Tagged: tutankhamun
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: Hope of the Pharaoh by Katie Hamstead
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…
The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.
Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
First off, please don’t judge Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh by the tacky cover. The story is so much better, I promise.
Since so little is known about the real Kiya (we don’t even know if she really was Tutankhamun’s mother), I’m willing to suspend my disbelief at the premise of her being Hebrew. Okay, fair enough. Most theories place her as Nubian, but they’re just theories and I thought the whole premise of Naomi offering herself to Akhenaten to save her sisters was just too good to pass up. After being presented with an Egyptian name, Naomi embarks upon a dangerous journey through the intrigues of a dysfunctional court and an even more dangerous harem.
Now, this great premise would have been ruined if Katie Hamstead’s characterization wasn’t as strong as it is. Naomi/Kiya carries the whole story on her shoulders as she learns to feel affection for and maybe even love Akhenaten, a man she was always taught was evil. She also makes friends and enemies in the harem, the most notable being her rival, Nefertiti. Or rather, Nefertiti considers Naomi her rival and the lengths she goes to in order to preserve her place as Great Royal Wife are incredible. Whenever I picture the real Nefertiti, I can’t help but imagine her as the vain, ridiculously beautiful, scheming woman Katie Hamstead has portrayed. Other notable characters of the time like the ruthless, but oddly considerate Horemheb feel spot-on to me. The characters don’t always appear to be consistent, but the big reveals throughout the story show that they were acting believably the whole time.
The details of ancient Egyptian life are generally accurate, although Katie Hamstead used the modern name of Amarna to refer to Akhetaten. But Akhenaten’s fits, the fact he discarded the old religion in favour of one god and his utter lack of desire to make war are well documented and I couldn’t spot any glaring factual errors. In writing about Akhenaten, Katie Hamstead had quite a bit of leeway as there are very, very few records from the time. Still, I can’t complain about the historical accuracy.
As for the plot, it was quite fast-paced for historical fiction and kept me reading into the early hours of the morning, far past when I should have gone to bed. It was really that good. Naomi was just a fascinating character and her confusion about Malachi and Akhenaten, her hot-cold friendship with Horemheb and the constant threat of Nefertiti’s jealousy kept me on my toes the whole time. Some of the plot twists were predictable, but others (especially at the end) I didn’t see coming. Especially the big reveal at the end involving a certain male character.
It’s that big reveal that makes me want the next book this instant. Although we know generally what happens to Akhenaten and Naomi’s son Tutankhamun from history, I just can’t get enough of Naomi. She’s definitely one of my new favourite characters and I’ve just found a new author to watch because if Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh is any indicator, we can expect great things from Katie Hamstead.
I give this book 5/5 stars.