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gbooks29 's review for:
The Heretic Queen
by Michelle Moran
I suppose the four star rating was a bit misleading. I initially really liked this book for its entertainment value. The book itself, when you look at the plot, the characters, ya know, the actual important stuff, it's pretty bad in this book. 2.5 Stars bad. Entertainment for a young teenager like myself? Sure. Good literature for an adult? Nope.
It tells the story of Nefertari, a queen consort to Pharoah Ramses II, who was known for his many wives and children (he had over a hundred). First of all, I really like the premise, because there is little of any fiction on this time period, as there is so little known about it. The names were hard to spell, much less pronounce, especially Nefertari's first son, it was, what was it? Amun-her-khepeshef. Geez, imagine that. The story itself is of her marriage to him, her rise in ranks in the society that deems her evil due to her heritage. There is one great scene when she tells her people to "weigh each heart equally". And from the mythology of the passing of the dead and the afterlife, that was touching and a really great scene. Also, the relationship between Ramses II and Nefertari was balanced, believable, though still stunned me that they married when she was like thirteen. Moving on...
So, what didn't I like? Ah, well. As much as the relationship between the two was fine, Nefertari herself and Ramses himself are dull characters. Ramses, I don't really learn anything about him besides that he loves her, and she seems to fit in the almost "Mary Sue" trope. And Isetnofret, or whatever her long name was, the second wife to Ramses? Gosh. Classic annoying villain. Granted, history knows absolutely nothing about her, only that she was the mother of the heir, so that left a lot of room for creativity. It is possible she and Nefertari were perfectly okay with the arrangement, or just hated the ground they both walked on, we don't really know. But if it had been the latter, as the novel depicts, I would have preferred it done differently. Her character is so cliche, like the step-sisters from Cinderella. One thing I did like was the side plot involving Ramses's father, and the high priest (screw names at this point). The plot, which like I said, revolves around Nefertari and Ramses, includes this rivalry with Iset about which of the girls can give birth to a son fast enough, made me uncomfortable. I suppose, in the times, it wasn't the biggest of the problems, I mean, some historians think Nefertari was a daughter of Seti, uh, making Ramses and Nefertari half-siblings, so, uh, yeah. Ah, well, the dynasty had to survive. Anyway, the story itself was enjoyable for all of its cliches, just bogged down by its flat characters.
I'd still read it again, though.
It tells the story of Nefertari, a queen consort to Pharoah Ramses II, who was known for his many wives and children (he had over a hundred). First of all, I really like the premise, because there is little of any fiction on this time period, as there is so little known about it. The names were hard to spell, much less pronounce, especially Nefertari's first son, it was, what was it? Amun-her-khepeshef. Geez, imagine that. The story itself is of her marriage to him, her rise in ranks in the society that deems her evil due to her heritage. There is one great scene when she tells her people to "weigh each heart equally". And from the mythology of the passing of the dead and the afterlife, that was touching and a really great scene. Also, the relationship between Ramses II and Nefertari was balanced, believable, though still stunned me that they married when she was like thirteen. Moving on...
So, what didn't I like? Ah, well. As much as the relationship between the two was fine, Nefertari herself and Ramses himself are dull characters. Ramses, I don't really learn anything about him besides that he loves her, and she seems to fit in the almost "Mary Sue" trope. And Isetnofret, or whatever her long name was, the second wife to Ramses? Gosh. Classic annoying villain. Granted, history knows absolutely nothing about her, only that she was the mother of the heir, so that left a lot of room for creativity. It is possible she and Nefertari were perfectly okay with the arrangement, or just hated the ground they both walked on, we don't really know. But if it had been the latter, as the novel depicts, I would have preferred it done differently. Her character is so cliche, like the step-sisters from Cinderella. One thing I did like was the side plot involving Ramses's father, and the high priest (screw names at this point). The plot, which like I said, revolves around Nefertari and Ramses, includes this rivalry with Iset about which of the girls can give birth to a son fast enough, made me uncomfortable. I suppose, in the times, it wasn't the biggest of the problems, I mean, some historians think Nefertari was a daughter of Seti, uh, making Ramses and Nefertari half-siblings, so, uh, yeah. Ah, well, the dynasty had to survive. Anyway, the story itself was enjoyable for all of its cliches, just bogged down by its flat characters.
I'd still read it again, though.