Review: Michelle Moran is a masterful storyteller. That is the first thing you should know. The second thing is this novel is incredible. Had it not been for the List Swap Challenge, I would not have picked up this novel on my own. I would have passed this up when browsing through the bookstore. I literally rolled my eyes heavenward when Julie suggested it convinced she was trying to torture me with this nonsense. I was not looking forward to 400 pages of 1351 BCE. In Egypt. With odd names I can’t pronounce.
The magic of Ms. Moran is that within 10 pages I was hooked,
totally and completely hooked. Right away,
I held onto Mutnodjmet, Nefertiti’s younger sister, and didn’t let go. Nefertiti is about two sisters, so different
in their wants and desires. Bound together
by love and blood, one sister had a sense of entitlement while the other a
command to please at the risk of her own happiness. Their relationship spanned though their joys and
tribulations. Nefertiti’s rule over
Egypt is merely the setting while the sisters’ bond is really the star in this
novel.
I really enjoyed how different the two sisters are. I loved how headstrong and manipulative Nefertiti
is. She can fiercely rule a kingdom but
her deepest desire is to be loved and exalted, especially by her younger sister. Mutnodjmet wants her own happiness, her own
life. She knows the only way for that to
happen is to break the selfish stronghold Nefertiti has on her. To be happy, she must hurt Nefertiti.
I love when I start reading a novel, crossing my fingers
that I can get through it, and end up gobbling up every single page, loving
where the story is leading me. I learned
about a time I knew very little about. In
the end, I really enjoyed it. Julie was
right about Nefertiti. (And she usually
is.) Give me a book about sisters, even
set in Egypt, and I will love it. And I
did.
Final Take: 4/5
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