow and at times, the writing and dialogue felt more akin to YA readership or even coming-of-age. Neferura is very naive and ignorant, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it creates a very slow reading experience. I do wish it was emphasized more that Neferura as God's Wife truly believed in this religious experience and it was often painted as 'ignorance' but this was a religion that many, many people were devoted to so sometimes when it was depicted as just being ignorant it felt a bit wrong. Additionally, for several of the important friendships that Neferura had, we as readers are 'told' instead of shown why these women are so dedicated and loyal to Neferura and Part 1 could have been bolstered a bit more with action in this category. And lastly, the pacing speeds up exponentially in the second half of the book, in Part 2/3, and I think the mismatched pacing doesn't lend itself well to the story.
I think this is a delightful read about a powerful and interesting young woman that has existed in the shadows of history.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
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
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.5 stars.
Neferura is the daughter of female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, princess and high priestess of Kemet (as Egypt would have been known then). Neferura takes her duty to her people and to the gods seriously, as food production and other things depend on her, and her priestesses', careful devotion.
Hatshepsut's reign has been peaceful and prosperous, and she has plans for Neferura to become Pharoah after her. However, the Pharaoh's stepson, Thutmose, and Neferura's half-brother, has other plans. He was a spoiled, demanding, and cruel child, and has only grown worse, as is apparent now that he is back at court, and intent on thwarting Hatshepsut's plans. Neferura herself has no desire to become Pharaoh, but also does not think Thutmose understands what it means to rule, or appreciates the importance of her role as high priestess.
Thutmose begins actively plotting against and accusing Hatshepsut of the murder of his father, and Neferura becomes convinced that he must be stopped. She has heard of a tattooed wisewoman and her network of spies who work throughout the kingdom, and hopes to engage her help in stopping Thutmose. Hatshepsut repeatedly attempts to stop Thutmose also, but things just keep getting worse and more dire for Neferura and her.
Author Malayna Evans has clearly done a lot of research on ancient Egypt. The lives of these privileged women is detailed, and I like how, though there is very little known about the actual Neferura, Evans crafts a credible portrait of a young, serious, devout woman who wants to do right by the gods and her country, but is not interested in doing so as a pharaoh. Rather, she is happy as the high priestess, and has a sometimes prickly, sometimes caring, but always difficult relationship with her powerful mother Hatshepsut.
Thutmose comes off as a pretty terrible person, unconcerned about the many he tramples or kills in his bid for power. Interestingly, though there was a practice at the time of siblings marrying one another amongst the powerful, and there is no proof that the real Neferura married Thutmose, in this story Evans speculates that Neferura had no choice but to marry her half-bother to maintain peace.
I liked how the author's knowledge of the time period was apparent, and she does do a good job of characterizing Neferura and the political intrigue surrounding her, I found the prose to be a little dry, however, even as I liked how carefully Evans built the situation's stakes. I liked how Neferura starts out totally naïve and constantly pushed and pulled between her powerful mother and nasty half-bother, but she gradually begins to find her voice, and a way to deal with the conflict around her. I particularly liked how the author wrapped up Neferura's story, leaving her in a very interesting and differently powerful position in Kemet.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Neferura is the daughter of female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, princess and high priestess of Kemet (as Egypt would have been known then). Neferura takes her duty to her people and to the gods seriously, as food production and other things depend on her, and her priestesses', careful devotion.
Hatshepsut's reign has been peaceful and prosperous, and she has plans for Neferura to become Pharoah after her. However, the Pharaoh's stepson, Thutmose, and Neferura's half-brother, has other plans. He was a spoiled, demanding, and cruel child, and has only grown worse, as is apparent now that he is back at court, and intent on thwarting Hatshepsut's plans. Neferura herself has no desire to become Pharaoh, but also does not think Thutmose understands what it means to rule, or appreciates the importance of her role as high priestess.
Thutmose begins actively plotting against and accusing Hatshepsut of the murder of his father, and Neferura becomes convinced that he must be stopped. She has heard of a tattooed wisewoman and her network of spies who work throughout the kingdom, and hopes to engage her help in stopping Thutmose. Hatshepsut repeatedly attempts to stop Thutmose also, but things just keep getting worse and more dire for Neferura and her.
Author Malayna Evans has clearly done a lot of research on ancient Egypt. The lives of these privileged women is detailed, and I like how, though there is very little known about the actual Neferura, Evans crafts a credible portrait of a young, serious, devout woman who wants to do right by the gods and her country, but is not interested in doing so as a pharaoh. Rather, she is happy as the high priestess, and has a sometimes prickly, sometimes caring, but always difficult relationship with her powerful mother Hatshepsut.
Thutmose comes off as a pretty terrible person, unconcerned about the many he tramples or kills in his bid for power. Interestingly, though there was a practice at the time of siblings marrying one another amongst the powerful, and there is no proof that the real Neferura married Thutmose, in this story Evans speculates that Neferura had no choice but to marry her half-bother to maintain peace.
I liked how the author's knowledge of the time period was apparent, and she does do a good job of characterizing Neferura and the political intrigue surrounding her, I found the prose to be a little dry, however, even as I liked how carefully Evans built the situation's stakes. I liked how Neferura starts out totally naïve and constantly pushed and pulled between her powerful mother and nasty half-bother, but she gradually begins to find her voice, and a way to deal with the conflict around her. I particularly liked how the author wrapped up Neferura's story, leaving her in a very interesting and differently powerful position in Kemet.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC in exchange for my review.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The pace of this story was confusing. It felt like nothing had happened yet suddenly I was 80% of the way through the book. Ending felt rushed, even though I was pretty ready for it to be over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Pregnancy
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Animal death