Neferura
Anyone with a passing interest in Egyptian history will be familiar with the 18th Dynasty’s female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. Upon the death of her husband (also her half-brother), Thutmose II, she became co-regent with her young stepson, Thutmose III. But she soon seized power in her own right, had herself portrayed as male in much of her iconography, and, with the help of royal steward and architect Senenmut, completed some of the most impressive building projects of the ancient world. Yet this is not the story of Hatshepsut – she’s only a player in this tale focused on her daughter, Neferura. Teenaged Neferura is in an impossible position: stuck between a virago of a mother who values her only as a political pawn and her vicious half-brother Thutmose, who wants the power Hatshepsut has usurped and is willing to tear the country apart to get it. With the help of loyal maid Iset, handsome palace guard Kamet, and a mysterious wisewoman, Neferura must navigate increasingly dangerous political and personal waters to keep herself alive and the country from chaos.
This novel will strike a familiar chord for fans of Tudor and other royal fiction – it’s essentially a tale of court intrigue and women’s empowerment, explored in various forms. This exploration can occasionally feel a bit heavy-handed (e.g., Neferura’s discussions with one of her priestesses on bodily autonomy and use of sexuality as power play) but is generally refreshing in that Neferura is never shoehorned into cliched “girl boss” mode. Thutmose’s characterization shows more depth than might be expected, and he and Hatshepsut vie equally for villain status. Though this is billed as adult fiction, the plotting (especially the romantic subplot), themes, and general feel of the book would make it a solid choice for young adult girls.
