This book had the potential for greatness. My tiny little Egypt-obsessed heart was immediately intrigued and devastated by Neferura's plight. Her position at court is precarious: caught between two pharaohs and their grudges against each other. She is pulled into a web of secrets and betrayals and danger, including dealings with a lady spy and her scorpion minions. She harbors feelings for one of her guards but is terrified when her half-brother, Thutmose, becomes co-pharaoh and his anger and jealousy and blind hatred threaten everything she loves. I expected this to be lushly described. I wanted the setting to become a main character. But it fell very flat. It became a very plot-centered story, and the ending kind of threw me for a loop.

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was like stepping back in time. Beautiful descriptions and well rounded characters kept me glued to the page. I love the story and strength of the characters. It stayed in my head and heart long after I finished the final page.

Another great retelling. This genre is becoming increasingly my favorite! This is a fascinating story about the role women played in this time in history and just how many tyrant rulers women have always battled against!

Overall, this book was too slow for me and the character felt very passive for too much of the plot. I did enjoy the world building and atmosphere. The book seemed very well researched and accurate to the time period. The ending felt very rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the novel which kept it from feeling satisfying.

I thought that the premise of the book was good. But the book in my opinion had some issues. First, the pace of the book particularly at the beginning was slow. Second, I did not gel with the character of Neferura she was not as strong a character as her mother the pharaoh, which was a letdown. It may have been a question of character development, the author perhaps spent alot of time in world building and description of the setting which I feel overshadowed the character development. It was a little disappointing as I thought that the story had feminist leanings and would portray a strong female character - which was not the case.

Love the mythology and the modern twist that the author added. Fell in love with the FMC and will definitely read more books by this author.

3.5 stars
It was an interesting book mainly because of its setting in Egypt. You can tell that the author knows the time period and the historical characters and has brought them to life with a lot of realism.
The plot of betrayal and lies is very interesting, and I also liked the fact that the women are the main characters.
The only problem I see is the pace of the book, at the beginning it is very slow and at the end in 5 chapters everything explodes very quickly.

I don’t know much about Ancient Egypt, except for what I learned in elementary school ages ago. Having said that, it took me a while to get into this book, as I found it a little slow. However, once I was able to grasp a basic understanding of the roles of each character, I became very invested in Neferura’s fate.

You know that feeling when you’re reading and you just know something big is going to happen… well I had that feeling for about half of this book, and it was spot on.

Women have been getting cast aside and treated as property from the dawn of time, even for a high priestess and princess like Neferura. I loved the bond between some of the female characters and was delighted when Neferura became accepted and protected by the best of the “scorpions”; a network of female spies. I was especially impressed by Neferura’s own cunningness to outwit her tyrannical and cruel half-brother/husband.

I really enjoyed the author’s note at the end and appreciate just how much research Evans put into this book.

"In the end, everyone's heart will be weighed." WHAT AN OPENING. I was super excited to read this book but unfortunately I just never really got into it after the first couple of chapters. Ive read some other reviews and Neferura's definitely a book to give a shot at but its a DNF for now at 50%.

This was a good book & I really enjoyed the plot as well as the characters! Apologies it took so long for this. We were in the middle of an emergency move. Thank you for the arc!

This was a great read! Very entertaining and full of twists! I was hooked from beginning to end and enjoyed it very much!

Secret Society of Women in Egypt. Political intrigue of court and Pharos lives. All in easy to read modern English historical fiction.

# Neferura
# 3/17/2024 ~ 3/19/2024
# 3.5 / 5.0

Neferura is an ancient Egyptian epic, told against the background of a power struggle not only among a family, but among spies and mystics. The book is intentionally slow, with the first third being used for some spectacular character and world building. If you can get past the build up, the plot thickens and dominoes start to fall. While the world and characters are beautifully done, the plot was lacking in some spots. Several key moments fell flat, and didn't really have the necessary impact to keep me engaged. All in all, this is more of a slowburn that does pay off, but not entirely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Neferura by Malayna Evans takes readers on a meticulously researched journey to Ancient Egypt. The story centers around the titular Neferura, daughter of the legendary pharaoh Hatshepsut. While the historical details and premise are intriguing, the narrative starts slow. I knew nothing of Neferura’s story and was impressed by the author’s ability to create her character and story from a few mentions in the historical record. Evan’s brings ancient Egypt to life, and the plot thickens in the latter half. By the end, I was invested in Neferura's fate as she navigates her duties as royalty while also protecting herself and her loved ones. Overall, this was a 3.5/5 read for me. The characters and setting grew on me but it took me a long time to be invested in their story.

Even though I‘m really intrigued by egyptian history, I have never read much about it and I certainly don‘t know much. But still, this book sparked my interest with it beautiful cover and blurb.
I loved the narration style and laguage the author used because I could really get lost in the ancient world and feel really present with the characters. The names were unusual but as a fantasy reader I quickly got the hang of all the family and friendship connections.
The one thing that made me put the book down was the pacing, I felt like it was either all happening at once or slowly going forward and the ending felt a bit rushed.
Additionally I did like the author‘s additional background information about her inspiration for Neferura and what the current state of knowlegde and theories about the time and characters are.
Overall this was a great story and I would reconmend it.

This was a great read. I haven't read anything around any type of Egyptian history or lore in a long time and this was a great re-intro. I am not familiar enough with the history to know if this is rooted in fact, or if it is how accurate it was so my review is purely based on ignorance from that standpoint.
I found the characters well written, their relationships were nuanced and fleshed out, and the conflicts made sense. It was interesting seeing the power struggle between three family members play out the way that it did, and I was very happy about the ending.

I am giving this 3.5 stars.

I loved how "girl power" and women uplifting women this book was. The writer did a great job with the FMC's friendships.
I don't know much about the history of Neferura so I can't speak to the accuracy. The pacing was a big issue for me. The first part just seemed to drag and then when it did pick up, it all seemed too easy. Although I enjoyed the characters and the dynamic they played, there was a connection issue.

As an enthusiast of Egyptian mythology and a lover of feminist mythology retellings, I entered into this book with high expectations. While there were aspects that intrigued me, unfortunately, much of the execution left me wanting.
Primarily, the multitude of characters proved challenging to follow. While some were introduced, their roles and connections to Neferura were quickly lost amidst the narrative flow. With a lesser number of side characters, this might have been manageable, but the abundance made them easily confused and difficult to track.
The pacing added another layer of inconsistency. While certain sections rushed ahead, others lingered, waiting for the introduction of new plot elements. Though the plot itself held promise and kept me engaged, the erratic pacing disrupted the story's flow.
A romantic subplot was also present, offering intrigue and potential. The chemistry between the characters was evident, yet the lack of romantic development left much to be desired. Their sudden transition from silent admiration to active involvement felt rushed and lacked depth. While I acknowledge the historical context, a deeper exploration of their relationship and Neferura's feelings beyond mere physical attraction would have enriched the narrative.

In this complex historical fiction novel, Malayna Evans brings the life of Neferura, daughter of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, to the front of the page. Readers are dropped into the political complexity and dangers of the Egyptian court as Hatshepsut and Neferura’s half-brother Thutmose battle for control as joint Pharaohs of Egypt. Neferura, trying to walk a fine line between her mother and half-brother, only wants to keep her close friends and family safe from the brewing conflict, but soon enough, political turmoil, war, and secrets will tear her world and Egypt apart. Evans’ characters are the driving force of the story, and Neferura is a fascinating, complex heroine. Told from her perspective, readers see the world and the chaos of her life from her perspective as a young woman at a court full of powerful people. Evans has clearly done her research into Hatshepsut’s court and the various people and positions of the time, and the historical context and worldbuilding of this novel are incredibly detailed. Evans’ novel is complex, high stakes, and immersive, and her use of Neferura as subject, protagonist, and perspective is incredibly well done like so much of this fascinating, enjoyable, and wonderfully detailed historical fiction book.

A woman in power is a dangerous thing. A man jealous of a woman's power is even worse. In ancient Egypt, Neferura lives on a knifes edge. As a high priestess and princess, a pack of hungry jackals nips at her heels, waiting for her to step out of line. One day, Neferura overhears her half-brother planning to murder their mother, Hatshepsut. With the help of a mysterious woman, the two race to save her mother's life and prevent power falling into the hands of a vengeful, jealous man.
Women of today will find too much of themselves in the pages of Nerferura. No matter the time, women in power have always been feared. This intimate look at a woman lost to history is warning to readers. To do underestimate a woman. Combined witth the suspense of a mystery and attempted murder, readers will end the book chilled to the bone.