His Face Is the Sun is a quiet, powerful exploration of longing, self-discovery, and first love. Michelle Jabès Corpora captures the ache of adolescence with tenderness and honesty, weaving a story that feels both intimate and expansive. It’s the kind of book that glows from the inside out.

I was sold when I read that the setting for His Face is the Sun is set in Ancient Egypt. I was immediately drawn in and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital edition.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
His Face is the Sun is a fast paced epic adventure. It is told in 4 different perspectives. The author spent a lot of time building background and introducing the characters. It felt like it took a while for things to connect. The story is definitely not finished. I felt like it just needed a little more-action, more characters interacting, and quicker pacing. The setting and premise were interesting. Not sure if I'll read more. It was just okay for me.

Set in the ancient kingdom of Khetara, His Face Is the Sun is the first book in a fantasy series inspired by ancient Egypt. The story follows four main characters, a princess, a priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber, whose paths have been destined to cross as they navigate political unrest and a rising ancient evil. The first quarter of the book was slow, with long chapters told from different points of view in various settings, making it a challenge to stay engaged. However, the second half picked up considerably as the storylines began to converge, and I found myself more invested. The final ten percent delivered a fast-paced, high-stakes climax that gave me strong Throne of Glass vibes and reminded me of the intense endings of a Sarah J. Maas novel. While the beginning dragged, I am interested enough to continue the series and see where it leads.

Although the characters are YA-aged, ranging from 13 to 19, I felt that several scenes and themes were too graphic for a traditional young adult audience. Due to the mature content, I would categorize this as a new adult fantasy rather than YA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Michelle Jabès Corpora for the ARC of His Face is the Sun!
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A fantasy set in ancient Egypt just scratches an itch I didn’t know I had. I absolutely loved this book, it was fun, interesting, spooky, and exciting.
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In Khetara a pharaoh is sick, a merchant’s daughter has a vision of blood and chaos, a farmer’s daughter is malcontent, and a tomb robber releases a horror from another time. The oracle of the lamb has begun, but it has not been foretold how it will end.
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Ok, ok, ok. The plot of this is insane, everything has a purpose and the characters are all coming together like fate itself has moved their pieces on the Hounds and Jackal’s board. Everything about this first book in the series is to set up what is obviously going to be some crazy sh*t. I’m frothing at the mouth to read the rest of this story already!

The characters have incredible backstories, are flawed, and have great character growth. For being ancient Egyptians they still read like real people who could be alive in modern times as well.

The setting is sumptuous, fantastic, and just plain beautiful. As I’m reading it I can just see it playing out like the most gorgeous movie in my head. This book is is guys.

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Overall, you just have to read it. Magic, mystery, a dash of horror and all encased in extremely well researched ancient Egypt. It’s a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the next one!

Like they mixed game of thrones and the mummy together. Going to be a good series. Lots going on but it didn’t get all mushed. Had a good pace. Beautiful imagery and a very good play on this kind of plot. And the cover art is gorgeous!

DNF at 8%. I really love the idea of an ancient Egyptian fantasy! I just couldn’t get into the writing. It was very info dumpy in my opinion and I didn’t feel engaged with it.

This would be a great piece for a Game of Thrones fan who is interested on expanding their horizons to worlds inspired by non-European cultures. I loved the political intrigue, the strong arcs for the ensemble cast, the main conflict of the rise of a cruel leader to power, and the rich text you could keep digging into for miles and still find stuff to unpack. It will be a deeply satisfying read for book clubs; I may recommend it to mine.

I do recommend posting clear trigger warnings on your website for this one. I was very surprised at the level of not only gore, but super intense themes. Maybe I missed the disclaimer at the beginning? Like I said, I think advertise this to fans of GoT and ir should be good, but the cover and storyline makes it look MUCH lighter than it is. As it was I had to frantically warn several friends I had already recommended the book to after I got to Maet's death.

I really wanted to love this book — the premise was so promising, and I was drawn to the emotional depth and the setting. His Face is the Sun explores grief, identity, and the weight of coming of age, all wrapped in this quiet, dreamlike tone that had moments of real beauty.

That said, I struggled to fully connect with it. The pacing felt a bit slow, and I never quite clicked with the characters on the level I was hoping for. One of the biggest disappointments for me was the use of Egyptian mythology — it was clearly important to the story, but it wasn’t explained or explored in a way that made it feel grounded or understandable. I found myself confused at times, wishing there had been more context or depth there.

While there are some lovely, thoughtful moments (and I appreciate the quiet queer representation), overall the book didn’t leave a strong impact on me. I can see it resonating with others, especially readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven stories — but for me, it just fell a little flat.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic first book of a series. The world building was interesting. Karim is my favorite, but all of the main characters were really nicely rounded out. I can’t wait to see where this series takes them. I loved the Egyptian background. Such a great read.

His Face is the Sun is perfect for fantasy lovers who want something different than the typical fantasy. I have loved other books based in Ancient Egypt that I have read, so I had very high hopes for this book when I saw it and it did NOT disappoint. The story follows four separate characters and jumps between each person's point of view per chapter. I loved how just because each person is integral to the story - they aren't all together in a group like in most stories. The author did a great job showing the importance of each person's story and weaving them together to tell the overall story. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my eARC. I truly enjoyed this book and I am excited to see what happens in part 2!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a super fun start to a new Egyptian trilogy, and I really enjoyed my time with this one. The POVs were all interesting and kept me all equally engaged, and I loved the lore. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release. 3.6 stars

His Face is the Sun is a YA epic high fantasy inspired by Ancient Egypt. The setting alone is what drew me to this novel. I was thrilled to see how well researched and executed The Kingdom of Khetara was.

Another thing I loved is the multiple POV’s. As with any high fantasy novel there is significantly rich world building; it makes refreshing to switch off between characters. For the characters themselves we follow a princess, a priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber. They all were engaging and likable in their own ways with their own struggles and their own strengths. I love a book with strong female characters.

At over 500 pages, His Face is the Sun is an impressive first installment to the Throne of Khetara trilogy. Filled with magic, prophecies, and quests you will stay engaged and wanting more. Highly recommend if you’re seeking a unique fantasy experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC opportunity. This is an honest review and my own thoughts.

I was so impressed with Michelle Jabes Corpora! Her writing sucks you right into the story. I was equally interested in all four POVs, and that is usually not the case for me. When there are multiple POVs, I usually care more about one than the other, but not this case in this book! The characters all have very different, but very interesting backgrounds, and I loved how their stories came together.

I also really enjoyed the setting. I haven't read or heard of many ancient Egyptian inspired fantasy novels, so that was a welcome change of pace.

A mesmerizing epic high fantasy YA ancient Egypt x Game of Thrones book. Ever since I was little I’ve always been fascinated with Ancient Egypt so when I saw this book come out on NetGalley I rushed to submit for it. I really enjoyed this read a lot and the author did a good job with painting a vivid picture along the way and depth to characters. It is told in multiple POVs which make it so much more interesting. You have a princess, priestess in training, a peasant rebel, and a tomb robber. All make for a good thrilling book. It leaves off with questions unanswered so you look forward to book two.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for blessing me with this eARC.

Loved this Egyptian fantasy.
Four main characters brought together from different walks of life ; a male tomb robber and 3 strong female characters… a princess, a fierce activist and a young priestess/seer are all connected to an oracle.
The country of Khetara is rebelling against an unfit leader. The royal family has a traitor and will do anything to take over as the new Pharaoh. Little does anyone know that there is a much worse monster out there, one whose tomb has been raided.
Egyptian gods, murder, mystery and a monster that rises from the dead, what’s not to love? Quite the cliff hanger as well!
I read this on my Kindle. I found a glossary at the end where all the characters and gods were listed. Would have been nice to have that at the beginning for reference.

I can assure readers that the preliminary hype around this book is valid. It is quite literally an Ancient Egypt inspired Game of Thrones. With multiple narratives and styles tied up into a great story. It kept me hooked with the world building and characters. I was worried with multiple POVs but it never got confusing. Ultimately a great read

First I want to say thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this ARC! All comments and thoughts are my own.

Whew, where to start?! I was immediately hooked on this book based on the synopsis that was posted and I was absolutely not disappointed. This book was enthralling from the very first page. As someone who loves all forms for mythology, I couldn’t get enough and am eagerly awaiting the rest of the series.

Michelle Jabès Corpora does a masterful job of shrouding the story in mystery, while giving you answers to questions you didn’t realize you had. You are consistently on the edge of your seat to see how the main characters will be brought together, what their purpose and arcs are, and to see how it will all fall together. Seeing as this will be the start of a series, you are left with questions but the build up throughout the book leaves you anticipating where the story will go.

I cannot wait to purchase a copy for my bookshelf when the book is published and I cannot wait to continue the series!

As someone who hadn’t read an Egyptian-inspired fantasy novel since the Kane Chronicles back in middle school, reading His Face is the Sun was a welcome return to familiar mythology mixed with a lush new world and intriguing characters. I was reminded a great deal of the intersecting character arcs and sociopolitical intrigue in Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, albeit with this novel having a target younger audience, and I was quite impressed with how Corpora was able to balance each individual POV as interesting solo journeys and then building upon those as our characters’ paths crossed. This book had such great pacing and vibrant world-building, and I loved being along for the ride with our four central characters as they tackled issues of fate and destiny, self identity, politics and social privilege, all while trying to save the world and keep their own secrets. I’m very grateful to have been given access to this ARC by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire, and can’t wait for the sequel to this explosive first book of a great new series!

Egyptian history is so fascinating to me, so when I saw that this was a fantasy novel set in ancient Egypt I was 100% on board. I think I’ve found my new favorite setting for novels.

The plot follows four different points of view: the princess of Egypt, a priestess in training, a peasant rebel, and a tomb robber. The Pharaoh grows more sick every day and the healers cannot find what ails the king. A rebellion grows nearby as the people tire of growing taxes, struggling to survive. A young girl has mysterious dreams which align with an ancient prophecy set in stone that a tomb robber finds on his adventure to the wrong tomb. The robber unleashes a dark evil that is now following him like a second shadow. Will the king survive this mysterious illness? Will the rebels rise up and finally have their voices heard? What will come of this ancient prophecy of the lamb?

I’m a sucker for books that have thrilling multiple points of view as long as it keeps the story moving and eventually tied together in mind boggling ways—and this Michelle DELIVERS big time! The characters get in depth page time where we really get to know who they are, how they interact with others, and what motivates them. All the characters are fun to read about and there is suspense and action in all four story lines (rare!).
The world building is fascinating because it’s all about ancient Egypt and their traditions and religion. What is interesting about this story is that the tomb that is uncovered and being robbed is a tomb of an unknown pharaoh. This means he was struck from the records for some reason. Also, the son of the pharaoh wants to bring back old traditions which turns society on its head and the chaos is just chef kiss! I was shaking in my boots. I felt spooky vibes during the tomb raider storyline, exhilaration when Rae was engaging in rebel warfare against the higher ups, mystery and suspense when the priestess uses her position to sabotage and manipulate, and all the feels of romance with the princess and another choice character when they fall in love and will NOT admit it! The writing is shocking with plot twists and pieces of the mysterious prophecy clicking into place. There is some reference to sex (not explicitly described but insinuated), as well as violence and death (descriptive scenes of blood and gore). The writing does not feel like your watered-down young adult novel—this book felt mature in all story elements across the board. I was completely and utterly taken aback in a refreshing way! I am completely addicted and cannot wait to continue reading about these characters and their harrowing adventures!

Romantasy lovers rejoice because there’s a new amazing book to absolutely ravage and devour!!! I will also be following Michelle Jabès Corpora and checking out some of her other works.