Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advance copy of Neferura!

⅗ stars

Neferura initially caught my attention because, like many young children, I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt and its history. Add that obsession to descriptions of powerful women, vengeance, and plotting? Sign me up.

Generally speaking, Neferura fulfilled these descriptions. However, it wasn’t as fast-paced as I anticipated. The beginning felt like quite a drag, up until about the 50% mark, yet the pacing of the second half generally felt off and a little rushed. The history itself is quite well written and intricate and I appreciated hearing Neferura’s firsthand account (was she a reliable narrator? Who knows?). Though things were always happening, I was never really sure what the ending would be or where the story was going (which wasn’t necessarily bad, but sometimes it did lack some direction). It ultimately felt like the story of Neferura taking power into her own hands, especially as she navigates her role in court. I found it interesting as a reader to see how despite Neferura often being used as a tool in her mother and brother’s schemes, there was always this underlying question of if she was morally any better than them or if she also ultimately was using people for her gain as well (i.e. Satiah or Iset). This was a question that lingered with me throughout the story and is.

I do ultimately think this is a well-written book, and it is very apparent that Evans is an Egyptologist. This was great for the historical element, however, the writing did come off a little clunky at times as more characters and plot points were introduced. There was so much historical context yet I was left wanting it to feel a little more atmospheric. I can’t say I was left completely satisfied, or that I would fully recommend this book to my friends, but it was a worthwhile read about finding your power as a woman and definitely scratched the part of my brain that is obsessed with Ancient Egyptian history.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I'm always intrigued by mythology retellings as I often find the subject very interesting, but oftentimes, they fall a bit flat for me. This was also the case with Neferura.

I've been craving for more books inspired by Egyptian mythology or set in Egypt/Egypt-inspired worlds, so when I saw this cover, I was immediately intrigued.
I didn't know anything about Neferura, so I cannot comment on the lines of fact and fiction in this book.

I liked Neferura as a character; she's a strong woman who has to face hard choices, and while she was a bit frustrating at times, I definitely sympathized with her.

The plot was decent, and I really got invested in the second half of the book.

The writing was okay; it was easy to read, but I would have wanted some more poetic descriptions, and I didn't fully feel transported to the world of ancient Egypt.

Personally, I would have liked some more fantasy elements, with the book being marketed as historical fiction/mythology. It definitely felt more leaning towards the first.

Overall, I liked the book, it just didn't quite grab me as much as I would have hoped.

This piece of historical fiction does an amazing job imagining the life of a royal daughter of ancient Egypt. The real Neferura’s story has been lost to us, but Malayna Evans has crafted a tale full of friendship, love, lies and mystery. I found the balance between historical fact and fiction to be extremely well done, and I think that the use of authentic Egyptian place names to add to the authenticity of the text. The characters were well rounded and intriguing and the plot unfolded beautifully. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes ancient Egypt and who wants to fill in a little of the mystery that had been left behind.

We need more novels set in Ancient Egypt!!
That being said, I think I would have enjoyed this much more if it weren't so dry. There was a noticeable lack of humor. But overall, It was so intelligent and intriguing. Go Women <3

3.5 Stars

Neferura takes us to Anciety Egypt as we follow Neferura's enter the political world of her mother and step=brother's fight for power. While the book started a bit slow for me, I became invested in the characters and intrigued by the various plots of the characters.

okay i was super excited for this because i absolutely adore egyptian mythology but i just. couldn't get into this. i had to dnf about 85 pages in.

Neferura is a special book with a heartwarming story. I loved to read about the Egyptian Mythology and discover things I never knew. The writing style is thrilling and the characters, especially Neferura and Iset, are so loveable.
I have never read a book from this author before but I'm very glad I changed that!

Neferura is a historical fiction novel based upon the life of an Egyptian princess that was the daughter of two pharaohs. As her mother is co-regent over Egypt, Neferura performs the duties that would usual fall to a queen--mainly, that of God's Wife. That is until her step brother returns scheming to take back the throne in its entirety. In a publishing era of abundant Greek and Roman mythology retellings, it was refreshing to read something of more ancient origins. Weaving historical facts with mythological legends, Malayna Evans draws us into a world of court intrigue, survival, and the strength of female friendship.

Going into the book, I was hesitant as Evans had selected a historical figure that is still a large mystery to the world. Little is known about Neferura, but it is evident that Evans dove deep into her research in order to maintain integrity of her characters and the lives they lived. The story transports the reader back to Ancient Egypt, creating vivid imagining of the temples, tombs, and palaces. Though I found Neferura frustratingly naive at the beginning of the story, watching her grow into a strong character was rewarding. At times I questioned how time was passing in the story, feeling as though more time was passing than was evident in certain characteristics, but I also didn't sit down to write out the entire timeline to confirm if it was accurate. The ending from the last chapter to the epilogue felt slightly rushed, however I am still satisfied with how neatly wrapped up things were.

Overall, Malayna Evans wrote an intriguing and engaging story. My knowledge of Egyptology and mythology is not as vast as that of my Greek, but this re-sparked my interest on the subject.

*Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review*

As the daughter of two pharaohs, Neferura was one of a kind. Together with her mother Hatshepsut, keeping Kemet and its people in prosperity, and preventing her half-brother Thutmose, the rightful male heir, from obtaining the throne. Fed up with his step-mother and betrayed by his sister, Thutmose launches a calculated political takedown to regain power. With the help of mysterious allies, Neferura weighs the odds of loyalty and sacrifice for the greater good.

The biggest draw for me was the feminist theme suggested in the synopsis. Breaking patriarchal norms in Ancient Egypt, the atmosphere and setting wrote itself. I appreciate the extensive research and historical accuracy from the author.

While much of Neferura’s history has been lost, this retelling was a little too on the nose. I think it would have benefited from a stronger directive or creative fantasy to make a more compelling story. The beginning was dramatic but aimless, I wanted more in terms of character development and details of Neferura’s role as the ceremonial wife. Most of the final chapter climax points happen slightly off page, Thutmose is painted as a villain but we don’t get to see that first hand, it felt disconnected.

The strongest plots, and most interesting to me, were Neferura’s friendship with Iset and the secretive network of women marked with scorpion tattoos. The themes of the book center around family, loyalty and political cunning, as well as the inequalities women have faced throughout history. Although I didn’t connect with the characters as much, I thought the book was easy to follow and the ending gratifying, skewing slightly YA but still very enjoyable.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the early copy to review.

“Neferura" takes readers on quite the journey into the world of ancient Egypt, weaving a tale of political intrigue, power struggles, and the daring path a princess must tread to escape her fate. The book is inspired by real historical figures, primarily focusing on Neferura, daughter of the legendary Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
The story begins with the introduction of Neferura, the most powerful priestess of Kemet, whose mother, Hatshepsut, holds the esteemed position of Pharaoh. Neferura's world is disrupted by the arrival of her half-brother, Thutmose, who plots to accuse their stepmother of murder.
The story explores the relationships among Neferura, Hatshepsut, and Thutmose, featuring spies, murders, revenges, and intricate scheming that adds depth to the plot.

Almost nothing is known about Neferura, daughter of the famous woman Pharoah, Hatshepsut. Given that freedom, Malayna Evans has written a deeply felt and brightly coloured story about her that feels very real and possible given the times Neferura had to live in, You feel the danger, the shaky politics and the dark threats that surround her and she comes to life in front of you so that you live out her story alongside her. Fans of Michelle Moran will enjoy this book.

This is a great addition to the mythology story pantheon. I love Egyptology and it was neat to see the gods and goddesses woven into everyday Egyptian life, along with romance, politics, and intrigue. There were some modern elements which felt *slightly* out of place but overall, I enjoyed this tale and would recommend it.

What drew me to the book was that it was a story about Egypt’s powerful priestess, Neferura. I love ancient stories & retellings of said ancient stories. However, I DNFed at 28% because the writing really did not draw me in and make me want to keep reading at all.

What I liked:
✯ Thorough historical research (Malayna Evans is an Egyptologist, after all)
✯ Little details on temple rituals sprinkled throughout
✯ Visual imagery

What I disliked:
✯ Middle-grade/YA writing even though it’s categorized as Adult
✯ One-dimensional characters
✯ Info dump via too much dialogue

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Being a fan of Ancient Egypt, especially New Kingdom Egypt and Hatshepsut, I was definitely excited when I saw this book was available to review on NetGalley.
Neferura follows Hatshepsut’s daughter as she navigates royal politics and escaping her dangerous fate.
Reading this, it was clearly evident that Evan did her research for this novel and wove it in with fiction. I couldn’t put this book down.
If you want to read an ancient historical fiction novel about the daughter of the first female pharaoh, this one is for you!

Enjoyed this easy and fast read. As my knowledge about ancient Egypt is limited, I cannot say how accurate or not the world the author builds is. However, I guess it's safe to assume that palace intrigues and manipulations were and are common among royalty. Loved the focus on women and their scopes of power. The characters and their stories were full of life and intriguing.
However, while the author most of the time wrote in a language that seemed appropriate for an ancient royal court — which of course is always based on speculation as ancient Egyptian is probably scarce today and hard to comprehend for the average reader — I stumbled upon a bit of modern speech from time to time that threw me off. Nothing serious, but my inner Monk felt distracted for just a moment.

Overall, this is an entertaining read for those who love historical fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book!

It was well written and kept my attention page after page. I felt it was also well researched and the author did a great job of blending history with a story VERY much worth reading. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I also want to say thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks, for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. And thank you to Netgalley for providing the means to do so. My sincere appreciation!

I had a lot of difficulty with this book. The world is well depicted, but the 'villain' doesn't really come across as evil. His actions are always reported rather than witnessed firsthand, or at least it takes a while for that to happen, which diminishes his villainous presence. I struggled with the pacing as well. It's very slow at the beginning, followed by a series of erratic accelerations. In the end, there's such an accumulation of court intrigues that I couldn't really get into the story or the character.

“Neferura” tells the story of the only daughter of Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female pharaoh. As the god Amun’s ceremonial wife and the leader of the priesthood, Neferura wields power on her mother’s behalf and supports her reign. Among those closest to her are Iset, her handmaiden, and Senenmut, her tutor and father figure. When Neferura’s half brother Thutmose, the other pharaoh in name only, returns to court plotting Hatshepsut’s downfall, Neferura must reckon with her mother’s actions, choose a side, and try to maintain the beneficial changes that have occurred throughout Hatshepsut’s reign. Part historical fiction, part political thriller, part family drama, this book is full of tension and conflict from beginning to end.
Neferura herself is a fascinating character: she’s naive but holds great influence, and greatly concerned with the burdens of guilt carried by those around her - particularly her mother. Whenever anybody commits a crime or offense, Neferura worries not because of the effect of the action on the world but instead how it will influence the lightness of that person’s heart when it is weighed against a feather in the Land of the Dead. This core quality heavily influences how she makes her own decisions in the political machinations of her family. I also found Hatshepsut to be an incredibly compelling character, partly because I think many authors would have been tempted to write this story from her perspective. As the better known historical figure, we know a lot more about Hatshepsut than Neferura, but seeing her from her daughter’s perspective allows us to look at her with complexity and see her massive successes as a ruler right alongside her failings as a parent.
I think where I struggled with this book was the writing itself, which was often very dry, along with some pacing issues that had me slogging through sections. I also found some parts of Neferura’s narration to be quite repetitive, which could have been helped with some sharper editing. I also found Kamut to be a very poorly developed and shallow character and therefore really struggled to care about what was going to happen to him, although it was incredibly important to Neferura. I felt that the flashbacks and stories of Neferura and Thutmose’s childhood, and how they shaped the current plot, were part of the pacing issues. I would rather the whole first section of the book been dedicated to describing their youth and then picked up the rest of the story in chronological order.

Terrific story set in ancient Egypt! I was excited about reading this one as I love ancient historical fiction and this did not disappoint! Neferura is the daughter of female pharoah Hatshepsut who enjoys her power more than her daughter's company. Neferura has spent her life being the God's wife so she can serve as queen to her mother. Neferura has few close to her at the beginning of the story but as she begins to unravel some palace secrets that begins to change.

Neferura becomes stronger and surrounds herself with strong women who are on her side. It makes for a compelling story based on real people. I appreciated that the author used language from ancient Egypt and gave a glimpse of women within the time period. This isn't necessarily new but it was enjoyable. Of course there are strong men at her side as well who are likeable and unique characters.

I found the book easy to read and the characters were relateable. Overall a great read! I would not mind hearing more about this woman though I thought the ending was satisfying. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

I really really enjoyed this book, although so much of it was heartbreaking.
Took me a bit longer to get into it, but after about 30%, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.