jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have always been intrigued with Ancient Egypt and really wanted to love this book. It was really hard to do so because (1) the story of Nefertiti is told by her sister Mutnodjmet and (2) Nefertiti and her husband, Pharoah
Akhenaten, are both horrible people. Because of the narration, there's too much distance between the two
sisters.

The story opens when Nefertiti is 15 and Mutnodjmet is 13, and ends about sixteen years later at the end of Nefertiti’s reign. During that time we learn a lot about Egyptian architecture, art, clothing, food, and transportation, so the book is a wealth of information. The setting is absolutely fascinating and I loved reading about this culture that was a lot like our own. I just wish it'd been more enjoyable to read about the main characters.

I plan to read Moran's next two books, Heretic Queen, about Mutnodjmet's daughter Nefertari, and Cleopatra's Daughter, about what happened to Antony and Cleopatra's children after their parents committed suicide and they were taken to Rome.

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