An interesting read that was compelling and shared some new things to me. Well written and I enjoyed it.
Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley.

The beginning of this book focuses too much on the author couple, instead of Egypt’s Golden Couple. It felt like they wanted to write a memoir, but they weren’t able to get one published so they stuck their story in with this book.

This book was such a cool and unique read. It focuses on Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the parents of the well known pharaoh Tutankhamun, and their reign in Ancient Egypt. I love reading about ancient Egyptian history and found the authors' writing in this particular book to be easy to understand and very descriptive. The rule of Akhenaten and Nefertiti had many important effects on ancient Egyptian society, including the transformation of Egyptian solar worship and the joining of religion and politics. I feel as though I learned a lot about not just Akhenaten and Nefertit but ancient Egyptian society and history as well. All I really knew about these two figures prior to reading this book was that they were very well known Egyptian pharaohs, but I learned that they actually had a huge impact on ancient Egyptian society. This book is very informative and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Catching up on an older arc…beautifully written and well researched the novel delves into the royal marriage of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. I learned so much! My only suggestion would be to add some maps and illustrations to assist the reader with putting all of the characters and places together.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartin’sPress, #JohnDarnell, #ColleenDarnell and #Egypt’sGoldenCouple for the electronic copy for my honest review.

If you've ever been fascinated by ancient Egypt, "Egypt's Golden Couple" is a must-read. John and Colleen Darnell's meticulous exploration of Akhenaten and Nefertiti's reign is both fun and enlightening.

The book transcends the boundaries of traditional historical narratives, weaving together intrigue, suspense, and scholarly insight. From the drama of court politics to the religious upheavals of the time, you'll be able to picture the world of ancient Egypt. While the book delves deep into the nuances of Akhenaten and Nefertiti's reign, it also serves as a gateway to broader discussions about Egyptian civilization.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Love Egyptian history so this was really interesting. Not something I knew much about before, so I enjoyed learning more about Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

Book Review

I will read anything that has to do with ancient Egypt and/or archaeology in that area. When I received a copy of “Egypt’s Golden Couple” from NetGalley, I couldn’t have been more excited to read it and learn more about Akhenaten and Nefertiti‘s reign in Egypt.

It was so fun to learn things about topics you think you already know a lot about (who knew King Tut had so many sisters 🤷🏼‍♀️). It was quite interesting to learn how that King X broke with years of religious tradition and change the religion from a multi God to a single God version. (Oh and become that God too BTW- 🤔)

It’s unfortunate that most of the writings and documentation from this period has been destroyed by subsequent Pharaohs. I can’t even begin to think about all of the history we have lost.

I will actually be going to Egypt in a little over a week. It’s a trip of a lifetime that I’ve been dreaming of do for so long. Reading this and knowing that I will actually be able to see some of the locations identified in this book, created a more exciting reading experience. I can’t wait to actually walk in the footsteps of these “Gods” who once walked this earth. 👣

Egypt's Golden Couple is a non-fiction book about the Pharoah Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti and their reign during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, around 3000 years ago. Interspersed with fictionalized scenes based on historical interpretations the authors do an excellent job of bring these two people to life, especially since Akhenaten's reign was considered quite heretical and there was a good attempt at erasing him from the list of rulers. I really enjoyed how the authors, themselves archaeologists, are showing that over time there is an increasing amount of finds relating to Akhenaten and Nefertiti which change what we know and believe about their rule, while still noting that the bulk of the historical record is missing. The way they interspersed some fictionalized scenes with the straight history, including explaining the basis for the fictionalizations (tomb art, carvings, figurines, monuments) both humanizes the couple while making for interesting reading. Overall a good addition to any ancient Egyptian readings.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free e-book.

This book gave an in-depth look at King Tut's parents. I know very little about Egyptian history, although I'd certainly heard of Nefertiti - and this book was a good way to learn more about both. I liked that the authors presented both views of Akhenaten. Was he a religious man who got rid of the corrupt priests and presented a monotheist vision to his people? Or was he an amoral dictator? I guess we can't know for sure, but the evidence was interesting to examine.

Much of the description was very visual and the authors did a good job describing things. I would have loved to see pictures of everything (although some of what they described no longer exists).

I did not finish this book. I found it boring and confusing and as I have no understanding of the subject matter, it did not educate me either on the subject.

This was an intriguing interpretation by the Darnell's. Having known of them from their social media platforms it was easy for me to realize this was an interpretation of their findings, and to sort of "go with the flow" of their narrative style. It kept me interested and curious, and their desire to make these historical figures and places feel alive worked so well that I found my imagination following along. That said, there were some moments where I felt it was too "fictionalized", or perhaps dramatized, and I felt like I was being told the Darnell version of an old legend. But overall the read was engaging.

There is a lot to this book. It is clear that the authors are versed in the topic and thoroughly researched and included that in this book. Ancient Egypt is a fascinating topic, and this book brings that fascination to the forefront with lots of information and interesting discussions. I didn't much care for the imagined additions, but I can see how this helps reach nonacademic readers and broadens the marketable scope of the work.

This book really is for anyone interested in Egyptology. The writing is easy to follow, full of insightful information, and has a wide appeal.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's for the DRC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was excellent about Ancient Egypt's most famous couple and the importance of Egyptian history. Well written and reads like a story, instead of a book with paragraphs of dates and facts.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, John and Colleen Darnell and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Already available.

Egypt’s Golden Couple by John and Colleen Darnell is an adventurous escape into the history of the reigns of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Starting their history with the reigns of Akhenaten’s predecessors, the authors show how the traditional religion and culture of Egypt changed radically, though not inevitably. Right from the start of the book, the authors divide the chapters between historical findings and data, with additional vignettes they constructed to be understood from the perspective of the pharaohs or the people. In presenting the information this way, the authors attempt to immerse readers in the progression that Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s lives took. They emphasize not only what Akhenaten did, and what he changed, but who influenced him, what he lived through as a child, and what his father did before him that may have planted the seeds of new ideas within him. They aren’t just history, they were living people, and their minutest decisions and changes of thought led to a religious rebirth.

The book was very engagingly written. Regular shifts from recounted history to narrative depictions help this be a more accessible book for readers. It’s not just narrative, it’s not just history, it’s a blend that causes the reader to consider the ancient figures as more than just ideas, but as humans who acted. And although they explore many people and places, it was easy not to get lost in the flurry because of the clear writing style and the constant review they provide of the different persons who appear in the histories. This book provides a depth that makes history understandable, makes it come alive.

Great intro to a fascinating royal couple. Gets in depth enough on issues to be interesting, but not so much that it looses non-experts. I really appreciated the theme throughout of looking at multiple interpretations of the info at hand, and giving a glimpse into academic disagreements/factions. Rather than just narrative, there is a lot of explanation of how/why we know (or hypothesize) what we know, which is my favorite part of any pop history book.

Many people may not know much about Egyptian history, but this book is a great place to start. Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth by John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Manassa Darnell have put much research into this segment of Egyptian history and made the time period come alive. The book tells the story of Nefertiti and Akhenaten and their rise as the golden couple. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this piece of history and appreciated all of the research that went into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of this fascinating book!

This was a truly fascinating book that explores history I’ve never really learned about. Everyone knows King Tut, but this book dives into the lives and reign of his parents—Akhenaten and Nefertiti!

While the information here is truly impressive and very interesting, it’s very dense. It’s organized pretty much linearly, which is fine, but I think there could have been a bit more breaking down of different topics to help readers sift through it all.

This one is for the history nerds!! It was marketed as this epic, adventurous exploration of the couple, but it is really a compilation of facts, archaeology, and history, with a few recreations or demonstrations of what life might have looked like.

I really wanted to like this book. I have read a lot about Akhenaten in the past and thought this would give me more insight. I have been to Egypt twice, once in the 1970's and again after 2000. I have had the opportunity to visit historic sites. I have read more recent works that concern Egypt. But I just couldn't do it.

I started reading this book last summer. I would read a bit and then put it down. I finally finished during the winter months.

This is an excellent book for someone who has a deep-seated love for all things Egypt, but for someone like me, who has a more casual in interest, it is just too much.

One thing I found interesting is how the pharaoh was seen to become a god. I won't go into that here because it is X-rated in my opinion and I would hope that this review would be family friendly. The relations described are similar to what is found in some form of demon worship. I had never considered that as why a pharaoh was considered a deity.

I love anything regarding ancient Egypt. This book delivered just the right amount of nonfiction in a way that was accessible and, at times, read as fiction. The first few chapters were full of imagery and set the tone nicely for the rest of the book. The author is enthusiastic about this subject matter and researched it well. I appreciate that the author broke down how to read some hieroglyphs for the reader, as it was enjoyable to be engrossed in the writing and subject matter.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a leisurely read on Egypt and two of the most famous rulers of that period.


I received a copy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley.

As a long-time devotee of all things ancient Egypt, I absolutely loved this book.

John Darnell and Colleen Darnell do an excellent job of making more complex archaeological concepts accessible to a general audience, though I would still hazard to say that even I struggled to follow at times with some of the minutiae. However, this was far outweighed by the fact that the opening narrative of each chapter provided a first-class look into the ancient past.

It is abundantly clear how passionate the authors are about the work they do and the care with which they approach it, but it is also equally clear that they are aware of their privileged position in the archaeological work in ancient Egypt as white folks. They repeatedly point to their Egyptian counterparts and give them credit when due, which is a far departure from the archaeology of past eras. It was an attitude that I appreciated immensely, especially in a time when so many nations who were the subject of imperialistic taking of historical artifacts struggle to have those artifacts returned. This, again, was a school of thought that the authors explicitly addressed.

I also appreciated how the authors routinely pushed back against outdated narratives and went to pains to outline their thought process in coming to new conclusions that (one hopes) are truer to the ancient truth. They also made a point of acknowledging when the facts could not be determined due to lack of evidence, which is another pitfall many archaeologists of bygone eras routinely fell into.

In the end, even as someone who has read somewhat widely about Akhenaten and Nefertiti, I found myself continually in awe of everything I had yet to learn. The authors successfully brought together a wide array of historical sources to thoughtfully and carefully weave an accurate tapestry of their story.