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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This is a great addition to the mythology story pantheon. I love Egyptology and it was neat to see the gods and goddesses woven into everyday Egyptian life, along with romance, politics, and intrigue. There were some modern elements which felt *slightly* out of place but overall, I enjoyed this tale and would recommend it.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. “Neferura” comes out February 13th!
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. “Neferura” comes out February 13th!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC of Neferura for review. See below for my honest review of this historical fiction!
Neferura is a good read for those that enjoy Egyptian history and female empowerment. This follows the life of Neferura, the daughter of Hatshepsut. If you aren't familiar with Hatshepsut, I would recommend the Puppet History episode on Youtube about her as one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs!
My main struggle with getting through this was the pacing. It was kind of all over the place, with Part One being incredibly slow, and Part Three being so fast it barely felt like it existed at all. The "climax" was... underwhelming? It was very rushed, and then BAM, the book is just over.
I do think that the amount of female representation, especially in a historical context, should be applauded in itself. It is following in the trend of mythology retellings from female persepctives.
Other note, I think categorizing this as Sci-Fi / Fantasy is not okay. It is historical fiction, and that's it. There are no scifi or fantasy elements. So! Just keep that in mind.
Neferura is a good read for those that enjoy Egyptian history and female empowerment. This follows the life of Neferura, the daughter of Hatshepsut. If you aren't familiar with Hatshepsut, I would recommend the Puppet History episode on Youtube about her as one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs!
My main struggle with getting through this was the pacing. It was kind of all over the place, with Part One being incredibly slow, and Part Three being so fast it barely felt like it existed at all. The "climax" was... underwhelming? It was very rushed, and then BAM, the book is just over.
I do think that the amount of female representation, especially in a historical context, should be applauded in itself. It is following in the trend of mythology retellings from female persepctives.
Other note, I think categorizing this as Sci-Fi / Fantasy is not okay. It is historical fiction, and that's it. There are no scifi or fantasy elements. So! Just keep that in mind.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best history/ slight mythological book retellings around due to it's excellent mix of strategy, comprehension over source material and entertainment. It shines as a good first book to read when delving more into Egyptian historical fiction, as well as an opener for someone loves mythology but has not yet delved in to Egyptian mythology.
This is a solid 4.5 for me. I was blessed with being given an ARC of this for an honest review so here it is. The beginning felt rough and steep as we were just placed in the middle of a scene/moment right before turmoil and were fed tremendous amounts of information to make up for lack of background but it eventually smoothed over as the story went along. The writing was detailed and comprehensive as it also gave you the background of Egyptian Mythology and on what life and Egypt was like during her time. The tone of the writing felt suitable as it matched well with her personality, as someone who was born and raised a princess during a time when they were exalted and detached from the lives of your average human. Formality and comprehension didn't feel out of place as they seem to have melded well into the book due to these traits also being attributed to her.
There was no inconsistency within her characterizations. What the author claims to be who she is is also followed through in her actions, decisions, points of strategy. Her intelligence and attempts on seeing past what was taught naturally to her pervades through the story. The handling of women within power dynamics were something I was always cautious about as I have seen countless pieces of media either lay it on too thick by making her a girl boss who rejects femininity or turn them into femme fatales but I was pleased as I read through the story as all I saw were the different types of strengths women can hold, all equal to one another, and the women gaining strength, community and solace from one another in not necessarily traditionally masculine ways but in ways that were intelligent, strategic and natural to their individual person.
The story just felt detailed, well thought of and cared for. As a person who has no more than surface knowledge about Egyptian mythology and history, you could feel the respect the author held over the source materials . The story was riveting and entertaining as it wasn't necessarily predictable and it held a great balance between drama and accuracy.
This is a solid 4.5 for me. I was blessed with being given an ARC of this for an honest review so here it is. The beginning felt rough and steep as we were just placed in the middle of a scene/moment right before turmoil and were fed tremendous amounts of information to make up for lack of background but it eventually smoothed over as the story went along. The writing was detailed and comprehensive as it also gave you the background of Egyptian Mythology and on what life and Egypt was like during her time. The tone of the writing felt suitable as it matched well with her personality, as someone who was born and raised a princess during a time when they were exalted and detached from the lives of your average human. Formality and comprehension didn't feel out of place as they seem to have melded well into the book due to these traits also being attributed to her.
There was no inconsistency within her characterizations. What the author claims to be who she is is also followed through in her actions, decisions, points of strategy. Her intelligence and attempts on seeing past what was taught naturally to her pervades through the story. The handling of women within power dynamics were something I was always cautious about as I have seen countless pieces of media either lay it on too thick by making her a girl boss who rejects femininity or turn them into femme fatales but I was pleased as I read through the story as all I saw were the different types of strengths women can hold, all equal to one another, and the women gaining strength, community and solace from one another in not necessarily traditionally masculine ways but in ways that were intelligent, strategic and natural to their individual person.
The story just felt detailed, well thought of and cared for. As a person who has no more than surface knowledge about Egyptian mythology and history, you could feel the respect the author held over the source materials . The story was riveting and entertaining as it wasn't necessarily predictable and it held a great balance between drama and accuracy.
The first half was slow, though by the end, I was impressed with how much Neferura grew from a pawn to a player. The cultural background of both religion and place was well done. Evans' expertise in Egypt is apparent.
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes