Thursday, October 15, 2009

Book Review : The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Merit narrowed her eyes. “She’s seen tonight that you are competition and wants to frighten you away. By telling you this, she imagines you’ll have no incentive to return to the palace.”

“Then she is wrong!” I swore. And suddenly, I could see the future clearly.

I looked at Merit beneath the moonlight and repeated, “Then Henuttawy is very, very wrong.”


Book Details:
  • Pub. Date: September 2009
  • Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
  • Format: Paperback, 416pp
  • ISBN-13: 9780307381767
  • ISBN: 0307381765
My Review:

The Heretic Queen is a very enjoyable read. I love the way Michelle plotted the story, I love its originality and most important of all, I love her writing style - it makes you feel like you're listening to someone who's telling the story of her life in a simple yet captivating voice which makes you interested in knowing everything.

Nefertari is the niece of Nefertiti and the daughter of Queen Mutnodjmet and General Nakhtmin. She spent her childhood hunting and playing with her friends, Ramesses and Asha. When she grew up, she realized that she had to strive to win the attention and love of the crown prince Ramesses. With the help of Woserit, the aunt of Ramesses, and Paser, her tutor, she succeeded in climbing to the top. Ramesses made her his queen because of her wit and powerful command of languages, and out of his love for her. Nefertari learned about court rules and found herself between the devil and the sea when she learned about a huge secret and was unsure whether she should tell Ramesses about it. Although Nefertari is not as beautiful as Iset, she has many talents and Iset could not compete with her.

Ramesses is brave, rash and sometimes over-confident. His rashness and over-confidence nearly cost his kingdom during his battle with the Hitties. At last, Ramesses signed a peace treaty with the kingdom of Hatti, which was written in both Egyptian and Akkadian. At times, I find his rashness somewhat cute and heart-warming, especially when he rushed into the birthing pavilion to see Nefertari’s condition although it was against the tradition.

Beautiful but cunning Henuttawy, the sister of Pharaoh Seti, is always finding ways to control the gold in Egypt. She even tricked Iset, Ramesses’ first wife into poisoning Pharaoh Seti to ensure that her plan can proceed smoothly. Nefertari called her ‘viper’ without her knowing.

I love this quote by Nefertari : When the right time comes, I thought, then the viper will see what a vulture can do.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Once again, Michelle has proved that she really is talented in writing. I was so eager to know what happens next in the story, which explains why I was able to finish this 374-page story (not including the extras) in 2 days time.

On the front pages, you will find a chart of the royal family tree and a map of Egypt and her neighboring countries. At the back, there is a glossary, which I find very interesting. Did you know Mawat means mother? An Egyptian calendar, a reader’s group guide and an excerpt of Cleopatra’s Daughter are also included.

Michelle's clear, simple and skillful way of writing kept my eyes and mind focused on the story, absorbing as much as I could. Reading Michelle’s The Heretic Queen makes me wish that I’d been born in ancient Egypt so that I have the chance to experience their lifestyles and culture. Now, I’d love to see Michelle write a new story of a different era, though undeniably, ancient Egypt is still my favourite.

If you're looking for a historical fiction which is romantic, dramatic, thrilling and touching as well, then The Heretic Queen is your best choice. I hope you'll like this book as I do.

A great THANK YOU to the generous Michelle Moran for sending me this book. Dear Michelle even signed it for me! I'm really touched. I think I'm going to make a little 'something' for her as a gift. I haven't thought of what to do, but I'll tell you what is it when the right time comes. :)


Thank you, Michelle!


Book rating : 9.5/10


Buy The Heretic Queen from :
AmazonBarnes & NobleBooks-a-MillionBordersIndieBoundRandom House

Visit Michelle Moran's Official Website
Visit Michelle's blog


Michelle's other books:
Nefertiti
Cleopatra's Daughter


Dear readers, have your read this book? If you have any comments about my review, please feel free to express your lovely thoughts! Thanks! :D

P/S : Michelle is offering FREE personalized Cleopatra's Daughter bookplates on her website until the end of October, so be sure to check it out!

4 comments:

Amy Nicole said...

Another great review! I'll have to pick this book up. It sounds really great.

Aik said...

Thanks for stopping by! This book is definitely a good one. :D

The Little Miss said...

i love book reviews and yours was great. Ill have to check it out

check out my blog for a giveaway! Littlemissheirlooms.blogspot.com
xo
Priscila

Aik said...

I love giveaways! I'll go enter! Thanks for visiting, Priscila!