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.
I absolutely loved this book. Michelle Moran is such a talented writer. I’m anxiously awaiting her next novel. Glad you enjoyed this one.
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!
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.
This is in my TBR pile and reading your review makes me want to sneak it to the top.
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.
This was one of my favorite reads of 2008.
Jen, great review. I’m looking forward to reading this one! I’ve been trying to shorten my reviews so you’re an inspiration!
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.
I finished Nefertiti not too long ago but although I have Heretic Queen, I haven’t gotten around to picking it up yet.
I thought this book was incredible. I just love al things about Egypt, i think you have a good film series here i know i would see them!
I loved this book also! I got it from the library and like you read it in a day. It was too good and too engaging to to put down!