The Heretic Queen - Book Review
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
Nefertari is the orphaned neice of Queen Nefertiti. Once adored, Nefertiti is now reviled as a heretic who banished the traditional gods of Egypt. Unfortunately for Nefertari, the transgressions of Nefertiti have become a stain on her reputation as well. As the member of a despised family, Nefertiti is considered by many to be unworthy of wedding Ramesses II and certainly unworthy of being his chief wife.
Nefertari is an extremely likable, well-developed character. She seemed complex enough to be real and good and strong enough to be a character I wanted to root for. Not to mention that the story itself was extremely engaging. As with “Janeology”, I read “The Heretic Queen” in less than a day and nearly forgot I was even reading.
Moran really made ancient Egypt come alive to me, and I cannot wait to read some of her other work.
Buy “The Heretic Queen” on Amazon.
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December 10th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I absolutely loved this book. Michelle Moran is such a talented writer. I’m anxiously awaiting her next novel. Glad you enjoyed this one.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Nefertiti is one of my favorite books, and I agree that Moran brings Egypt to life. The Heretic Queen is in my TBR pile, and I can’t wait to read it!
December 10th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I did enjoy the book, but I wonder if I’m the only person who didn’t feel like the characters were convincingly historical? Not that I expected them to be speaking Egyptian, but somehow it just seemed to me like they’d been plucked from the 21st C. and dropped into linens and head-dresses. It’s clear though, that Moran did a lot of research - it must just be difficult to really know what the “voice” of the people was like back then.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
This is in my TBR pile and reading your review makes me want to sneak it to the top.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I’ve never read Michelle Moran but I’ve been thinking about how long it has been since I read historical fiction about Egypt, so I’ll have to look for this one. Thanks.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
This was one of my favorite reads of 2008.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Jen, great review. I’m looking forward to reading this one! I’ve been trying to shorten my reviews so you’re an inspiration!
December 11th, 2008 at 8:32 am
I read this one as soon as it came out since I liked Nefertiti so much and loved this one too! She’s a great writer and I love reading about Egypt. Her next one about Cleopatra’s children should be interesting.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I finished Nefertiti not too long ago but although I have Heretic Queen, I haven’t gotten around to picking it up yet.