In her adult fiction debut, Evans, author of middle-grade series “The Egyptified Joneses,” uses her Egyptology background to tell the almost-unknown fictionalized story of Hatshepsut’s daughter at the height of ancient Egyptian civilization. A split between the famous woman pharaoh Hatshepsut and her stepson/co-pharaoh Thutmose leads to court intrigue, politics, and espionage, which Hatshepsut’s daughter Neferura gets involved in as she tries to make her own path between the two powerful figures. Part coming-of-age story, part political period drama, the novel bear accurate and interesting politics and historical details, while Hatshepsut’s personal journey is compelling enough to draw in readers who may be leery about such a long-ago time period.
VERDICT The combination of court intrigue, a light romance, and a feminist focus means that YA readers looking to jump up to adult novels will find this an accessible read, while historical-fiction fans who miss the heyday of royal novels full of court intrigue will be glad to see this book amid the sea of World War II–set fiction.
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