I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
The Synopsis:
Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives—women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile.
When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt’s gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.
As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all?
My Review:
I am a huge fan of Biblical fiction novels so I am always on the lookout for new authors. So, having heard fabulous things about Mesu Andrews, I saw that The Pharaoh’s Daughter was available for review, and I thought I’d give it a shot.
Starting off, Andrews’ writing style is beautiful and I love the way that her book is outlined as well as how it flows. All of the Egyptian history and how the story focuses on the Egyptians’ way of living, as well as the Hebrews, is definitely interesting and there was much to learn. The fact that there is a “hero” on both sides is also neat.
The characters are wonderfully developed and I couldn’t put the book down for the better part of the week, however, there were a few things that I didn’t care for.
Annipe’s wedding night with her husband is a tad bit too detailed for me to comfortably recommend this novel to other Christian readers, as well as is the night before he leaves. I would have enjoyed the book better had the author simply hinted at what they were doing (like we didn’t know….) rather than actually showing the scene. Now, as a disclaimer, neither scene was explicit but still, both scenes being so close together and so equally detailed actually caused me to put the book down and not read on.
Having said this, I can only rate The Pharaoh’s Daughter 2 out of 5 stars and will be extra cautious of this author in the future.
Rated:
