Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

April 27, 2026

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

Lady Evelyn Herbert, daughter of Lord Carnarvon, was as fascinated by ancient Egypt as her father was. She accompanied him on a number of archaeological digs in Egypt, but while her father was searching for treasure, Eve was secretly looking for the tomb of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh, who was virtually erased from history.

Historical fiction about two almost unknown women, one from the pharaonic dynasty in the 15th century BCE, the other from an aristocratic English family in the 1920s. The two women have a lot in common, trying to carve out a non-traditional place for themselves in their male-dominated worlds. While there is no answer to the mystery of why Hatshepsut was practically erased from history, the author puts forward a unique solution. But the story isn't only about the roles of women. Benedict also delves into colonial politics, describing Egypt's drive for self-government in the 1920s, striving to get out from under the fist of British rule. She also ponders the question of who has the right to artifacts found in excavated tombs, the people who financed the excavations or the people of Egypt. Her archaeologists point out that if it wasn't for the Europeans excavating the tombs, the Egyptian government was content to let the tombs molder away and for tomb robbers to slowly steal all the treasure. Recommended for fans of historical fiction or ancient Egypt.

Hatshepsut's mummy was actually discovered by Howard Carter when he was searching for the tomb of Tutankhamum. When he found the mummy, Carter believed it to be unimportant and left it where it was found. The mummy was identified as Hatshepsut in 2007 by Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass when a tooth that had been stored in a royal treasure box and labeled as belonging to Hatshepsut was proven to match the mummy's skull. Hatshepsut was found with her royal wetnurse and lifelong servant Sitre-In.

Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, one of the largest temples in the Valley of the Kings

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