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crystalstarrlight 's review for:
The Sekhmet Bed
by Libbie Hawker, L.M. Ironside
Bullet Review:
It was...okay. The seemingly endless teenaged sister catfighting over a man was too much - I have little patience for this trite storytelling device. I also felt that the pace was way too uneven - the catfighting went on far too long, dragging down the story, and other times, we would zoom through history, not taking a moment for these characters to have time to establish themselves and for the surroundings to flesh themselves out.
I believe this is the author’s first novel, and it shows. That said, for a first attempt, this is commendable.
Full Review:
We open "The Skehmet Bed" with Ahmose, King's Daughter of Amunhotep, learning of her father's death and becoming the Great Wife to Thutmose I, the commoner general who succeeds Amunhotep (as Amunhotep did not have a son to make heir). However, her older sister, Mutnofret, is also made a secondary wife to Thutmose and thus begins a rivalry that lasts nearly the entire book as the two quibble over Thutmose's affections and who can provide the King with a son and heir.
This is a buddy reads I did with my dear friend, Iset, whose review you should definitely check out as well.
Ancient Egypt historical fiction is pretty sparse (at least in comparison to the more widely known Tudor and Regency eras of fiction), but personally, I find that a more intriguing premise than another take on Henry VIII and his many wives. There is so much more to explore - the world of the ancient BCE is so vastly different (and yet the same) as today, it really can challenge a reader's perceptions when Ancient Egyptian fiction is written well. This is what I found to be the case with Pauline Gedge's fantastic trilogy, "The Lords of Two Lands".
This is why I am somewhat disappointed at the end of "The Sekhmet Bed". There was such promise - telling the tale of a somewhat obscure (to the general public) cast of characters - and yet, I felt we never got to realize the full potential of the surroundings, the story and the characters.
I always dive into characters first in these reviews, as they are the tentpoles of a story. Well written characters can be let loose into a world and then we watch as their hopes and dreams and fears and dreads come to pass. (I'm reminded of Game of Thrones when I say this.) Our cast of characters in "The Sekhmet Bed" is startlingly small - really only Ahmose, Mutnofret and Thutmose (barely). If you really cast a broad net, you could include Nefertari, Meritamun, Twosre and Ineni, but the former two disappear from the story after a point and the latter two are props to talk about the Ahmose-Mutnofret-Thutmose conflict. The story is told exclusively from Ahmose's perspective, which I felt hampered the story. Ahmose is certainly no Mary Sue, but neither is she the most engaging character. Granted, she is a teenager for a good chunk of the book, but honestly, other than the endless bickering with her sister, Mutnofret, Ahmose isn't given a lot to do. This gets more into the pacing of the story itself, but honestly, her life goes by in leaps and bounds and I kept wanting the author to hold back the reigns and let us BE in the moment for longer than half a chapter. I don't understand the love she has for Thutmose - they are almost never seen together unless arguing. I want to see what she's working on when she's holding office or leading the temple in praises. Honestly, Ahmose felt like a super lonely woman, as she only really ever talks to Ineni and Twosre, characters that are only minimally fleshed out.
I can tell that the author tried hard to keep Mutnofret, Ahmose's sister and second wife to Thutmose, away from being yet another shrill, jealous catty woman. However...sometimes that worked, and sometimes, it just didn't. There are times when I wanted to slap Mutnofret and the way she treated Ahmose, her own flesh and blood - and then there were times, I 100% stood behind her. And then there's Thutmose, an enigma of a figure and the object of these women's bickering and desires. He goes away, he comes back...he makes promise to Ahmose and then when something bad happens to her, he doesn't listen. I was definitely not pleased with the end, an event that is overlooked far too quickly.
And before I forget, let's talk a bit about Hatshepsut. I must admit, I was a bit torqued off, not just at the endless bickering between Ahmose and Thutmose over making her the heir, but also how, once again, a powerful historical female leader has to be given male attributes in order to explain why she's a leader and not just another "simpering woman". Ahmose insists that Hatshepsut is a man soul in a woman's body and that's why Hatshepsut should be King. In the context of this book (whereupon the story of Hatshepsut's godly origins is real - kinda, unlike how in history, she devised this story to give her claim to the throne more credence), I suppose this makes sense, but it irritates me that the only way a woman can be shown to be a leader or someone of power is if she ascribes to male attributes - being a brat, adventurous, eschewing female things, running, playing outside, etc.
This book was about 350 pages according to my Kindle, and yet I feel the dichotomy of the book being too short and too long at the same time. The book flies through time as if there's a train to catch and there were many, many times I wanted to just sit back and let the characters play out, watch them develop, watch the love between Thutmose and Ahmose, live life in the palace, maybe even see Thutmose's campaigns (which would have been a GREAT change of pace from the bickering, bickering, bickering of these two women!). And yet, I also felt that the book just went on so long...yet another scene where Mutnofret wants the throne, another scene where words are passed about how Ahmose needs to have a child.
I know I've written a lot, and it seems super critical. The point is: there was a really good thread and promise of a story. There were some beautifully written portions, and I felt that the end was just a bit better than the beginning. Personally, if you cut out the catfighting and spent more time just living with these characters in this magnificent world, I think this story would improve 10 fold. Unlike many other historical novels, I think it treads the line of sounding not too modern (though the usage of "funny" at one point jolted me out), while being highly readable.
I have the Crook and Flail, so I'm hopeful it makes some improvements in the areas I mention. Again, to be 100% clear, this isn't a terrible book by any means, and if this is Hawker's first book, I commend her on it as well as the copious research she did (I love the author's note!).
It was...okay. The seemingly endless teenaged sister catfighting over a man was too much - I have little patience for this trite storytelling device. I also felt that the pace was way too uneven - the catfighting went on far too long, dragging down the story, and other times, we would zoom through history, not taking a moment for these characters to have time to establish themselves and for the surroundings to flesh themselves out.
I believe this is the author’s first novel, and it shows. That said, for a first attempt, this is commendable.
Full Review:
We open "The Skehmet Bed" with Ahmose, King's Daughter of Amunhotep, learning of her father's death and becoming the Great Wife to Thutmose I, the commoner general who succeeds Amunhotep (as Amunhotep did not have a son to make heir). However, her older sister, Mutnofret, is also made a secondary wife to Thutmose and thus begins a rivalry that lasts nearly the entire book as the two quibble over Thutmose's affections and who can provide the King with a son and heir.
This is a buddy reads I did with my dear friend, Iset, whose review you should definitely check out as well.
Ancient Egypt historical fiction is pretty sparse (at least in comparison to the more widely known Tudor and Regency eras of fiction), but personally, I find that a more intriguing premise than another take on Henry VIII and his many wives. There is so much more to explore - the world of the ancient BCE is so vastly different (and yet the same) as today, it really can challenge a reader's perceptions when Ancient Egyptian fiction is written well. This is what I found to be the case with Pauline Gedge's fantastic trilogy, "The Lords of Two Lands".
This is why I am somewhat disappointed at the end of "The Sekhmet Bed". There was such promise - telling the tale of a somewhat obscure (to the general public) cast of characters - and yet, I felt we never got to realize the full potential of the surroundings, the story and the characters.
I always dive into characters first in these reviews, as they are the tentpoles of a story. Well written characters can be let loose into a world and then we watch as their hopes and dreams and fears and dreads come to pass. (I'm reminded of Game of Thrones when I say this.) Our cast of characters in "The Sekhmet Bed" is startlingly small - really only Ahmose, Mutnofret and Thutmose (barely). If you really cast a broad net, you could include Nefertari, Meritamun, Twosre and Ineni, but the former two disappear from the story after a point and the latter two are props to talk about the Ahmose-Mutnofret-Thutmose conflict. The story is told exclusively from Ahmose's perspective, which I felt hampered the story. Ahmose is certainly no Mary Sue, but neither is she the most engaging character. Granted, she is a teenager for a good chunk of the book, but honestly, other than the endless bickering with her sister, Mutnofret, Ahmose isn't given a lot to do. This gets more into the pacing of the story itself, but honestly, her life goes by in leaps and bounds and I kept wanting the author to hold back the reigns and let us BE in the moment for longer than half a chapter. I don't understand the love she has for Thutmose - they are almost never seen together unless arguing. I want to see what she's working on when she's holding office or leading the temple in praises. Honestly, Ahmose felt like a super lonely woman, as she only really ever talks to Ineni and Twosre, characters that are only minimally fleshed out.
I can tell that the author tried hard to keep Mutnofret, Ahmose's sister and second wife to Thutmose, away from being yet another shrill, jealous catty woman. However...sometimes that worked, and sometimes, it just didn't. There are times when I wanted to slap Mutnofret and the way she treated Ahmose, her own flesh and blood - and then there were times, I 100% stood behind her. And then there's Thutmose, an enigma of a figure and the object of these women's bickering and desires. He goes away, he comes back...he makes promise to Ahmose and then when something bad happens to her, he doesn't listen. I was definitely not pleased with the end
Spoiler
when he sexually assaults AhmoseAnd before I forget, let's talk a bit about Hatshepsut. I must admit, I was a bit torqued off, not just at the endless bickering between Ahmose and Thutmose over making her the heir, but also how, once again, a powerful historical female leader has to be given male attributes in order to explain why she's a leader and not just another "simpering woman". Ahmose insists that Hatshepsut is a man soul in a woman's body and that's why Hatshepsut should be King. In the context of this book (whereupon the story of Hatshepsut's godly origins is real - kinda, unlike how in history, she devised this story to give her claim to the throne more credence), I suppose this makes sense, but it irritates me that the only way a woman can be shown to be a leader or someone of power is if she ascribes to male attributes - being a brat, adventurous, eschewing female things, running, playing outside, etc.
This book was about 350 pages according to my Kindle, and yet I feel the dichotomy of the book being too short and too long at the same time. The book flies through time as if there's a train to catch and there were many, many times I wanted to just sit back and let the characters play out, watch them develop, watch the love between Thutmose and Ahmose, live life in the palace, maybe even see Thutmose's campaigns (which would have been a GREAT change of pace from the bickering, bickering, bickering of these two women!). And yet, I also felt that the book just went on so long...yet another scene where Mutnofret wants the throne, another scene where words are passed about how Ahmose needs to have a child.
I know I've written a lot, and it seems super critical. The point is: there was a really good thread and promise of a story. There were some beautifully written portions, and I felt that the end was just a bit better than the beginning
Spoiler
though why Ahmose and Mutnofret are suddenly totes okay with each other isn't clear to meI have the Crook and Flail, so I'm hopeful it makes some improvements in the areas I mention. Again, to be 100% clear, this isn't a terrible book by any means, and if this is Hawker's first book, I commend her on it as well as the copious research she did (I love the author's note!).