Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

When this widget crossed my email I decided to pick it up because I’m always intrigued by the lesser-known female Egyptian royals and I rarely get a chance to read these ancient historical fiction novels (think like Madeleine Miller’s books). The female Egyptian queens and pharaohs are always intriguing figures, but the daughter of Hapshetsut, whom little is known about? That had the potential to be a great story.

It’s an interesting story, but the execution was average.

Evans, an expert in ancient Egyptian history, clearly knows what she's doing when it comes to world building and imagery. I had no trouble imagining the Egypt of Neferura’s time, from the land to the people. Likewise, her characters were interesting, if a little rote.

The issue I had is that the storytelling was lacking in any kind of flair or color. While readable, it wasn’t special. It was okay for one read, but I wouldn’t read it again. I’d consider it if you’re really digging some ancient Egypt vibes, but not if you’re looking for a dynamic story.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction/Women’s Fiction

Thank you to Sourbooks for providing me with a digital copy of “Neferura.” I think the last time that I may have read any Egyptian mythology was back in elementary or even middle school - so a very long time! I am partial to Greek mythology but this was a great way to expose myself to another ancient civilization inspired story. Overall, I think this was a good read but I did struggle quite a bit. Neferura was extremely naive which was frustrating that she took so long to realize her privilege of ignorance. There were parts where I was sucked in because it suddenly became fast-paced but it was mostly slow, medium, slow, fast, slow, slow pace. I do want to try and find more reads based on Egyptian mythology and this was a great place to start!

I generally love all things Egyptian. The novel was slow to start and had quite a rushed end. Ultimately I became quite bored and struggled to finish the story.

This book was a mixed bag for me. There were a few elements that I really enjoyed, but I also had some issues.

First, let’s talk about what I struggled with. Something to know about me: I hate unnecessary repetition. This is a frequent issue throughout the book. As a result, things/situations are also constantly over-explained.

There is very little action in the book and it feels like it is made up mostly of conversations. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if it didn’t feel like we were witnessing the same conversation over and over again, even between different characters. It makes the plot lag and messes with the pacing. There are times where it feels like we are being built up to some action, but it is always quickly brushed over and resolved.

I couldn’t emotionally connect to any of the characters, they felt underdeveloped.

I also wanted it to feel more atmospheric. We’re given this really cool setting of ancient Egypt, yet I never felt like I was really put into the story.

Regardless of these issues, I was still able to find some enjoyment. The research that was done for this was absolutely stellar. The author has a PhD in Egyptian History and it shows. From their gods, to their culture and customs, materials and foods, and their language: you could tell everything was accurately depicted of this time and I really appreciated that. It was my favorite part of the book.

I also really enjoyed the network of female spies and the examples of strong, healthy, and supportive female friendships and relationships - there is no backstabbing here, which is nice.

I found that even when the plot itself was lagging, it was still easy to read. It did have a YA feel to it (it is not marketed as YA), so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this up.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if you have a strong interest in ancient Egypt, love a band of strong, vigilante women, and/or are a fan of YA writing, I think you could enjoy this!

3.5 stars rounded up.

As a historical fiction fanatic, when I saw there was an historical fiction set in Ancient Egypt I was immediately intrigued. I have read countless retellings of Ancient Greek lore recently and yet none set in Egypt. I had never heard of Neferura and found her journey navigating her friendships, strength and autonomy incredibly interesting. As a reader, you feel incredibly immersed in the Egyptian culture of the time; the overwhelming lack of female autonomy and agency makes you empathize and feel angry on behalf of our protagonist.

I enjoyed watching Neferura really come into to her own by the end of the story amidst her mother (who's a pharaoh) and her brother (who's also a pharaoh) destructive battle for the throne. I have not hated an antagonist like her brother in a very long time. Truly, I hated him to my core.

Unfortunately I found the ending quite rushed (everything seems to happen in the last 15%). Furthermore, while I was hoping for more lyrical prose and writing style, I would say the writing feels very direct, literal, and YA-esque.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

It's 3.5 stars for me, with the first part being towards 2,5-3, and the last part a solid 4. The main issue was the pacing of the book. It started pretty slow, and I had to push though to get to the interesting part of the plot. Plus, it has many secondary characters and names. Maybe a few less would have helped.

On the positives, the plot surprised me, and I loved the plot twists after 50%. The pace picked up, and I read it very fast to find out what happened next.

I loved Neferura and her relationships with the women close to her,the whole concept was well thought and structured.

The fact that Evans has a PhD in egyptology showed, and I thoroughly enjoyed the accuracy and the little details on customs, religion, politics, and even fashion.

I also loved the ending, I was worried how it would pan out, but my little heart was happy.

one thing about me is i will read any feminist mythology retelling. i had bare minimum knowledge of ancient egypt, which took me a little longer to to really get into the story. however, the writing was simple and easy to understand, though sometimes TOO simple and easy that it's hardly believable...

ARC/ Book review: Neferura by Malayna Evans

It has been well established that I love Greek mythology (retellings), so it’s not far fetched for me to sign up for an ARC for Neferura by Malayna Evans, which takes readers to Ancient Egypt. This book follows the story of Neferura, princess and high priestess of Kemet, and daughter of Hatshepsut, the great Pharaoh. When her half-brother Thutmose comes back to court and plots to end her mother’s rule, Neferura knows he must be stopped.

This book was marketed as adult historical fiction, but in tone and style, it felt more YA to me, which was a bit confusing at the beginning. I also had issues with the pacing: it started off really slow, then things suddenly spiraled out of control very quickly, and the ending felt extremely rushed.

What I enjoyed most about Neferura was the aspect of friendship and sisterhood, and I’m glad that the author decided to give it so much weight and importance; I also liked seeing Neferura coming into her own: at the beginning of the book, she’s nothing more than a naive supplicant, but as the story continues, she finds strength, power and agency.

I think this book could have been more than it turned out to be; it had great potential but ultimately fell a little bit flat. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. Neferura will be published on February 13.

3.5/5

The first third of this book is perfect. We get to meet the characters and their stories and it’s absolutely divine. But then the tone shifts and it’s action action action with “twists” and turns and reveals that just didn’t land for me. It would have been nice to have it balanced a bit more but overall it’s an incredibly enjoyable read.

Neferura -a standalone

By : Malayna Evans-1st time read author for me

Publication: 2-13-24, Read 2-10-24

Format: eBook, 354 pgs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Heroines:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: 3.5/5 ✨✨✨

Summary: Neferura is a princess and high priestess of Egypt and the daughter of Queen Hatshepsut-the great Pharoah. King Thutmose II died, his son Thutmose III is heir but he's too young to rule. Hatshepsut stands as regent but when he gets older he's co-pharaoh. When he wants his throne Hatshepsut isn't backing down.

What I Loved: The historical information about Egypt, the past pharaohs and commoners, and the powerful female relationships. There was a romance between Neferura and Kamut but with all the other characters, it got a little lost.

The plot of the story was Neferura learning how power corrupts and who she wanted to be in that world. Her mother and half-brother are cut throat and she starts off as a naive supplicant. As she meets other women with their own power- seen and unseen- she taps into her own strength. From Iset, Hathor, Thuiu, and to Satiah, they all brought something to further the plot and help Neferura.

What I Struggled With: The pacing made it hard to really enjoy this novel. Part I was very dense and had too much information . I felt like I was reading a textbook. Part II and III sped up but the ending was very abrupt. I hated that you had to read the epilogue to see everyone's end game.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Fic, Sci Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense, Adult Fic, Women's Fic
Character Types: corrupt politicians, ladies in waiting, wisewomen, naive/coming of age heroine
Themes: female empowerment, 18th Dynasty of Egypt, Egyptian culture and rituals, royal court intrigue/politics

Book Perspective
One POV, the h
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A mix of both

I really enjoyed this take on ancient Egyptian history - it has all the trappings of a good story, the magical princess, the evil halt-brother, the cunning woman and the fight for the throne. I don’t know much about Egyptian mythology so I can’t tell you how accurate the story is, but it’s fun and easy to read. Perhaps a little too easy in parts - I found the language pretty unsophisticated, but that just means less barrier to entry for younger readers.

I think most of the reasons I didn’t enjoy this had to do with unfulfilled expectations. For example, this seemed to be marketed as an adult novel, but the dialogue skewed younger (like the surprisingly constant jabs at Hatshepsut’s appearance). Despite the entire story being so deeply entrenched in this specific setting and with these specific characters, the plot was also very formulaic, which was hard to reconcile in my mind. Like Claire Heywood, I think some scholars should stick with academic writing and leave historical fiction to others

As the daughter of Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, Neferura is used to following her mother’s orders and carrying out her duties as a god’s wife and high priestess. When Neferura’s half brother Thutmose—heir to the throne and co-pharaoh with Hatshepsut—returns to Waset, a royal squabble and grab for power ensues promising chaos and spectacle. In a world where men are granted power for simply being men, this book celebrates how women—who on the surface may not appear to hold the same influence—have many ways of wielding their skills.

I mostly enjoyed this historical novel inspired by ancient Egyptian rulers. While the story took awhile to capture then keep my attention, the celebration of sisterhood and Neferura’s growth had me turning pages to get to the end. Neferura evolves from a naive supplicant to a scheming royal. She learns to trust which leads to strong female friendships that are life-saving.

This book is categorized as adult, however it read YA to me. Once adopting that lens, I was able to enjoy the book more. The pacing of the first half of the book was difficult to get through. The world building did not keep my attention and I continuously was pulled out of the story to look up words and reference the glossary of terms. The author does make a point at the end of the book to note that selecting word choice was difficult when writing the book. While she intended on being faithful to the time period, I was lost without the glossary and my reading experience was disrupted.

The second half of the book contained more action and was faster paced. I was lost in the story and surprised to get to the epilogue, the ending have made up for the initial slow start. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Actual Rating 2.5

TW: Rape, Abuse, Incest

Neferura is the daughter of the Pharaoh as well as the high priestess of Kemet. She has known her duty since she was young and doesn’t shy away from its expectations and demands. But when her half-brother unexpectedly returns to her life, Neferura knows that her peace is soon to be disrupted. Caught between her Pharaoh and her powerful brother, she learns that the truth is usually buried beneath hidden agendas and that choosing where her loyalties lie will be harder than she ever thought.

The characters of this book were good. I wanted more depth from them overall but felt that they were written well enough not to detract too much. The way the author chose to portray Hatshepsut was a nontraditional and creative interpretation but added much to the depth and conflict of this particular story. I also enjoyed that this story was focused on relationships, largely non-romantic ones. It gave this work a stronger cast of female characters, and I enjoyed how impactful many of the secondary characters were to the story. There was a romance element incorporated which I felt weakened the book overall as their relationship added nothing meaningful to the characters or the story and lacked any real emotional impact.

I appreciated the author’s note that discussed what details were based on historical fact, what other aspects were interpretations, and a discussion on why she chose the language/words that she did. I was hoping for more from the setting and to learn more about Egypt than I did, though.

This work is classified as Adult historical fiction, but it honestly reads a bit more like YA. If you enjoy creative historical fiction, then you’ll likely enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read this book, which will be published February 13, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book had so much potential, and I was so excited when I started it, especially given the author’s own background as an expert in Egyptian history. But due in part to what I believe to be misleading marketing, and some pacing/tone issues, this book really fell short for me.

I loved how historically accurate this book was, and the author’s note at the end detailing how much of this story was pulled together based on historical records and evidence is exhilarating. I also adored the strength of the female friendships between Neferura and her ladies in waiting/ attending priestesses. They felt real and altruistically supportive and I enjoyed them immensely.

On the other hand, there were severe pacing issues in the book. I am not sure if this is due to the necessity of holding steadfast to the historical record or some other reason, but the book dragged on for me so much so that by the last third of the book I found myself skimming more than I was intently reading, because it just couldn’t hold my attention. I also found the ending to be extremely rushed, and while the epilogue was meant to better resolve the end of the book, it felt disjointed to me and I didn’t feel a sense of closure by the time I finished reading.

Lastly, the issue of marketing: I found this book through the “fantasy” category on NetGalley, and it is marketed as such on numerous sites. However, barring the allusion of godly intervention, and the wisewoman, Hathor, having special insight and knowledge, this book is concretely historical fiction, and features no magic or fantastical elements, which I found myself looking for the entirety of the novel.

Overall, this book failed to meet the expectations it set for itself, but I have immense respect for the author for creating a story out of the history found by Egyptologists on a long-forgotten feminist figure. 2⭐️

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Neferura fell a little flat but for the most part was well thought out and mostly kept me engaged in the story. It got boring in a couple of places but I liked the characters and came back to it pretty quickly.

♦️Neferura is known in history as the daughter of two pharaohs. When her father, Thutmose II, passed away, her half-brother, Thutmose III, succeeded him. As he was just a child at that time, Neferura's mother,  Hatshepsut, became his regent. After some time, she declared herself Pharaoh, leaving limited power to her stepson, Thutmose. As a female Pharaoh cannot have a queen, the responsibilities of the latter fell on Neferura, which included the title of the god's wife and high priestess of Kemet. Things take a different turn when after several years, Thutmose comes back to overthrow his step-mother and seek vengeance. Caught between the power struggle of two Pharaohs, Neferura learns about a tattooed, wise woman who is believed to hold immense ability to make people do what she wants. Will the wise woman be able to save her from the clutches of her evil half-brother? What choices will Hatshepsut make which will make her daughter's life a living hell?

💥It is a historical fiction where Neferura is both the narrator and the protagonist. Through the story, the readers get to learn about her mother, a Pharaoh who had brought immense development in Egypt during her time. We get to know about the lives of pharaohs and commoners. We learn about different customs and beliefs of the people of Ancient Egypt. It was quite interesting to know about the rituals that they practiced.

💥In this story women play a very important role. Starting from the Pharaoh who is a woman, her daughter, Neferura, the handmaids, the wise woman and an aged woman, Thuiu, each one helps in changing the course of the story. The author has beautifully portrayed that powerful and rich does not always go side by side because even if you are not rich, you can always hold some kind of potential.

💥This book had transferred me to the time of Pharaohs where I had become a part of the story. Readers interested in historical fiction and Ancient Egypt will surey like this book.
            I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

3.5 stars

I’m a sucker for a good mythological or historical retelling. Madeline Miller’s Greek retellings are some of the best novels to grace this planet - which is why Neferura caught my attention so easily. I’ve always been interested in it but have never read anything set in Egypt or revolving around Egyptian culture and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t completely disappointed. On the whole, I was quite pleased.

That being said, I did have a few issues with this retelling that impaired my enjoyment. I found the pacing to be very inconsistent. Things either happened way too slowly or way too fast. I think the book could have benefitted from extra material and a steadier storytelling style. Not to mention that the dialogue felt very juvenile at some points and I questioned whether it was YA or not. The language itself felt completely out of place during certain moments - the word “literally” was spoken in a sentence and I can’t imagine anyone in ancient Egypt using it since it’s so ingrained in our modern vernacular.

Neferura herself began as a naive, timid shell of a character. But her development throughout was applaudable and I loved her by the end. However, I wish she and Kamut had more time to develop their relationship - their love for each other was obvious but I wanted to see it unfold instead of being told that they loved each other. Give me the why, the spark, the reason for their love. Make it believable - give me something to root for rather than a watered down romance with lines like “he made love to me” in the middle of a paragraph.

But I think what I loved the most about this story was the feminist aspect - other than the few antagonistic female characters, the female friendships within were beautiful and strong. I found myself attached to these friends as if they were my own and relished in their platonic love for each other. These bonds are very important in modern storytelling and I’m happy that it’s become a genre of its own.

I will say that although the ending was wrapped up well enough, and gave us a happy glimpse at everyone’s lives, it felt very forced. I’m not saying I wanted anyone else to die or have bad things befall already suffering characters but the ending was less than realistic and therefore somewhat disappointing.

I don’t doubt the incredible amount of time and research it took to put together a novel of this caliber - that alone is astounding to me. But this could have spent a little longer cooking or the guidance of someone more experienced in the process of writing fiction.

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

3.75⭐️

Neferura was my first Egyptian mythology/historical fiction read. I enjoyed it, as I usually do with feminist retellings, but it just didn’t quite meet my expectations fully. It fell a little flat. The storyline itself was good. I liked getting insight into ancient Egyptian life, and though some bits were obviously fictionalized as necessary, it’s clear the author has expansive knowledge of ancient Egypt. I could see the passion Malayna Evans has for ancient Egypt and Neferura herself. I just thought the pacing of the book was a bit odd. It felt like some parts dragged while others skipped forward months at a time, and because of that, the writing style just wasn’t my favorite. It’s not bad by any means. In fact, I still enjoyed myself while reading Neferura. It was also a pretty quick read. I would still absolutely recommend it to those interested in ancient Egypt retellings because I do still think there is enjoyment to be had in this reimagining.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Malayna Evans for the ARC of Neferura. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could not get into this book. It didn't hook me, and the narration felt flat. I wanted to like it so badly, but I ended up DNF'ing this one.