Tomb of the Sun King by Jacqueline Benson is the second book in a new genre defying series that is part historical mystery and part adventure romance with some fantasy elements thrown in. Fresh off a meet cute in 1890s Belize that saw them keep a magical artifact out of the hands of ruthless men with nefarious intentions, Ellie Mallory and Adam Bates have made their way to Egypt to warn Ellie’s stepbrother, Neil Fairfax (who also just so happens to be Adam’s best friend from Cambridge), that the same shadowy group may be after another such relic at his archaeological dig. Pretty soon Ellie, Adam, and Neil—along with Ellie’s best friend the firebrand Constance Tyrell and Neil’s local and very competent foreman Sayyid—are on the run, trying to locate the relic (thought to be the staff of Moses—yes, that Moses) before the baddies do.

If you like Indiana Jones or The Mummy, I think you’ll enjoy this series a lot. It’s got that historical mystery adventure with a helping of mythical magic that matches those movie vibes perfectly. I enjoyed this one a lot—especially seeing Ellie and Adam’s relationship progress and the introduction of a possible romantic subplot between the very stuffy Neil and the spitfire Connie. But the multi POVS (Ellie, Adam, Neil, and Connie) made the story a little choppy for me—I generally prefer single or dual POV. I am looking forward to what’s next!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The adventure continues as Ellie and Adam rush to Egypt to stop Jacobs and his cohort from finding the biblical Staff of Moses!

This sequel is action-packed from the start as we get to see Ellie in her natural habitat—geeking out over the history and culture of Ancient Egypt. Along the way we get some wonderful new side characters: Ellie’s stepbrother Neil (who also happens to be Adam’s best friend from college), her best friend Connie (who just craves an adventure and romance of her own), Sayyid (Neil’s friend and foreman on his dig), and Sayyid’s wife Zeinab (midwife and secret revolutionary). Together they must solve the riddle of the staff’s hiding place and the identity of the little known pharaoh Nefernefruaten.

The Mummy vibes are even deeper in book two since it takes place in Egypt. There are secret tombs with booby traps, fights with Jacobs and his new employer, beduins, a gang of female revolutionaires, and magical items galore! The action starts right away and continues nonstop! The history that was included blended the cult of Aten and the origins of Moses (which we usually see associated with the pharaoh Ramesses instead). We even got to see two new arcana: the staff of Moses and a famous British sword that bursts into blue flames!

I absolutely adored the side characters. Connie and Neil’s growing relationship actually had me more interested than Ellie and Adam’s (both of them are kind of unsure of the other’s feelings now that they are no longer alone in the jungle). Connie is just so headstrong and determined to find an adventure of her own that she drives a lot of the action by herself. But she is also clever enough to get done what needs to be done, and unafraid to threaten and push Neil out od his comfort zone to get there. Sayyid is so much like Ellie, with a love for the history of Egypt but denied the ability to do what he loved because of his social and enthic standing. Zeinab was the clever and passionate foil for his scholarly inclinations (her passion drives her to lead a group of revolutionaries in secret even from her husband).

There was a hint about the tomb of the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang which made me think that China might be the setting for the next book in the series (although we later find out they will be going to India first at the behest of Connie’s grandmother and uncle). We also got a deeper look into the mysterious Order of Albion, the rich and influential sponsers behind Jacobs and their quest for the arcana.

I am excited to see the series continue and hope that I can wait that long for book 3!

When I saw book two on NetGalley, I screamed. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review.

This book is just as amazing as book 1! With twist and turns at every point I kept reading to late into the morning because I didn’t want to stop.

I was so trilled to be able to get an ARC of this book. Book two picks up right where book one ends, but ow we see that Ellie and Adamhave made it to Egypt. Ellie and Adam get caught up in another adventure, not will more people to their team and some faces we’ve heard so much about: Constance “Connie” and Ellie’s Stepbrother Neil... who is also Adam’s best friend from Cambridge, just wait until he finds out where Ellie has really been and with WHO! If the first book felt more like Indiana Jones then The Tomb f the Sun King is like The Mummy. Ellie, Adam and their reunited companions are now spending their days to keep some of Egypt's most important artifacts out of the wrong hands. you get to experience well written villains, history, witty banter, romance, lost artifacts and maybe some close calls. I really enjoyed seeing some developing between sibling relationships, romantic relationship with Ellie and Adam and maybe between some other friend's wink wink. it looks like we will be getting a book three with the way this one has finished off and I can’t wait for that announcement to come!!

I think this book was wonderfully written so much detail and history intertwined with fantasy, the romance and banter just keep you wanting more, I loved that we had some more characters added to the "team" this time around. Neil and Connie are a good addition and add some diversity to the personalities of the main characters. my reviews will be up on Goodreads and Instagram very soon!

Once again an amazing story full of adventure and romance!!


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this work.

thank you to netgalley for the arc! all my opinions are my own.

this book was such a wonderful follow up to the first! it was great to come back to the world of ellie and adam.

i am SO GLAD! we were able to see constance again, and see a lot of her! what a delight. i was also happy to meet neil, although some of his actions could be annoying.

i literally cannot wait for the third installment.

Ellie & Adam must race to Egypt to beat Jacobs & Dawson to finding the tomb that hides the staff of Moses. Teaming up with Ellie’s friend Connie, her brother Neil, and his friend Sayyid, they hope to protect a lost tomb that will redefine Egypt’s history.

No sequel slump here! The relationship of Ellie and Adam stayed solid as they communicated and stuck together, the Egypt archaeology had me totally hooked and had me researching things as the story progressed (always a positive sign, for me).

In addition, we get some absolutely delightful new characters. We get more of Connie, whose brief appearance in the first book was a delight. And getting more depth on her character, while she also sweeps in to save the day was fantastic. Ellie’s brother Neil, as the slightly bumbling expert, was fun, but where he truly shined was the development he undergoes as he really starts to process the discrimination both Ellie and Sayyid are subjected to. And Sayyid! What can I say about home, but then I want a whole spin off novel of him and his wife, Zeinab, as they work together fighting for Egypt’s independence.

While I still was a huge fan of the romance between Ellie and Adam, I’m less invested in Neil and Connie, who seem remarkably ill suited for each other, which saw its foundation in this book. Hopefully, book three will give them more time to grow. But I find myself also hoping not. We don’t need every main good character paired off in a romantic relationship.

And I am so invested to finding out more of Jacobs’s history. Taking the more overtly villainous character and opening up so many questions about him has really sealed me in for book three.

This series also seems to be falling into a pattern of the White Savior trope with Ellie and Adam and Neil being the driving forces behind saving the world, which makes me very interested in book three as we will be getting Connie and the gang going to India, where her family is from. I’d love to see her take more center stage.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for this arc!

Delightful! I was deeply eager for this second book in the series and it did not disappoint. The foundation of mutual respect and kindness between Adam and Ellie is a treasure of its own as are their deep enthusiasms for camels and explosives respectively. While I was originally reticent about the additional POVs I fell in love with Dr Neil Fairfax immediately. Exquisitely researched as per the previous. A fun, sweet, and adventurous romp.

Tomb of the Sun King is the follow up to Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana series). This is a great series. I've enjoyed reading them. The series is likened to Indiana Jones and The Mummy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

4.5/5 stars

In this second in series, we have a change of scenery as Ellie and Adam have traveled to Egypt in an effort to find a holy relic before a ruthless gang of antiquity art thieves, the same nefarious group from their prior adventure. We are introduced to Ellie's archaeologist brother Neil (Adam's best friend) on the fateful dig, and Constance (Ellie's best friend) who's along for the ride and trying to avoid her matchmaking mother.

I really enjoyed this one! Lots of action, lots of historical detail, and lots of romance. However, I was a bit confused/surprised by the intensity of the romance from the very beginning of the story. I was not expecting that judging from the ending of the previous adventure. I'm not complaining (I love Adam and Ellie's chemistry/banter, and it was definitely on showcase here), it just took a little change of mindset on my part for them to be that far along in that department already. My only other call out was Neil's character. I felt he was a bit overdone in his "bumbling" academic role, and he actually tended to get on my nerves with his nonsensical portrayal. However, Constance more than saved the day with her spunky, all-in, brave and hilarious self...she needs her own series.

So all-in-all, a very good next in series, and I'll look forward to hopefully many more adventures with Ellie, Adam and crew.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for providing the free early arc of Tomb of the Sun King for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Pure magic! The epic story continues and it feels like home being back with Ellie and Adam on another adventure! All the same elements from the first book are there with witty banter, found family, and a storyline packed with action and swoon-worthy romance.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was super excited when I realize that the second one was slated to be released only a few months later! While I love fantasy and romantasy, I do feel like I’ve been running into more and more books recently that feel like carbon copies of one another with a rather paint-by-numbers approach to characterization and plot. In this way, this historical adventure series has felt like a breath of fresh air!

While I remember comparing the first book to the 90s movie “The Mummy,” I have to say that this one really leaned into that vibe by relocating our characters to Egypt itself. And, of course, curses and other such hijinks immediately ensued! Like the first book, I enjoyed the detailed work that went into some of the historical and cultural aspects of the story. While Egyptian history and mythology is more widely taught here in the U.S., than the ancient cultures of South America that were explored in the first book, there is always still room to explore just how pernicious much of the early archeology that took place there truly was. It wasn’t the primary focus, but the story did a good job of highlighting just how corrupt much of the process became, straying far from scientific and educational purposes.

However, at its heart, this book was full of adventure and the continued build of the slow-burn romance between the two main characters. One of my criticisms of the first book was the pacing of the story, especially in the first quarter. Here, the book is better served for having our two main characters already travelling together, allowing the story to set off at a break neck pace and never really let up!

Ellie and Adam also continued to be excellent main characters, and their developing love story is just as sweet in this second go-around. As they are both fairly stable characters, as far as it goes, I was pleased to see the book introduce a few side characters, namely Ellie’s friend Constance and her brother (and Adam’s friend) Neil. While Ellie and Adam are the foundational core of the story, these two additional characters added a bit more zing to the affair. For their part, the villains remained fairly one-dimensional and straight-forward, but I think this choice worked in conjunction with the overall tone of lighthearted adventure that makes up this book.

There were a few word choices that began to bother me as I read, however, feeling a bit too modern for the book. While I know the word “guy” was around at this time, it began to feel overused and a bit anachronistic at times. I don’t know for sure, but from reading other books written around this time period, I just don’t think it was used nearly as casually or as often as we see it in the modern time. Perhaps I just got hyper fixated on it, but I couldn’t stop noticing how often men were being described as “that guy over there” and the like.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book! Everything that I enjoyed from the first book was back again here, and I think the story settled into its pacing a bit better this go around. Fans of the first book should definitely check this one out. And if you’re in the mood for a read that feels unique from much of what is currently being produced, definitely give this one a go!

Rating 8: In many ways, Ellie Mallory feels like Amelia Peabody’s natural successor, and I’m living for it!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Nov. 9

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Jacquelyn Benson's Tomb of the Sun King is the thrilling sequel of Empire of Shadows in the Raiders of the Arcana series.

This book (and series) is perfect for those who love thrilling adventure within historical context with a bit of fantasy and magical objects added into it.

Ellie and Adam are back at it again but this time in Egypt and they're still fighting the same villains and learning more about who they are and what they plan to do with the magical artifacts that they are after.

This time Ellie and Adam are accompanied by Ellie's brother Neil and her best friend Constance as well as some new characters (which some of my favorite were the band of revolutionary women!!!)

Just as much as I was obsessed with Empire of Shadows, I am just as obsessed with Tomb of the Sun King and I can't wait to see what book three consists of with Ellie and Adam's adventure.

Benson's writing is beautifully stunning and she tells Adam and Ellie's story amazingly. I loved seeing the various perspective from Ellie, Adam, Constance, and Neil.

content:
🧨Historical fantasy
🧭Magical Realism
🧨Witty Banter
🧭Suffragette Heroine
🧨Indiana Jones x The Mummy
🧭Anti-Colonialism
🧨Adventure
🧭Slow Burn
🧨1898 Egypt

Empire of Shadows ended with Ellie and Adam learning where the baddies were likely heading next, which just happened to be Ellie's older brother's archeological dig site. The duo make their way there with Ellie's best friend Connie, who really wants to live a little. Things get complicated very quickly once they reach Ellie's brother, and we are on with more action and adventure! Jacquelyn's writing allowed me to picture the whole book so clearly; I could see it being adapted for screen. I love the way she writes humor into her story, and the characters are all fun in their own ways.

I enjoyed Tomb of the Sun King immensely. Book one caught my interest, but book two has me invested. I can't wait to see what else happens with Ellie and Adam!

Thanks to Jacquelyn, Crimson Fox Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review!

We once again get to join Ellie and Adam for a harrowing adventure, this time in Egypt, to save an ancient artifact from falling into the clutches of the dastardly villians. There are no longer barreling into danger alone, however, as they are joined by a larger cast of characters including Ellie's best friend Constance and her step-brother/Adam's best friend, Neil.
Just like in Empire of Shadows there is a lot of rich history overflowing in the pages specifically about the Amarna period of ancient Egypt as well as the political and cultural climate of Egypt during the late 19th century. If you don't like facts flowing deep into your brain while reading this series might not be for you.
Now that the cast is bigger it means more perspectives and characters to fall in love with (as they develop feelings for each other). That also means though that Ellie's and Adam's love story doesn't take up as much space in this book as the previous one.
Jacquelyn Benson also continues to dive deep into themes surrounding feminisim and anti-colonialism.

HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME MY NEW COMFORT SERIES

An archivist searching for historical treasures with her hunky side kick?! I feel so at home in this series.

What I liked

👍 Neil and Connie: I absolutely loved the new additions to this series, Neil and Connie. Neil, Ellie's brother, is a capital N Nerd and Connie, Ellie's friend, is a true hellion. Their interactions are funny and I look forward to seeing them find each other even more. Connie especially has a place in my heart.

👍 Nefertiti: I have always found the Armana period of Egyptian history extremely fascinating, and I absolutely loved Benson's take on this mysterious point in time. It was obvious that a lot of research had gone into this book.

What I didn't like

👎 Adam and Ellie: I absolutely LOVE Adam and Ellie! I just really wanted more of them in this book. Their story and relationship got sacrificed a bit to make room for Connie and Neil. I hope to have more Ellie and Adam in the next book.

- 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
- Language 🙊 mild
- Spice 🌶️ closed door
- Content Warning ⚠️ Contains instances of martial arts fighting, collapsing earth, gunfire, difficulty swimming, restraint. Contains references to sex and parental emotional abuse. *this is taken directly from the book
Time to Read 📚 4 days (it’s a 600 page book!)

Tomb of the Sun King was a great successor to Empire of Shadows. Adam and Ellie make a great adventure couple….er colleagues 😉. My inner Egyptologist was loving the history. I don’t typically like many Biblical fiction tropes but I actually enjoyed this one! The adventure was fast paced and the romance was a subplot, just like book 1. We got to meet more players on Adam and Ellie’s team and learn more of their quirks. Book 3 was set up nicely at the ending!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! While I received this book early, all opinions are entirely my own.

Tomb of the Sun King is a sun-soaked adventure with action, intrigue and romance. The second book in the Raiders of the Arcana series, it follows the scholar Ellie Mallory and a team of friends and misfits as they try to keep magic from falling into the wrong hands.

Whilst there are elements of the story that confused me and a few inaccuracies (in content and when it comes to the grammar and words usage) I still think that this was a wonderfully enjoyable book to read. It is a great escapist book and reminded me of watching movies like The Mummy and Indiana Jones. Like these stories, it was fun and dynamic. And I also find that it’s comforting to consume this type of media. Watching and reading about adventures in ancient sites is a type of wish-fulfilment for me.

One of the best things about this novel is the dialogue and interactions between the characters. Not only is it snappy, but the banter is also wildly entertaining. Whilst I’m familiar with these character archetypes (like the rogue and lady explorer), I think that they work very well in this setting. I particularly appreciated that Ellie was an active character that made things happen rather than being carried along by the plot.

The pacing was also good because, as in all good adventures, we’re constantly finding clues and solving little mysteries. There is a trail to follow, and the journey is what makes the story worth reading. Although I wasn’t completely blown away by the evil forces at work in the book or scared by the threat of ‘earth-shattering magic’ being unleashed, I cared about our characters, so I wanted them to succeed no matter what.

I look forward to reading more from this author and seeing how her writing changes and improves! I think that this was such a fun book to read, and it really scratched my itch to read about historical adventures and hijinks.

"Tomb of the Sun King" is an exhilarating mix of historical fantasy, adventure, and romance that kept me hooked from start to finish. Ellie Mallory, an archivist and suffragette, finds herself dodging villains, escaping lost tombs, and racing to secure a powerful magical artifact in the sands of Egypt. The fast-paced plot, rich with ancient mysteries and thrilling chases, is heightened by her dynamic companions—her uptight step-brother Neil, the roguish Adam Bates, and the fearless Constance Tyrrell. Their journey through ancient Egypt’s legendary sites was an absolute delight, filled with twists, danger, and humor. A must-read for fans of adventure and magic!

It was so good! I have images in my head like watching a movie. LOVE all the facts and theories and how they are incorporated into the story.
Neil is such a cute clueless dork haha love him sm! Constance is a fireball to match. Ellie and Adam! I enjoyed the slowburn romance.
Looking forward to read the next book!