For starters, I’m no Egyptologist. Nor am I an avid reader of ancient history. So I can’t vouch for the authenticity of Drake’s re-creation of the time period or the adherence to historical facts about dates/people. That said, this version of Egypt’s 18th dynasty felt true.

Drake does a fabulous job of explaining the new religion and the resulting cultural upheaval. Nefertiti and her husband have ousted the old gods, much to the priests’ anger, and instituted a new religion. I read about this years ago.

But the author brings the reality of living this change alive. People have to be cautious in everyday conversation; criticism isn’t tolerated. Akhenaten focuses on creating this religion but neglects growing turbulence in other parts of his kingdom. The priestly families have jealously guarded their wealth and political/religious power for generations. They are incensed at being stripped of their dignity. Yet the new religion has also opened opportunities for average people to gain power.

The book’s prose is gorgeous. Drake plunges us into the 18th dynasty like a boat launching into the great river Nile long before we get to any action. While I never felt much connection with Rahotep, I did feel connected to his descriptions of life in the new capital city. Those who like a more leisurely paced world building will appreciate–savor, even–the author’s immaculate, lyrical prose. (I took notes. What can I say? Maybe it’s an English major thing.)

If, however, you need to plunge directly into action, the slow pace will make you impatient. The book will end up on your DNF shelf.

As a historical novel, a slow pace works perfectly well. As a mystery, perhaps not so well. When I looked back over the main plot points, there weren’t as many big moment as most novels have. There were a lot of philosophical ruminations from Rahotep. They are fascinating.

(His thoughts on the contrast between those who investigate murder and those who debate it are relevant to our current times, as I thought of current true crime obsession.)

But fascinating and plot-advancing are two different things.

I suspected many parts of the truth. Many mystery readers would. There were plot turns that did take me by surprise, including some rather gruesome revelations. One particularly deep dive into the dark unknown was effective. Often, though, the story lurched from “big moment” to “big moment” with only mundane happenings and Rahotep’s internal thoughts to fill the gaps between.

Note for those sensitive to violence: Drake describes the atrocities against several murder victims in explicit terms. (Without revealing who the victim is, I will note that one person is embalmed alive. Horrifying.) It’s vivid, gruesome, and may be too graphic for some readers.

Despite my reservations, this is still a worthwhile novel. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book. Don’t rush through it like you might a high adrenaline thriller; not all novels benefit from being binge-read! Approach the book on its own terms. You’ll receive a long, lyrical novel, gorgeous imagery, and philosophical ideas worth pondering, and savor the experience.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Very slow and the concept was too overdone. ( )

I love the Amarna period and I'm glad the author did his research, the little details really brought the setting and characters to life.

As for the story, it was just okay. Our hero Rahotep solved the mystery halfway through and it was like the book went 'now what? Oh yeah, history! Here's what happened.' Or at least the author's proposal of what happened. Poor Rahotep and the reader were dragged along for the ride. Unless you are trying to read every Nefertiti book out there, you can skip this one. ( )

As a child, one of the first subjects in school that truly captivated me was when we covered ancient Egyptian history in 6th grade. Granted, there were many things that interested me in school, but this was the first one that inspired a sense of wonderment. It didn't last long, it was replaced by Medieval history 2 years later, and biology a couple years after that, but there is still a certain fondness for the topic because it was one of my first passions, even if I've never really explored the topic much at all after my introduction to it.

This book takes place 1300BC, during the reign of Akhenaten, when he and his wife Nefertiti were inciting a cultural revolution of a sort, an abandonment of the traditional gods in favor Aten, the "one god" represented by the sun disc. It's not surprising that such a controversial ideal would cause some upheaval, and in Nick Drake's book Nefertiti has suddenly disappeared. Rahotep is tasked to find her, and if he doesn't within a week he and his family will be ruthlessly executed.

I was really enjoying Nefertiti for the first 100 pages or so. I liked the theme, and the plot was moving along nicely, enticing me with bits and pieces of the mystery the author was building and keeping me reading at a rapid pace. Then...something horrible happened. I don't even know what, I just completely lost interest. I was slightly disillusioned to the atmosphere by some modern-sounding language, and the mystery fell apart quickly as Rahotep lost control of the investigation and was just along for the ride. Only the ride wasn't very "thrilling," so to speak, so it missed on that aspect as well.

It's too bad because it was such a promising start, the language was beautiful on occasion and Drake did draw up a couple interesting characters, but in the end I felt like I was forcing myself to read through this one. ( )

The story feels like it is not quite there. Not sure what it is. ( )