Nefertiti

NEFERTITI

By:  Michelle Moran

FIRST SENTENCE

“When the sun set over Thebes, splaying its last rays over the limestone cliffs, we walked in a long procession across the sand.”

SUMMARY

from goodreads

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries.  Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh.  It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people but fails to see that powerful priests are plotting against her husband’s rule.  The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet into a dangerous political game; one that could cost her everything she holds dear.

REVIEW

I had another book in my hand at the bookstore when I spotted Nefertiti on the shelf.  Sure enough, I switched them out and Nefertiti was MINE.  As you can probably guess, I started reading on the car ride home.

I don’t usually spend much time comparing books in my reviews, but it makes sense this time.  In Sphinx’s Princess, Nefertiti did not flaunt her beauty.  In this book, however, she was portrayed as a conceited girl who liked to show off.  I did not much care for that.  She even had someone paint pictures of her all over the city!  Sphinx’s Princess was told from Nefertiti’s point-of-view, while this book was told from her sister, Mutnodjmet’s point-of-view.  It was a nice change-of-pace.

Mutnodjmet was a likeable character and I felt bad that she was pretty much enslaved by Nefertiti.  Since Nefertiti did not want her sister to marry, Mutnodjmet became her chief lady.  As chief lady, she helped take care of Nefertiti’s day-to-day needs.  Mutnodjmet wanted more out of life and Nefertiti finally let her get married.  I was happy that she was finally able to live her dream.

It was interesting to learn about the lives of the ancient royal Egyptians.  They tended to have large families (Nefertiti had six daughters) and they also were known to marry family members like cousins.

Don’t you just love when an author paints the setting in such a way that you feel like you are right there in the action?  Well, that is what you’ll feel if you read this book.  I could picture every scene in my mind.  So cool.

RATING

5        Plot

3        Characters

5        Attention Grabbing

4        Girlie Meter

5        Ending

22      TOTAL

5        STARS

Melina