I love a re-telling and I love ancient Egypt. I have this 3 stars just because this book was exactly that, middle of the road for me this year. However, I loved the character I just wanted so much more. I feel like the book was a bit rushed, I wanted more history of the characters, more descriptions of the atmosphere, more of the politics. That being said I loved Nerefura's interactions with her troupe and friends and the mysteries that kept unraveling throughout the book. There truly were characters, specifically Iset, whose fates I felt deeply invested in. I expected the ending about half way through reading, but I still liked how it all came together.

Neferura was an excellent portrayal of Ancient Egypt. I think the author did an incredible job of setting us right in the scene. Immersive language, fast paced and fully developed characters come together to create a great novel. I think Malayna Evans could become a bright name in the mythology genre.

I have no explanation for it, but I have always felt a connection to ancient Egypt, so when I saw this book was written by an Egyptologist, I was incredibly excited to dive in. It did not disappoint! Hands down the best thing about this book is the incredibly thorough and accurate depiction of ancient Egyptian culture and traditions. Evans' descriptions are handled with care (this is where her prose is strongest) and the world feels vibrant and immersive. The glossary was also a lovely touch.

The issues I had with the book came down to storytelling and pacing in relation to Neferura's journey. Although I loved the romance and intrigue and appreciated the elements of friendship, feminism and harsh truths regarding the treatment of women, I did have a bit of trouble connecting with Neferura as a character. Her first-person narrative felt detached at times, reading more like third person, and I walked away wanting to know her on a deeper level. I also think more attention to weaving the mythology into the storytelling, particularly within the first half of the book would lend to a better flow overall as the first half felt slow and the ending a bit rushed.

In general, though, I would recommend this book, particularly to those with a keen interest in Egypt.

Neferura is a wonderful merging of fantasy and history -- my first experience with author Malayna Evans, but certainly worth the read.

This is a spectacular historical novel inspired by real people who ruled Ancient Egypt. What makes this story stand out is the precarious balance the author has achieved in sharing history and sharing a story. Evan’s story focuses on love and power.

What I loved most was getting inside the mind of a woman during this period in history. I was curious about what she experienced, her rights, her setbacks, her limitations, her practices, her way of thinking and her challenges. I was continuously comparing it with what we modern women experience and noting what we’ve lost or gained throughout history. As I turned over the last page, I had a deeper appreciation for the contribution this intriguing society has made to our modern one.

Neferura held a unique position in history. Not only was she an only child, but she was also the child of two pharaohs. Neferura’s challenge was that she couldn’t envision a different way to be powerful because she had no example to follow. I loved having a front-row seat to her growth and bravery to forge a path where there wasn’t one before. I read in awe of how she struggled with her half-brother’s return and sidestepped the secrets and resulting chaos. I truly rooted for her as she traversed the challenges and pitfalls in her journey and was supported by strong women in her inner circle. Evans has honoured her with this retelling.

The messages I particularly appreciated were:
The encouragement to make a difference
The encouragement to take the road less travelled

Egypt has always fascinated me and I’ve been fortunate to travel there twice. I can’t wait to get back and see the history left on record by this family. I truly loved spending the weekend lost in this wonderful book - a fascinating armchair travel, and a must-read for all historical fiction lovers.

I was gifted this copy by Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Two royal children, betrayal, schemes, secrets, power, chaos and disorder. The world of Neferura, an egyptian princess and the god’s wife of Amun, prevails with unrestrained disorder when her half-brother, Thutmose, returns to the palace in order to overthrow the current ruler, who is Neferura’s mother.

Stepping into the palace of pharaohs where secrets are embedded into the walls Neferura must delve into the conspiracy her brother is concocting and find the wisewoman Hathor with the help of her loyal friends, Iset and Kamut, before a coup arises, but what Neferura doesn’t know is that Thutmose has other plans for her. The storytelling of Malayna Evans is intriguing, emotional, engaging and remarkable ascribed to the world building as well as the variety of personalities throughout the narrative, however the writing style is not entirely the best there is, being often generic. Additionally, the level of historical accuracy is, overall, proficient due to the author’s studies on the subject. Furthermore, it would be advisable to check the trigger warnings before reading this book.

As the gods intended, this is a good adult work by Malayna Evans that’ll transport the reader right into the midst of the riches of Ancient Egypt.

I’m grateful with NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity of letting me read this before its publication.

While the historical aspect of this book is unquestionably well researched, the fiction part failed to draw me in. I didn't find this characterization of Neferura interesting or compelling, although that may have changed at a later point in the book. Thanks to that publisher for the opportunity to download as Read Now.

“Lies. Secrets. Schemes. Deception. These are the wares of my trade, the currency of my nest.”

A tale of political intrigue, power struggles, and the risky path a princess must take to escape her own fate, Neferura follows the often forgotten daughter of the legendary Egyptian woman-king, Hatshepsut, as she navigates her position at court and the dangers accompanying it. Mainly focusing on the power struggle between Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, Neferura is a tale told from the first-person narrative of the namesake princess.

I have mixed feelings about Neferura; on one hand, I quite enjoyed the cast of characters - diverse yet not overwhelming, and I enjoyed how fast-paced the plot was. I would say that narratively this was a solid book that I could definitely see being popular.

On the other hand, I felt that the book lacked the depth I have come to expect from historical fictions and mythology retellings. While the book has several references to ancient Egyptian mythology, the writing felt very surface level. The story could have used more mythology references that were woven into the narrative, and could have benefited from a more emotional, poetic sort of writing style - similarly to Kaikeyi, which this is being marketed as similar to.

However despite my concerns, I still managed to quite enjoy Neferura (and how could I not? the simple fact of the existence of an Egyptian mythology retelling was exciting enough to devour this in two sittings.)

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark or allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

An amazing and hard to put down book about Hatshepsut’s daughter, one of the most mysterious figures in history. No one knows much about this lost princess, but this story does a marvelous job of presenting what her life could have been like, caught between her mother and her half brother/husband.

Neferura by Malayna Evans is an entertaining historical fiction that takes us back into the heart of ancient Egypt.

What I enjoyed the most out of this HF is being completely immersed into the ancient culture and world of Egypt. The descriptions of the landscapes, culture, society, customs, and daily life was vivid, presented well, and really took me to another time and place.

I also enjoyed Neferura’s journey. The obstacles, difficulties, and her responses to them made for an interesting read. There was action, suspense, history, and a bit of romance to round it all out.

Definitely unique in this current market of offerings and I liked following along.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/13/24.

“I stare at the woman who raised me, my pharaoh, and a thought crosses my mind with the force of Iteru rushing over the cataracts: In a court full of vipers, I truly don’t know which one I should fear most.”

tw: incest, rape, death, abuse, forced marriage

First of all, this totally brought me back to my phase in elementary school when I was obsessed with ancient Egypt. I really wish that I’d had access to books like this one back then; instead I obsessively read old National Geographic articles and promised myself that I would one day become an archaeologist and discover a bunch of new mummies and fossils.

That might not have happened, but at least I found this book.

I have to start at the beginning; Evans very kindly included a glossary of ancient Egyptian terms that so those who are unfamiliar with such terminology can easily look up the definition of an unknown word. Even though I clearly have an extensive interest in the topic at hand, (please note the sarcasm here), I did find myself using the glossary quite liberally. It was a much more useful tool than I originally assumed it to be. Though this isn’t the best reading habit, if I see a word I don’t recognize, I tend to just ignore it and move on. Usually I have enough context clues to assume what it means and then connect the pieces in my head, even if my assumed definition isn’t exactly correct.

Something that I learned in a class I took this past year was that you have to understand your audience, especially when you’re writing about a topic that you’re knowledgeable about but they may not be. This is extremely important, because if you’re using all these fancy terms that are familiar to you but completely niche and unknown to your readers, it’s much more likely that they won’t care what you have to say, even if you have a really good story going. Usually this applies to essays, especially those of the academic variety, but it clearly applies here as well. Therefore, I found that this thoughtful action of including a glossary for those who didn’t study ancient Egypt to be very helpful; not only for us readers, but for her reputation as a writer and “Egyptologist” as well.

That being said, it’s extremely obvious that the author has a background in Egyptology. Not only is everything fairly historically accurate despite being written for a modern audience, the ancient traditions and cultural practices that take place in the book are described with care. Only someone who’s experienced and knows a lot about a certain topic will treat it with such gentleness. This is not a bad thing; I’m glad that the author chose to write about something that she’s knowledgeable about. It makes her a much more trustworthy source. However, I’m not sure about her background in writing, but I fear that no matter the answer it just doesn’t live up to her knowledge about ancient Egypt itself. She was able to give us a very historically accurate fictional retelling of Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s only child, but her storytelling skills seemed lacking in my opinion. At least, for the first half of the book.

Some writers are naturally gifted with wonderful storytelling abilities, and others have to work for it, tweak their natural writing style in order to appeal to a wider audience. I don’t think that Evans has a natural skill here, though she isn’t particularly unskilled at this either. With some editing, I think the first half of the book could be as compelling as the second half. The first half was bland, and you could tell that it was all just set-up for the second half of the novel because of the jumping around and introductions to countless characters. The numerous characters who turned out to be unimportant to the plot, along with the unfamiliar vocabulary, made me feel extremely grateful for the glossary once again.

However, one thing that Evans surprised me with was her gorgeous prose when it came to imagery and descriptions. The details that she chose to give her readers brought the story to life. It felt like this was what really happened to Neferura, even if this is just an educated guess at best.

I also liked the strong sense of feminism and female friendships throughout this book. Even though the female characters were restricted under the rule of men, their connections with each other was a warm but bittersweet reminder of how cruelly history has treated women.

Lastly, I have to say that I was disappointed with the ending. It felt much too fabricated and forced to be happy. It was at this point that I knew that this was not Neferura’s real story, even if that truth is forever lost to history. I do not believe for a second that this poor girl had a happy ending, and this ruined the entire story that had been painted before me. It felt so fake. I don’t wish ill upon these characters, but there’s a difference between a happy ending and an unrealistic fabrication.

Though this review might seem mottled with criticisms, I did truly enjoy this novel. I have to stress that. This was an above average read, especially once I started getting into the second half of it. I’m truly glad that I was able to read this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Malayna Evans for the ARC!

This book reminds me a lot of Madeline Miller’s Circe. I like the storytelling from different perspectives than what we’ve read about in history books. Especially from the perspectives of strong women. The writing was well done and I found myself able to flow with the story.

I felt certain aspects of the plot were a little questionable and I could have used a little more context or explanation. However, I really enjoyed Neferura’s character development over the course of the book. It’s always refreshing to see a woman answering the call of her power within.

The plot unraveled rather slowly at first, but when it started heating up, I was hooked until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this eARC. I'll give a full review closer to the publication date.

Intrigue, romance, and political upheaval set in ancient Egypt, seen through the eyes of Neferura.

The blending of historical accuracy with a compelling first person narrative is done well, and provides readers with a deeper understanding of the period. The author has a PhD in Egyptology, and it shows.

The character of Neferura is well developed, and her struggles, aspirations, and growth really allow us to empathize with her.

My only criticism is the pacing. A somewhat slow start with a rather rushed ending made it seem a little uneven. Still a very immersive and overall enjoyable read.

Neferura is the story of the only child of Pharaoh Hatshepsut manoeuvring court intrigue in order to protect her mothers unprecedented reign which happens to occur in a strained co-regency with her half-brother (and Hatshepsut’s step-son) Thutmose. There have been so many historical fiction and mythological retellings that have centred on Greek and Roman histories in recent years, it was refreshing and exciting to be able to read about Ancient Egypt, especially through the lens of a woman (who was surrounded by powerful women) and set during one of the most intriguing and captivating periods of Egypts 3000+ years of history.

I appreciate the way this story is structured, using language that is contextual to the time and place (rather than what the audience may already know from general knowledge or school) it really helped maintain a sense of immersion in the story. The story was well written, Neferura’s feelings and emotions came off the page and the detailed descriptions meant that much of what she saw or heard was incredibly easy to visualise. Each characters motivation was clear and believable, particularly the ‘big three’ powerplayers (Neferura, Hatshepsut and Thutmose), who were written quite well, there were windows where I felt sympathy for Thutmose even though he was the villain. The plot was well paced an engaging, without being difficult to follow. Additionally, while there was some very brief (and relevant) explanations or accounting of cultural or religious events or practices that took place, there were no lengthy explanations that bogged down the story or patronised the reader.

With my own background in Egyptology, I had to put my own thoughts and interpretations of this period to the back of my brain to enjoy the story. Ultimately, the personalities were characterised and presented in a manner that clashed with my own thinking. In saying that, the beautiful thing about Ancient Egypt is the many different interpretations that are available based on evidence. While this story did differ from my own thinking (such as strong hostilities between Hatshepsut and Thutmose) the overall structure adhered to the evidence we have available. I really enjoyed connecting the characters in this story with the names of people I have come across in my non-fiction reading. Often, I struggle to ‘turn off’ in historical fiction, especially given my time in university and teaching background, but found that I wasn’t annoyed with any anachronisms or glaring historical errors, which made the reading experience all the more enjoyable.

I found the end a little bit rushed, I would have liked it to be a bit more fleshed out, I had a few plot questions while reading the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this novel.

"This is a dangerous game you play, girl," she warns.
"I was born to this game," I retort. "Don't you think it's past time I actually play it?"

~

First off, I would like to mention this cover... It is absolutely gorgeous and I might have to print a poster of it for my wall.

This book was lovely. It was full of history with a sprinkle of mythology and abounding intrigue. This novel follows the personal and political journey of the title character Neferura through the shifts of power in the Pharaoh's palace. She begins this story naive and passive, but becomes a force to be reckoned with once she allows herself to take control of her own life.

There were quite a few things that I really enjoyed about this book. Firstly, the setting was spectacular. The author of the book has a PhD in Egyptology, so the world is vibrant and obviously very well researched.

For me the most important part of any book is the characters and their interactions with each other. This book did not disappoint. There are so many side characters that interact with Neferura throughout the novel who made me love and root for them. (And also some who made me want to plan some revenge.) I do think that the friendships in this novel were executed much better than the romantic relationships. There were only a handful of interactions with the love interest through the entire book, and those that were included had me wanting a bit more. Kind of making up for that however, this book was full of strong women supporting other women, which is something that I adored.

This book did have quite the slow start, and it took me a long time to get into the flow of the story. Once the plot got moving, though, I was hooked. The internal and external struggle of Neferura kept me turning the pages to see how she would react to the next obstacle thrown at her.

I would absolutely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, Egyptian mythology, court intrigue, and badass female characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the FMC was really well fleshed out and had a lot of depth. I enjoyed the supporting characters layers as well, and thought they were meaningful to the story. I feel as though some scenes and events could have been done in a little more detail, I felt like the book could stand to be a bit longer. Writing style is clear and concise.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and love antiquity in particular, so I was excited to pick up this book and learn more about ancient Egypt. I definitely feel like I learned a lot. The author has a PhD and it clearly shows in all the rich details and world-building she includes in the story! I really enjoyed that aspect, although it did make the first third of the story go by very slowly.

In contrast to the historical aspects, I do feel like some other parts of the story and writing were less well developed. It’s admittedly difficult to convey such a large quantity of exposition to an audience with little background in it. However, with historical fiction I do feel like there needs to be a balance between character building and world building, and this story leaned more towards the latter.

Watching Neferura‘a development from naive princess/priestess (so naive at first I can’t tell what age she’s meant to be) to cunning spymaster is a satisfying journey. Yet for someone with such a detailed, descriptive narratorial voice, she seems to have much less of an *inner* voice. She tells us what she’s thinking and feeling, but rarely shows it.

My other main critique of the book is that romance/sex is treated very clinically and awkwardly. I definitely didn’t expect that given the romanticizing the main character does in the beginning of the book. It kind of felt like the author was really uncomfortable with that part of the story, so she tried to gloss over it as quickly as possible.

I’m assuming this book is YA, and I understand this is not a romance story, but there’s still a lot Neferura can tell us about her lived experience, even if the actual act is a closed door scene. For a character who is never shy in telling us how she feels about the most mundane things, this somehow merited fewer words than some of the meals or outfits she describes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the world building and history in this story, but I would have to give it 3/5 stars.