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brightbelladonna22 's review for:
Neferura
by Malayna Evans
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into Neferura with such high hopes. I mean, a story about the daughter of two pharaohs seemed incredibly intriguing and the first line -- "in the end, everyone's heart will be weighed" -- captivated me. I like the first-person narration and I loved the historical details. I was not at all surprised, when I got to the end, to read that Malayna Evans is an Egyptologist, because everything from the kohl that Hapshetsut wears down to the medicine woman's remedies that Neferura and her friend find is absolutely spot-on.
So the historical part was a huge love. I also loved the Scorpions and Hathor, the shadowy female figures helping Neferura in her quest to ensure brother Thutmose does not take the throne. The mystery and the politics of it all was wonderful, and I loved seeing strong female friendships. So, I was hooked until midway through the book, when things took a turn for the "oh no arranged marriage."
I think (like with Ellen Alpsten's Tsarina) that this may be a case of right book, wrong reader when it comes to the second half, because it was very well done, but just not my cup of tea. If you are a fan of fictionalized retellings of lesser-known historical women who end up in miserable marriages but ultimately (spoiler) survive their horrible husbands, the second half will definitely be for you. For me, I just felt that Neferura ended up having little agency and power in Act 3 and it really erased all of the character growth that she had previously had. I enjoyed the epilogue, but felt I was skimming pages of misery to get to it.
Thank you to NetGalley, SourceBooks Landmark, and Malayna Evans for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
So the historical part was a huge love. I also loved the Scorpions and Hathor, the shadowy female figures helping Neferura in her quest to ensure brother Thutmose does not take the throne. The mystery and the politics of it all was wonderful, and I loved seeing strong female friendships. So, I was hooked until midway through the book, when things took a turn for the "oh no arranged marriage."
I think (like with Ellen Alpsten's Tsarina) that this may be a case of right book, wrong reader when it comes to the second half, because it was very well done, but just not my cup of tea. If you are a fan of fictionalized retellings of lesser-known historical women who end up in miserable marriages but ultimately (spoiler) survive their horrible husbands, the second half will definitely be for you. For me, I just felt that Neferura ended up having little agency and power in Act 3 and it really erased all of the character growth that she had previously had. I enjoyed the epilogue, but felt I was skimming pages of misery to get to it.
Thank you to NetGalley, SourceBooks Landmark, and Malayna Evans for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!