Tagged: kiya trilogy
Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty by Katie Hamstead
(Cover picture courtesy of Sharon Bayliss.)
Tut has grown into his position as Pharaoh, but he is a wild young man. Naomi fears for him, not only because of his recklessness, but because he has put his trust in Ay–the man determined to destroy Naomi—despite her and Horemheb advising against it.
Meanwhile, death and slavery hang over Naomi and her family. With fear of the booming Hebrew numbers causing talk of enslaving them, conscription is reinstated and Naomi fears
for the lives of her other children. Especially since Ay’s children are now adults, and just as dangerous as their father. They threaten to take Itani, conspire against Tut, and pushing for power.But Tut is in trouble. While Ay’s daughter draws Horemheb’s attention, and Naomi deals with the struggles of her family, everyone’s distraction could spell death for the young Pharaoh.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
First off this is historical fiction, but it isn’t exactly historically accurate. Yes, the broad strokes are there (Kiya being Akhenaten’s wife, Horemheb ascending the throne, etc) but the things like the Hebrew enslavement have no basis in archaeological fact. There’s some dispute about things like Horemheb’s reign length but I’m willing to overlook things like that because it is still an controversy among Egyptologists. Normally historical inaccuracies would bother me, but this is far from the case in the Kiya trilogy.
The fact is, Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty is a great story. It’s got everything from tragic unrequited love to political intrigue. Naomi is now in her thirties and Tutankhamun is now a wild young man instead of a shy, frightened boy. I like how Katie Hamstead emphasized Tut’s reputation for being a bit of a wild Pharaoh who loved riding chariots far too fast and hunting. It’s an important part of his characterization but there’s also that sensitive side of him we see with his mother. He’s not a perfect child (sometimes he’s actually rather horrible) but he is essentially a good, if flawed, human being.
I like how Naomi has changed. She’s very much in love with her husband Malachi but Horemheb is still an important part of her life. Katie Hamstead couldn’t have solved the love triangle better than she did at the end of this novel, to be honest. I don’t want to spoil anything but it’s a very satisfying, almost happy ending to what is a pretty sad novel. Naomi must navigate everything from trying to advise her teenage son to influencing the politics of his royal court and it’s interesting to see how she handles things. She’s far from perfect but she’s one of my absolute favourite characters. Of course I still have a special place in my heart for Horemheb because although I’m not much of a romantic, I have a weakness for the tragic unrequited love trope.
Of all the novels in the trilogy I’d have to say that Rise of a New Dynasty is probably the most fast-paced. It covers quite a large span of years and a fascinating time period in history. Some of the dramas are made up but it does make for a good story and this trilogy was never presented as being very meticulously researched and true to the facts.
If you’ve read the previous two books in the trilogy, you’re going to love the conclusion. It’s fast-paced, interesting and the characters are very well fleshed-out. Basically, this was the perfect end to a great trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Kiya: Mother of a King by Katie Hamstead
(Cover picture courtesy of The Writerly Exploits of Mara Valderran.)
Nefertiti has forced Naomi to flee Amarna with Malachi and the three children. But even under the protection of Naomi’s family in Thebes, Nefertiti still hunts her and Tut. Nefertiti sends assassins to kill them, and while Naomi fights to protect the children, Malachi fights to keep her safe.
With three children in tow, one of which isn’t her own, she is labeled the harlot outcast wife of the pharaoh and is shunned. She isn’t safe among her own people, and flees from being stoned to death. Although her family protects her, she must find a way to survive.
While Naomi struggles to keep herself and Tut alive, old adversaries return as Smenkhkare takes advantage of Akhenaten’s ailing health. Naomi must rely on Horemheb’s promise to protect Tut’s birthright, but her feelings for Malachi could cause more problems with Horemheb than she expects.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Somewhere around a third of the way into the book I told myself, “Just finish the chapter, then you should go to bed. You’re working tomorrow.”
Then at around 50% I told myself, “You should really go to bed now. It’s one in the morning.”
By 75% I told myself, “Ah, screw it. You’ll be tired tomorrow anyway so you might as well just finish the book!”
And so, at 2:30am I finished Kiya: Mother of a King and didn’t regret a thing. I was very tired the next day and still had no regrets. That’s how good this book is.
The thing is, Mother of a King is very different from Hope of the Pharaoh, the first book. Away from the scheming of the royal court, we get to see Kiya’s nurturing side as she finally gets to marry the man she loves. She’s back in her hometown with her family and working on starting a new life for herself, away from Akhenaten and the schemes of Nefertiti. Finally, Kiya is gone and Naomi is back in her familiar Hebrew neighbourhood. Not everything is perfect as she’s accused of being a harlot but she faces the adversity well.
There is so much character development in this story. Naomi/Kiya is allowed to flourish for once and be herself. In addition to that, I love seeing Katie Hamstead’s take on Tut, especially his transition from royal life as the only heir to the throne to humble boy in a poor section of town. Just like with Hope of the Pharaoh I was really impressed with Horemheb’s character. He certainly has his faults (his ruthlessness) but in the end you can tell he still loves Naomi, totally and utterly. Even if she’s married to Malachi. I’m a sucker for the tragic unrequited love angle, I know.
I can’t in all honesty call the plot fast-paced, but that isn’t a bad thing. The truth is that I love that the plot slows down. It gives so much more time for character development. It’s never boring (thus the staying up until two in the morning) and it really did pick up at the end. You can really tell the third book is going to be exciting but I did love this little change of pace for the series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.