gooberdawn's review against another edition
4.0
The characters in Elizabeth Peters books are just wonderful. Each character has a tenacious and colorful personality which adds true vigor & vitality to each & every story by this author. LOVE THEM. If you like Indiana Jones, you will LOVE these books.
ewil6681's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
redhairedashreads's review
4.0
4 stars - It was really good
It’s 1907 and Amelia Peabody is participating in the Suffrage movement and preparing for another season in Egypt. While Amelia thinks this season in Egypt will be a boring one, fate decides to change that by bringing back an old enemy, the Master Criminal.
I really enjoyed this adventure in Egypt. When the book starts with Amelia being determined to chain herself to a fence for the suffrage movement I knew it was going to be a good story. The Emerson family really knows how to keep things lively and we see all kinds of hijinks happening in this one. We have kidnappings, a royal tomb, stolen artifacts, jealous enemies, and a surprise couple.
I think part of why I enjoyed this book so much is that we are finally getting Nefret, David, and Ramses POV’s. While I didn’t really enjoy Ramses or Nefret in the early books, they have really become great characters that I want to know more about. I am extremely interested in seeing how David’s situation plays out, which hopefully will be in the next book. Also I am very invested in Ramses and Nefret’s relationship and can’t wait to see how that will work.
This book sees the return of the Master Criminal, aka Sethos, who was presumed dead for the past few stories. I was kind of glad we saw the return of this villain because I thought his “death” was a bit too easy. Sethos continues to be a mastermind of disguises and I look forward to seeing him cause havoc in future books.
Overall, this was another wonderful adventure in Egypt with the Emersons. While it did have some heartbreaking parts, this book continued to show the strength of this family and the strong love they share. I can’t wait to see what happens next for them. Also, Barbara Rosnblat’s narration is gold and really brings these characters to life.
Trigger Warnings: kidnapping; torture; misogyny; death; racism; death of a friend; grief
issyjanejane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
Another fine Amelia Peabody mystery. Our library weeded half the titles in the series, so I had to read an e-book, but the inconvenience was worth it.
ccqtpie's review against another edition
5.0
Oh man was this a busy one.
NOOOOOO ABDULLAH:(((((( you will be sorely missed
NOOOOOO ABDULLAH:(((((( you will be sorely missed
sjgochenour's review against another edition
3.0
Also known as "the one where David and Lia fall in love (yay!) and Abdullah dies (boo)."
I think Peters was doing something rather interesting and worthwhile in this book, by forcing Peabody, who prides herself on her progressive thinking, to confront (some of) her own deeply-embedded racial prejudices. That being said, the conflict of an Egyptian man marrying into the family (who is, of course, fully Anglicized by this point) never fully drags into the light a bunch of relevant questions about how close any two families (the Emersons and the family of Abdullah) can be when one has significant financial and institutional power over the other.
I don't think it was the move to make Abdullah die for Peabody to convince her of his grandson's eminent worthiness. I don't exactly take issue with his death, because I do think it was in keeping with his character to desperately wish to avoid the suffering and lack of autonomy that would likely attend his final years. (Ableist? Yes, but consistent with how many men whose identity rests in their ability to do skilled physical labor struggle with despair as they lose their strength and dexterity.) I do think the implications of it needing to be for the sake of a white woman, even a friend, is depressing.
While I enjoy the camaraderie of David, Ramses, and Nefret, I find Ramses' unrequited love for Nefret exasperating. Believable, certainly, but not particularly enjoyable for me to read. I think Lia has the right of it -- Nefret and Ramses are great characters, but David is definitely the best at being a functioning adult human among the three of them.
ETA: also yikes this one has a bunch of weird stuff about sex workers in it. Victorian savior attitudes abound.
I think Peters was doing something rather interesting and worthwhile in this book, by forcing Peabody, who prides herself on her progressive thinking, to confront (some of) her own deeply-embedded racial prejudices. That being said, the conflict of an Egyptian man marrying into the family (who is, of course, fully Anglicized by this point) never fully drags into the light a bunch of relevant questions about how close any two families (the Emersons and the family of Abdullah) can be when one has significant financial and institutional power over the other.
I don't think it was the move to make Abdullah die for Peabody to convince her of his grandson's eminent worthiness. I don't exactly take issue with his death, because I do think it was in keeping with his character to desperately wish to avoid the suffering and lack of autonomy that would likely attend his final years. (Ableist? Yes, but consistent with how many men whose identity rests in their ability to do skilled physical labor struggle with despair as they lose their strength and dexterity.) I do think the implications of it needing to be for the sake of a white woman, even a friend, is depressing.
While I enjoy the camaraderie of David, Ramses, and Nefret, I find Ramses' unrequited love for Nefret exasperating. Believable, certainly, but not particularly enjoyable for me to read. I think Lia has the right of it -- Nefret and Ramses are great characters, but David is definitely the best at being a functioning adult human among the three of them.
ETA: also yikes this one has a bunch of weird stuff about sex workers in it. Victorian savior attitudes abound.
bookwrm526's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
elizafiedler's review against another edition
3.0
I keep hoping these would introduce some unexpected twists, but they're all very similar