Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by proudtobeabookaholic
Lady Clementine and the Tears of Hathor by Camilla Taipalvesi
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
When Lady Clementine Whitham gets the news that her father’s disappeared at an archaeological dig in Egypt she immidiately wants to go there to search for him. Of course that's not suitable for young ladies in the Victorian era and her aunt is planning to marry her off to a proper suitor. But Clementine isn't one to give up easily and she manages to get the Queen on her side. Together with her father’s assistant, the enigmatic Mr William Hunt, she's soon off on a grand adventure.
I love tough female protagonists and Clementine is certainly one! She doesn't always behave appropriate for the time she's living in and I think it's rather cool that she's training martial art. I got to learn something new as well: tessenjutsu - to fight with a (war) fan. I love to watch documentaries about ancient Egypt and archaeology, and with the author's excellent descriptions I felt like I was on site with the characters.
Taipalvesi has been inspired by The Mummy and Indiana Jones (favorites here too!) and it shows, but I also get some Agatha Christie and Mission Impossible (the old series, not the movies with Tom Cruise) vibes. This book contains a lot of things I like, so maybe it's not a surprise that I enjoyed it. But even if the ingredients are "right" it's essential that the execution is good as well. Since I read a lot of indie authors I know this can sometimes be lacking, but that's not a problem here.
If I have to complain about something it's that Clementine blushes a lot. I understand that it's to show her inexperience with men and romance, but it still gets a bit tiresome. A few times I also felt written "on the nose", but these are both minor issues.
There's a lot more I could write about this book, but it would be revealing too much. If you like historical fantasy (not so much fantasy elements yet, but there will be), a kick-ass female character, some plot twists, and a slow burn romance with fun banter you should try this!
* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *
I love tough female protagonists and Clementine is certainly one! She doesn't always behave appropriate for the time she's living in and I think it's rather cool that she's training martial art. I got to learn something new as well: tessenjutsu - to fight with a (war) fan. I love to watch documentaries about ancient Egypt and archaeology, and with the author's excellent descriptions I felt like I was on site with the characters.
Taipalvesi has been inspired by The Mummy and Indiana Jones (favorites here too!) and it shows, but I also get some Agatha Christie and Mission Impossible (the old series, not the movies with Tom Cruise) vibes. This book contains a lot of things I like, so maybe it's not a surprise that I enjoyed it. But even if the ingredients are "right" it's essential that the execution is good as well. Since I read a lot of indie authors I know this can sometimes be lacking, but that's not a problem here.
If I have to complain about something it's that Clementine blushes a lot. I understand that it's to show her inexperience with men and romance, but it still gets a bit tiresome. A few times I also felt written "on the nose", but these are both minor issues.
There's a lot more I could write about this book, but it would be revealing too much. If you like historical fantasy (not so much fantasy elements yet, but there will be), a kick-ass female character, some plot twists, and a slow burn romance with fun banter you should try this!
* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation