“In a court full of vipers, I truly don’t know which one I should fear most.”

Neferura is a Pharaoh's daughter, not just one but two Pharaohs. Her mother Hatshepsut is a royalty. She is also one of the most powerful women who sat on the throne. This re-imagining of her tale is enchanting journey of betrayals and kinship. When Neferura’s step brother comes back to claim his throne, the games for the throne, for power begins and it takes the turn for the worse.

Everyone has their own agenda. Who is on Neferura’s side is hard to predict. And Neferura is naive and simple. Her strife to make world better by keeping peace is admirable but foolish and totally unrealistic and impossible.

Neferura is not only her story alone but is also a story of love and friendship, loss and gain. The story of women around neferura , good or bad all trying to survive in a world of manipulation and backstabbers.
It is story of how battle for ideology or identity can actually turn you into exact opposite version of yourself.

*Let’s give ourselves permission to make an impact where we can without feeling guilty for all the things we can’t control.”*

The portrayal of many strong women who fought to make their place and importance known is admirable especially in patriarchal society.

I liked neferura's transformation from a simple God devoted first wife of Amun to… well do read neferura because her journey is fascinating and encouraging.

Thank you very much Netgalley and
SOURCEBOOKS landmark publishing for this amazing ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I'm absolutely happy that Egyptian fiction is starting to become more prevalent as it's usually overshadowed by Greek and Roman era fiction. The author has taken historical figures and events and seamlessly merged them into a heavily charged political intrigue plot. The characters although actual historical figures we don't have too much information about who they were or how their lives truly ended but the author has done a wonderful job at making them fully fleshed out and full of depth. She has taken great care to include many aspects of Ancient Egyptian culture and formatting them for any reader to easily understand. Her writing style makes for an easy and quick read. I'd recommend it if you are a fan of Egyptian culture. Can't wait to see more from this author.

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Neferura is an Ancient Egyptian historical fiction inspired by real people. The author, Malayna Evans, has a Ph.D. in Egyptology and her knowledge really shines through in Neferura. Very little is known about the real Neferura, but most people who have studied Egyptian history know who her mother was. Hatshepsut was the most powerful female pharaoh to ever rule Egypt. Her reign was a time of great peace and she was one of the most prolific builders of temples and obelisks. However, after she died her successor and stepson, Thutmose III, tried to erase her from history. Her name was chiseled out and her image was defaced across Egypt.

The Egyptian court was strife with political intrigue, assassinations, and fickle alliances. Evans does a good job of bringing those aspects to the story. If you love political intrigue in your books, Neferura is a good pick for you. I'd say while Evans excelled at the court scheming and the world-building of making a believable Ancient Egypt (which can be very hard for authors who don't have a background in Egyptology), she struggled at other aspects. Her characters at times felt stilted and there were moments where the dialogue and emotions of the character felt detached and shallow. However, I could see improvement as the book moved to the back-half.

This book has strong feminist leanings with the all encompassing theme being in times of subjugation women should help other women in order to create change. This is a story about the transition from powerless to powerful. I enjoyed the Q&A section at the end of the book with the author following the author's note. I wish that would become the norm in books because it helped me connect more with the author and her story. Plus it was interesting to see which books she recommended.

Overall, I enjoyed Neferura and would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Neferura by Malayna Evans
This is another book that is right up my alley right now as far as genre. Historical fiction/fantasy. Retelling or reimagining of folktales, myths, or historical figures and their lives. Neferura was the daughter of a female Pharaoh, this is a short description from Wikipedia:

Neferure or Neferura was an Egyptian princess of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the daughter of two pharaohs, Hatshepsut and Thutmose II. She served in high offices in the government and the religious administration of Ancient Egypt. Wikipedia
The book follows the tradition that she was the daughter of two Pharaohs and married her half-brother Thutmose. There is little known about her, even her date of death is not known. Malayna Evans weaves a story around known details and adds imaginative storytelling.

Neferura is the daughter of the great Pharaoh who happens to be female. Both of their positions are precarious due not only to their gender but also because Neferura has a half-brother. Thutmose shares the same father as Neferura. The previous Pharoah. Thutmose seeks to regain what he believes is rightfully his.

Both the Pharoah and Thutmose seek power above all else. They will do anything to get it. Neferua a high priestess of Ketmet loves her people and knows where her duty lies. For the people and land that she loves. Neferua is smart, compassionate, and kind. Is she strong enough to stand up and serve the people when she's forced to marry Thutmose and produce a male heir? Knowing that once she does produce an heir, her life will end. She's determined to secure her people's safety, even if that means sacrificing her own life.

Read this one if you love a great strong female main character. There are twists, turns, and suspense. Family dynamics. Crowns to win, and the realization that having a close circle of allies is truly powerful.

Description

For readers of The Wolf Den and Kaikeyi comes the thrilling tale of the forgotten daughter of a legendary Egyptian pharaoh and the path she must take to escape her own dangerous fate.

There are many paths to power.

They all come with a price.

Neferura, princess and high priestess of Kemet, knows her duty is to her people. When your mother is the great Pharaoh, it is hard to forget. But Neferura's unique position at court comes with high stakes for her country, especially when she's forced to serve her vile half-brother, a man determined to stop Neferura's potential rise.

Peace, it seems, never lasts for women who wield power in the open. Especially when they cross a vengeful man.

When Neferura overhears Thutmose's plot to end her mother's rule, she knows he must be stopped, no matter the cost. The discovery of a mysterious tattooed wisewoman and her shadowy network of spies offers an uneasy alliance. But the wisewoman wields more power than Neferura knew possible—power with the potential to rival her own. Neferura must decide where her loyalties lie and how much she's willing to sacrifice to protect the people she loves before everything crumbles at the hands of a tyrant.

Available Editions
EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781728278728
PRICE $16.99 (USD)
PAGES 368


I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I can't help myself, I read this book so fast. I am a huge Egyptology nerd, so finding out there was an interesting and new take on someone for whom there is very little historical information immediately piqued my interest. The story involves the daughter of Hatshepsut and Thutmose II, Neferura. There is little information historically about her life, so imagining that is something that is so intriguing to me. Add to that the author has a PhD in Egyptology, has meticulously researched every detail of the book, AND made it compelling to read? A+++. I loved this book. It brought strong and interesting historical women to life, and also had an interesting storyline as well. I would very much recommend this book if you want a GREAT story, wonderful descriptions of an interesting time period, and also a history lesson while you're at it.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. As a person who has studied Egyptian art I knew that I would love this story. I was not expecting this book to be as flawlessly researched as it was. The mythology was great and I learned so many new vocabulary terms along the way. The mythology and religious aspect was very well integrated and never felt info dumpy. Neferura being a God’s wife and Priestess was a great way to integrate the complex practice of Egyptian religion. I loved getting to see the complex relationship that Neferura has with the Gods and, by extension, her mother. The author gives you enough context into the culture and religion that you don't need to look anything up, but leaves the door open for you to look deeper into Egyptian mythology and history. I think this book would be a good way to get someone interested in these topics. I loved the political drama and thought it was a great spin on real historical events and people. Historical fiction that is not just based in a time period but on actual people and events is very fun because authors can really humanize people from the past in ways readers haven't thought about before. I thought the characters were very relatable and you were definitely rooting for them all the way through. The tension of looming political plots was present throughout the book and kept me very captivated. All in all, Neferura is a great and timeless story of women taking power in places where they are underestimated.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. An amazing read for any fans of retellings, especially mythology. The heroine was so well crafted, the plot was intelligent and fierce, the storyline was fascinating. I loved everything. Really great read.

Deeply fascinating, especially if you had an Ancient Egypt phase in your childhood, thanks to the obvious amount of research that went into this book. Unfortunately the pace was slow, and the writing felt aimed at a younger audience. Despite those issues, I enjoyed this book and can't wait to recommend it to others.

"But we averted the tragedy we had some power over. Let's give ourselves permission to make an impact where we can without feeling guilty for all the things we can't control."

O.M.G. This book is so incredibly good! When I was younger I was obsessed with learning about ancient Egypt, so when I saw this book about a farao's daughter it immediately caught my attention and I just knew I had to read this.

And it did not disappoint. This book is filled with amazing woman trying to gain and hold power in a society ruled by men. Not all woman were particularly nice or likeable (Hatshepsut, I'm talking ‘bout you here), but all had such power and are amazingly diverse characters.

It's so great to read about all these well developed characters and tons of genuine female friendships! Buttt, a good book would be nothing without a good story. And oh my, the plot was so engaging. There is LOTS of court intrigue and some good spying!

This book really caught my attention in it's uniqueness and I'll not soon stop thinking about it.

If you're a mythology fan or have any particular interest in reading about fierce woman in ancient Egypt you should totally add this book to your tbr!

My unrestrained thoughts: I never had any patience for historical fiction, but Neferura is making me think it’s not so bad! A little anti-climactic, but a treat nonetheless.

Now, onto a little sophisticated review – it may contain tiny spoilers!


The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt saw many pharaohs and their children. Hidden amidst this crowd of names is a forgotten princess, Neferura. The daughter of two pharaohs, Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, Neferura oversaw the religious and government administrations during her mother’s reign. Apart from this information – and the details of her tutors – not much is known about this princess. Everything is up for speculation, from her relationship with her half-brother Thutmose III to her death and tomb.

The details of her life are murky, and that’s where Malayna Evans’ Neferura comes into the picture. The novel weaves a fictional story of the princess’ life, filling up the patches through her unique storytelling. Written in first-person narrative, the story focuses on Neferura and her unpredictable position, not just in court but in her life as well. Being groomed to succeed her own mother – a place she doesn’t want to inherit – she has become the subject of hostility from her half-brother, Thutmose III. In fact, he will go to any length to get his twisted revenge and Neferura is determined to stop him before their world crumbles.

From the perspective of a non-expert reader, the Egyptian setting, the rituals, and the sprinkled facts were absolutely fascinating. And yet, it takes time to get used to the story, especially at the start. Not only does it seem unfamiliar (even with the glossary), but it also is a lot slower than expected. And that feeling lingers in patches across the pages, even making itself known in the last chapters.

But this slowness is remedied effectively by the depiction of female relationships in the story. Neferura’s friendship with Iset, her comfortableness with Satiah and Nebtah, and the unlikely camaraderie with Hathor; the book is all about strong women and how they can uplift each other.


What I liked about the book:

Egyptian setting: The author has a Ph.D. in Egyptian history, and that’s evident in every word of the novel. Many of the references surprised me – potions and spells, the festival at the start – but it shouldn’t have because their time was definitely different than now. With that being said, it was absolutely fascinating to read about the ancient customs, rituals, and traditions.

Hatshepsut’s characterization: While Thutmose seems to be the obvious villain, the main antagonist for me is definitely Hatshepsut. In her quest to create an unforgettable legacy, she forgot that she was responsible for raising two innocent children. Her abusiveness is evident in the way both the half-siblings turned out to be – the fearful, rule-abiding one and the rebel. It’s evident who is who. Her evil streak deteriorates a little by the end, but it’s not difficult to forget the origin of Thutmose’s cruel behavior. And that made her a much more complex and fascinating – I wouldn’t say likable though – character.

Less focus on romance: As it was primarily historical fiction, romance was in the backseat, which pleased me deeply. Every other book always lets romance take up the space, so it was refreshing to see Kamut as he was – a side character. He appeared sparsely, and whenever he did, their conservations were not always about declaring their feelings to each other. Evans provided us with the crumbs of their romance, and it was the best, most logical decision ever!


What I wasn’t impressed with:

Neferura felt relatable because of her confusion with life. She never knew what was happening, was controlled by everyone else, and wasn’t sure of things that were entirely within her decision-making power. While she seemed relatable, I didn’t like how a literal princess of such an important country could have such a pure way of viewing the world, including the people around her. Everyone’s out there scheming and lying… and Neferura is busy being just naïve. Well, that’s just unbelievable!

I felt the naiveness the most when it came to her understanding of Senenmut. He may be a good person, as her point of view told us, but her thoughts were only limited to how he lied so much. She wasn’t able to gauge that he was a conniving man who saw a chance to rise in the ranks.

Another problem for me was the ending. After all that build-up, after all that scheming and changing of plans, after all those secret meetings, what do we get? A chapter that seems like any other, making the end seem abrupt. Evans also tacked on an epilogue that seemingly jumped forward in time and it was just so unsatisfactory. It felt rushed and had me thinking what was even happening? The author’s note at the end did shed some light on the story’s structure, but I am still going to grumble about it a little!


My final thoughts?
If you love books with strong women, accurate historical retelling, or royal drama, then Neferura is for you. It’s a pretty decent book, but it’s going to be a one-time read for me. Though I will explore more works of historical fiction, thanks to this novel!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
#netgalley #arcreview

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Even before I read it, Neferura had me... intrigued, to say the least. A retelling about the life of daughter of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, I was hesitant but interested at the same time. Retellings are always hit or miss for me, with an education in classical studies many retellings tend to be about subjects I'm familiar with (I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I am familiar with many original stories that are later (poorly) retold). With that in mind, I was interested in seeing how the author went about this. I admit I had expectations, I figured this would be just as disappointing as all of the other retellings I've read. BUT!!! It wasn't! It greatly exceeded those expectations and was incredibly well done!!

Neferura, the title character, is the daughter of two pharaohs (mentioned above) and the God Wife of Amun- among many other titles-, which places her in a position of prestige. This retelling follows her life and the plots that unfold in great detail. I found myself needing to know what happened to her next, I was so intrigued. Without giving away any details, the plot was so interesting to see unfold, and the epilogue was an incredible ending. The writing was also incredibly well done, everything felt so natural and worked so well with the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed Neferura and would genuinely recommend reading it when it releases! There are very few retellings that I would say this about- and I've read a lot of retellings solely to judge them and see if they're worth reading. This one is absolutely worth reading! I cannot praise Malayna Evans enough for her work on Neferura, her education in ancient Egyptian history truly made this retelling stand out among others that I've read and for that, Neferura gets all of my love.

A beautifully crafted novel that brings ancient Egypt to life. The intrigue of the Pharoah’s court, the life of the priestesses, and the careful machinations — all of it was absolutely brilliant!

I love a good historical fiction set in ancient Egypt, it's not a commonly utilized setting and it is so much more than just the Cleopatra era. I know some about Egypt, not much, though I do know quite a bit about Hatshepsut, one of the most power female rulers and one of the only women to claim the title of Pharaoh. So, I was delighted to see a book set during her reign, featuring her daughter Neferura. Neferura is basically unknown in the historical record, we know she existed but basically nothing else about her life, which allows for a lot of creative license in this book while still feeling like a reasonable life she could have led. There are a fantastic number of strong female characters here of all backgrounds, and it was lovely to see Neferura breaking out of her insular shell to rely on the women supporting her. The plot itself was fairly standard, relying on a strong does of reality (brother-sister marriages in Egyptian royalty were very common to 'preserve the dynasty') tempered with an interesting political intrigue plot. There was not much suspense, but what we did get was interesting and fun to read. The ending was great, though I did <spoiler> have trouble believing Hathor agreed so readily to Neferura's offer to be her successor when I didn't think she really showed a knack for it throughout the book </spoiler>. However, this was a satisfying book with a fantastic setting and a wonder amount of historical info in the author's note in the end.

I don't read a lot of Histoncal Ficton novels but I can tell that the author’s research as an Egyptologist really aided in the authenticity and wonder of the story. I loved getting to see so many strong female characters — whether they were doing something good or nefarious. It had love (in all its forms), adventure, heartbreak, and scheming which all wove together into a beautiful story. Also having the actual history of the characters in real life in the author’s note was a nice little addition.

CW: torture, miscarriage, death during childbirth, animal cruelty & death, blood, incest, domestic abuse, infertility, forced marriage

Lately, I’ve been reading book with endings that somewhat seemed rushed and this one is part of them. The story was good and it is an historical fiction, my favorite genre. For me, the beginning was a bit hard to get into and the rest picked up at a good pace. There was a momentum building from the last third or quarter of the book and then…… the ending. An happy ever after ending. What happened between that momentum and that ending? That is what I wanted to know!

I just want to preface this review by saying I really enjoyed reading this book once I got past the slow start! But on reflection, there were definitely issues that stopped me from giving it a higher rating.

The book is split into three parts, and the synopsis covers everything in Part One - Neferura's internal struggle between picking the side of her mother vs her half-brother, her search for the mysterious wise-woman called Hathor. I would say that this part was the most tedious to read, as Neferura is likeable but naive and the pacing is very slow. The story builds very slowly here, and we are introduced to numerous side characters and listen to Neferura's internal struggle as she eventually comes to the realisation that her mother, tutor and half-brother are all a lot more capable of lies, murder and manipulation than she thought.

There's a lot of positive, uplifting female relationships in the books, one of it's big pros: we see Neferura's close friendship with Iset, her handmaiden and Satiah and Nebtah her priestesses (and later her personal spies). There's no backstabbing, no jealousy or rivalry. Satiah is described as very beautiful (a feature Neferura uses to her advantage with Satiah's consent later on) but there's no mention of the other girls putting her down for this. Whilst this book isn't marketed as feminist, it had so much female power and well-written female friendship that I wouldn't hesitate to label it as such.

The plot definitely picks up in Part Two and Three, and becomes very engaging. I almost found it too faced paced towards the end, and the ending was very abrupt. There is an epilogue that helps to soften the blow, but I would have much rather read more about the details of the story wrapping up than that initial 30% of the book where nothing was happening. I think editing of the pacing here would help to make the reading experience a lot better.

Now for the plot. It's good! Especially in Part Two and Three, there's lots of scheming, court politics and intrigue, all of which I love. Neferura grows up a bit and we finally see her standing up for herself and taking control of her life. When you read the Author's Note at the end, I was amazed at how Evans managed to keep most of it historically accurate, whilst filling in the gaps with fiction here and there. I was amazed that some of her minor characters (like Hathor) were inspired by historical evidence and excavations. She's clearly an expert and did a very good job of respecting the history with her story!

Where the book let me down as bit was in it's characters and there were a couple times in the plot where everything felt a bit ... too easy. The fact that Thutmose was able to parade the accusations he had against Hatshepsut without any consequence felt unbelievable - surely a pharaoh (female or not) who's held onto power for so long wouldn't stand for that. I wish Hatshepsut didn't back down so easily but fought to protect her own a lot more. (view spoiler) I also struggled with relating to any of the characters. They all felt very 2D and uninteresting. A major character close to Neferura dies towards the end, but I found myself caring very little. Not a good thing.

My biggest issue was the writing itself. It wasn't bad by any means, not to the point where it affected my reading experience. But there's simply some books where the descriptions and the prose transport you to another world, whereas here (despite all the historical richness and accuracy) the writing felt very simple and watered down, creating little atmosphere. It's ancient Egypt after all, the potential for it to be atmospheric was vast! Another thing that made it feel incredibly YA was the romance, which again had enough build-up and potential to be good but managed to fall flat when all the reader gets is the sentence "He makes love to me" What do you mean I read 60% of the book just to end up with that ?!? I'm not expecting smut here, but throw a girl a bone.

Last but not least, I am surprised this book is being marketed as a fantasy. There were no magical elements to speak of, unless you count the magical powers Hathor the wisewoman possesses and these are only alluded to. Even classing it as magical realism is being generous. Not really a con as such, but readers expecting magic will be sorely disappointed.

Despite the ranting I actually did enjoy this book, although it's not very memorable. I would recommend it as a light YA historical fiction read to avoid setting expectations high.

As soon as I saw the premise to this story I KNEW I had to read it and I’m so glad that I did! Hatshepsut Was and still is one of my favorite queens to learn and study and I just loved this book.

Neferura is the daughter of the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Tutmose II. Her half-brother Tutmose III is the son of one of Tutmose II's concubines and is co-ruler with Hatshepsut and hates her for a variety of reasons. To solidify his claim to the throne, Tutmose III marries Neferura and produce a legitimate heir. Neferura fears he will kill her after he gets his heir and decides to save her own life, with the help of a group of strong and talented women.
Since almost nothing is known about Neferura, this is almost pure fiction. Neferura was Hatshepsut's only known offspring, she was the high priestess of Amun, and she was tutored by a noble named Senenmut. Her name appears in a royal cartouche, which means she may have been a queen. While the author does wind in all the threads at the end, the "and they all lived happily ever after" ending is a little disappointing. However, it is still very enjoyable historical fiction, recommended for readers who enjoy fiction about ancient Egypt and strong women characters.

I enjoyed the political intrigue and women empowerment, but it didn't delve as deeply as I would have liked to see, felt very surface level. Interesting premise, but it left me wanting more!

Hatshepsut is one of the most fascinating Egyptian pharaoh and I was glad to read this book about her daughter.
I think it's quite well researched even if I think it's fiction featuring well written historical characters.
I had fun and I think it's an entertaining story
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine