The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

February 1, 2025

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Charlotte Cross is an assistant curator for the Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum. For 15 years, she has spent her days cleaning up after the head curator, heading off problems that he regularly creates (and enjoys doing). Now she believes she has discovered information that overturns his work. But getting the necessary proof requires her to return to Egypt, where she suffered a tragedy 40 years earlier.

Although I have enjoyed several of the author's other books (The Dollhouse, The Address), I didn't care for this one as much. Too much drama, everything like an overwrought soap opera. A lot of the things that happened were completely outlandish (like a waitress with no experience landing a job as assistant to a major designer for the social event of the year). I know I'm in the minority here, since so many readers have given it rave reviews. I hope Fiona Davis' next book is better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

An example of an ancient Eqyptian collar piece like the one featured in the book

Neferura by Malayna Evans

October 2, 2023

Neferura by Malayna Evans

Neferura is the daughter of the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Tutmose II. Her half-brother Tutmose III is co-ruler with Hatshepsut and hates her for a variety of reasons. Tutmose III is the son of one of Tutmose II's concubines, so to solidify his claim to the throne, he marries Neferura in order to produce legitimate offspring. Neferura fears that once he has an heir, Tutmose III will have no further use for her and will have her killed. She decides to save her own life with the help of a group of strong and talented women.

Very little is known about Neferura's life: she was the only known offspring of Hatshepsut, she was the high priestess of Amun (known as the god's wife of Amun), one of her tutors was a court official named Senenmut, and her name appears in a royal cartouche, indicating that she may have been a queen. She may or may not have been married to Tutmose III and they may or may not have had a child. Ancient Egyptian royals traditionally married their siblings to keep the dynasty in the family. Sometimes it was a symbolic marriage, sometimes it was a consummated marriage (Hatshepsut and Tutmose II were sister and brother). This is almost pure fiction, especially the "and they all lived happily ever after" ending, but readers who like strong women characters and want a happy ending will enjoy it.

(About 20 years after Hatshepsut's death, an organized attempt was made to erase her name and her reign from the historical record, probably by Tutmose III's son and co-regent Amenhotep II. For a long time, historians believed that Tutmose III was responsible, but he wouldn't have waited until 20 years after her death. It most likely wasn't personal but political, since Amenhotep II was not related to Hatshepsut and may have wanted to emphasize his legitimate claim to the throne.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of a number of surviving statures of Senenmut and Neferura