I've always had a fascination with ancient Egypt so this was right up my alley! This story follows Charlotte, an Egyptologist and Associate Curator at the Met, who refuses to go back to Egypt because of an unbearable tragedy that happened the first time she was there in the 1930s; and Annie, a young fashion enthusiast who just started working for the organizer of the famous Met Gala.

This story is split into two timelines— Charlotte's backstory from the 1930s, and present day for Charlotte and Annie set in the 1970s.

After an impressive necklace, that belonged to a little-known female Pharaoh, is anonymously donated to the Egyptian department, Charlotte is stunned. SHE was the one who discovered the necklace and was told that it had gone missing shortly after the fact. The artifact is said to be cursed, and because of the horrible events that happened after unearthing the necklace, Charlotte believes the curse is real.

Charlotte and Annie's paths cross when Annie's boss insists on using this necklace as part of her Met Gala presentation. After a different artifact is stolen the night of the big party, Charlotte is convinced it has something to do with the cursed necklace and decides she needs to go back to Egypt, with Annie tagging along, to finally put this curse to rest.

This was a quick and entertaining read for me! I couldn't put it down!

The Stolen Queen
By: Fiona Davis
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: January 7, 2025
5 🛕🛕🛕🛕🛕

Every year I cannot wait for Davis’s next book. She always transforms me to NYC. Her books always have a NYC building as the center of the story. This year centers on the Met Gala and we travel back decades to Cairo.
🛕
Art, stolen artifacts, an in-depth story, intrigue, mummies, curses, NYC and Egypt make for an extraordinary novel filled with well-researched details.

Thank you Dutton for the gifted eARC.

❓Have you visited NYC? If you have, which is your favorite building? I had made a quick trip, but going back is on my bucket list.
#thestolenqueen, #fionadavis, #dutton, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

DNF @ 25%

Here we are again, doing my least favorite thing, DNFing an advanced copy :/
This premise sounded amazing, as someone who works in GLAM I thought that I would be immediately hooked. As much as I thought I would enjoy the setting, there was really nothing for me to grab onto here. I have never read the author before so I didn't know what to expect, but there was something a little too smoothed over for me, as if there were no texture to the scenes, and we were just moving from beat to beat. Maybe there will be some edits in between now and publishing and I will give it another shot, but I think here I broke my own rule of not requesting books that are more than four mouths out from their pub date. Take my words with a grain of salt, if this is an author you like, it still might be for you!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me early access to this book!

“The Stolen Queen” is by Fiona Davis. If you’ve read any of her previous books, you know you can expect an interesting building (in this case The Met of NYC) and some strong female characters. In this case, we follow (via dual timelines) Charlotte. In the 1930s, Charlotte accompanied a Met sponsored dig in Egypt, where a great discovery was made. In the 1970s, Charlotte is now employed by The Met as an Egyptologist, prepping for the King Tut exhibit. Before that, however, is The Met Gala, headed by Diana Vreeland, in Ms. Vreeland’s typical over the top extravaganza. While Charlotte isn’t involved (much) in planning that event, the other main character, Annie, is - hired on the spot as Ms. Vreeland’s assistant. During the party, a number of things go wrong - a priceless piece of sculpture is stolen, priceless and delicate costumes are at risk, and some of Charlotte’s work is stolen. Charlotte and Annie go off to Egypt to try to find out how, exactly, the past and present connect. I once again applaud Ms. Davis’s historical research - do read the Author’s Note [knowing a bit about both The Valley of the Kings and the Egyptian time period, I was impressed that Ms. Davis invented a new set of rulers - hats off to you Ma’am]. I found a bit of Annie’s coincidences a bit *too* convenient - and I absolutely disliked the storyline with her mother - but I dld like how Annie blossomed as this book progressed. This was a delightful book and I look forward to Ms. Davis’s next book.

Another great book by Fiona Davis! Combining history and the current day (in this case, the 70's) she tells an awesome intriguing story. Some twists and turns you don't see coming! I highly recommend this book!

"The Stolen Queen" is a little different than Davis' earlier books but there is still an iconic building -the Met - and a dual timeline but the main character - Charlotte - is an integral part of both time lines. If you are a fan of ancient Egyptian history - think King Tut, mummies, tombs etc. - you will love this book.
Charlotte, in her early 20s, accompanies a team of egyptologists/archeologists to the Valley of the Kings where they make a great discovery in which Charlotte plays a part. Things do not end well. Fast forward 40 years to the Met where Charlotte is employed as an Egyptologist and responsible for planning for the arrival of the King Tut exhibit. The night of the Met Gala, Diana Vreeland and her young and inexperienced assistant Annie are ready for the patrons to see the costumes and light display they have arranged when an unexpected and chaotic incident occurs and as chaos reigns Charlotte's research notes which she has kept for years to prove her theory about the pharaoh Hathorkare (Hatshapsut) as well as an important Egyptian statue are stolen. Charlotte is convinced that these two thefts are related and will help her solve the mystery of what she left behind in Egypt 40 years earlier. She leaves everything and together with Annie she sets off from Egypt to find the truth that will connect these two timelines.

Fiona Davis can write a dual story line like few others.

Starting in 1936 Charlotte’s life as an undergraduate,within a team of Egyptologist, begins in The Valley of Kings. For the reader we get to experience the Vally of the Kings, Luxor, Cairo and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City in 1978! What a trip!

Many novels involve mystery, intrigue, puzzles to solve, self discovery. The Stolen Queen has all of this plus much more. Charlotte’s early experiences in Egypt are inspired by the famed female French archeologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, who is the subject of a terrific biography by Lynne Olson, Empress of the Nile.

Charlotte and her side kick Anne both learn that -how you feel it to be, that is how you wish it to be, and how you wish it into being. Such a great way of understanding the importance of believing in yourself . Women in the days of 1936 are no different than today, discovering for yourself, within yourself.

As you read The Stolen Queen the mysteries of the female Pharaoh Hathorkare described as a “vain, ambitious, and unscrupulous woman,” based on the erasures of her image by her successor are explored giving the Pharaoh peace in her afterlife and the Charlotte the discovery of the her daughter as she spends the rest of her days in Egypt among the whispers of ancient pharaohs.

Buy it, read it! You will add it to your favorites of Fiona Davis’s works.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House LLC., Dutton and Fiona Davis for the opportunity to read and review this Advanced Copy.

The Stolen Queen is an interesting mix of stolen art, an Egyptian curse, a dash of mystery and intrigue, strong female characters and even behind the scenes of the Met Gala. Blend it all together and it combines into an exceptional book that you shouldn’t miss.

Stolen Egyptian artifacts, the discovered temple of a Pharaoh with all of its secrets, and a dual timeline, brings surprises and suspense in the latest novel by Fiona Davis. The Stolen Queen follows the life of a young archeologist Charlotte, from her time in Egypt to working at the Met in New York City. On the biggest night of the year for the Met things start to unravel, bringing more questions and leaving Charlotte searching for answers. One of my favorite authors has done it again. Along with all of her previous novels, this is another page turner not to be missed!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy of Fiona Davis's ," The Stolen Queen". Davis is one of my go to for historical fiction and I was ecstatic to dive into her newest novel. This novel focuses on a Charlotte Cross, a woman who works at the New York Met specializing in Egyptian artifacts. When a beautiful broad collar arrives on loan from an anonymous donor and she recognizes it from the past, she has to figure out how it came to be in NYC and why. We also meet Annie Jones, a young woman who is struggling with self identity and her place in this world, who has always used the MET as her escape from the real world. The two stories come together perfectly, and one of the reasons I love this author so much is she always has a mystery in her story as well. I also learned a lot about Egyptian culture, which has always fascinated me. This author is one of my favorites, and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

I loved “Stolen Queen” by Fiona Davis. The story begins in Egypt in the Valley of the Kings with a young 19 year old Charlotte Cross on an archaeological dig. Then fast forward 41 years Charlotte lives in New York as an associate curator for the Met in Egyptian antiquities. Annie Jenkins an 18 year old gets a job working at the Met for the Met Gala. As the Met prepares for the Gala, an Egyptian broad collar arrives which was found 41 years earlier by Charlotte during her time on the dig. This arrival throws Charlotte a curve ball as the last time she saw the collar was in 1936 when a boat she was on encounters a storm. Annie sees the broad collar and recommends it be used on a mannequin at the Gala. During the Gala, Charlotte notices an Egyptian piece has been stolen. As she looks for the person, Annie pitches in to find the person. This takes the two on an adventure to not only find the stolen piece but find out who sent the broad collar. It delves into Charlotte’s previous time in Egypt. The story is captivating and I didn’t want to put this book down. I definitely recommend. The story is well written. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House.

The Stolen Queen is a wonderful tale about art, loss, and the determination of two strong women. Fiona Davis does an exceptional job of taking her reader back to the amazing discoveries of Egyptian artifacts and blending it with the current time period. Her mix of fictional characters and historical elements is a reader's dream. Davis mixes in some mystery and intrigue to create an exceptional book that all should read!

I really enjoyed this book. From the way the mystery unfolded to the strong female characters to the amazing way the author talked about The Met and Egypt. A great read for the summer months.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author to me
The write up was intriguing and sooooo my genre

I loved this
Gripped me from page 1

Highly recommend

This novel centers on Met Gala, stolen art, a tragedy four decades earlier, travel, and an Egyptian curse. Repatriation law is one of my favorite legal topics and the first Monday of May is one of my favorite days of the year. As much as I loved the plot with its twists and resolutions, however, I may have actually loved the characters and their development more.

Once again, Fiona Davis delivers the ideal blend of fact and fiction. Davis’ research on Egyptology and the Met Gala is impeccable; the facts are easily verifiable and the fictional parts are disclosed in the Author’s Note. This is the kind of book I would especially love a high-school student to annotate for Davis’ rich use of figurative language. While noting the striking similes that I actually reread because they were so good, a bonus I would hope for the student would be to critically think about important issues such as beauty standards according to Vreeland, the scope of archaeology and professional expectations of women, or repatriation.

That said, repatriation is fascinating because of its nuances. Davis does an incredible job using characters to present both sides of the ethical debate without settling on the right answer, if there even is one in an imperfect world. This adds meaningful depth to the villains’ motivations in this story, though the illegality of their actions is of course clear.

This will certainly be one of my favorite books of the year and I recommend it to all. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I had never read anything by Fiona Davis before, so I was excited to read this book as it delves into ancient Egypt with a mystery twist. The story is set in both 1930s Cairo, Egypt, and 1970s New York City, revolving around the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The book did a great job of captivating me from the start. I enjoyed the intertwining stories of Annie and Charlotte, as well as the fascinating insights into the inner workings of a museum and the role of a curator. The unexpected twist in the mystery plotline took me by surprise, and the ending tied everything together perfectly.

Fiona Davis' writing style is impressive, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next. Unlike some historical fiction books, there weren't any dull moments in this one. I would definitely pick up another book by Fiona Davis without hesitation.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Group Dutton for giving me a copy.

Combining past and present, Davis weaves a dramatic and engrossing story from Egyptian archeological digs in the 30’s to the Met in the late 70’s setting up for the King Tut exhibit. Two main characters, Charlotte, 60, curating at the Met, trying to reconcile the tragedy in her past, and Annie, 18, trying to jumpstart her future, come together to solve a theft of their beloved statue of Pharaoh Hathorkare during the Met gala. I loved reading about the archeological digs, how the Met operates behind the scenes, and what Egypt was like then and now. I inhaled this book, it was so wonderful, rich and beautifully written. A book to reread and savor.

I love Fiona Davis, so I was very excited to start this book this week. It is part of my upcoming releases of historical fiction to look for at our state library conference, so it was exciting to get to read it before I present about it.

I really enjoyed this. It hooks you from page one, and the dual timelines from the 30's Egypt to 70's NYC at the MET work really well. Annie's character had some coincidences that sometimes felt a little too reaching, but overall I really loved this. While I was expecting one of the big mysteries at the end, the person is not who I was expecting, so that was fun.

One of my favorite things is the authors historical note at the end - she always explains where her ideas are from, who they are based upon, what liberties she took, etc. It's all very well done.

Another great addition to Davis' repertoire.

I’ve had a hard time lately getting into historical fiction (although it’s my most-read genre!) so I thought I was going to have to drag myself through this.

But.

I was honestly hooked from the first page. Which made me so stinkin excited.

History and mystery mixed together in The Stolen Queen in the best possible way. I enjoyed so many aspects of this! I really appreciated how Annie and Charlottes stories were woven together. Separate but enough entwined that it didn’t feel like I was jumping into different books. Paired with the time hops, it could have felt messy. But Fiona Davis did it in such a smooth way! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Twists and turns and a look behind the scenes at the Met - glamorous and mundane. I thought I could read this chapter by chapter over a few days but found myself staying up until midnight to finish it (Once I got to a certain point I HAD TO KNOW!) Charlotte and Annie's lives are so relatable though far from my day to day life and world.