Neferura: Book Review
By Sioph LealNeferura by Malayna Evans tells the tale of the forgotten daughter of two Egyptian pharaohs and the path she must take to escape her own dangerous fate. Every path to power comes at a cost to Neferura, and as the princess and high priestess of Kemet, her duty is to her people. When she has to serve her half brother Thutmose, a man determined to stop Neferura’s rise and power, peace for all of Kemet doesn’t seem like an option. When Neferura hears of Thutmose’s plan to overthrow her mother, she entangles herself with new allies, a mysterious tattooed wisewoman, and her network of spies. The wisewoman possesses more power than Neferura and Thutmose, but Neferura must decide where her loyalties lie and what she is willing to sacrifice before everything crumbles at the hands of the tyrant Thutmose.
As the only daughter of Egypt’s most renowned female pharaoh, little is known about Neferura and her life, and Malayna Evans shines a light on this forgotten piece of history. From Neferura’s duty to her fears, the book explores her life and trials in a fictional way. Split into three parts, the first part of Neferura focuses on her internal struggle between supporting her mother, Hatshepsut, or her half-brother, Thutmose. The first part of Neferura has a lot of pacing issues, and while it does set the stage for the latter part of the book, it was the hardest part of the book to read, due to the slow build of the story and the introduction to numerous side characters. Although it is plot-driven and sets up the future conflict between Neferura and her brother, the first part of the book lacks any true emotion in the writing and characterisation, mostly in the main character of Neferura. Side characters like Iset shine in this story, and though it is not Iset’s story, the first part was lacking and could have benefited from more scenes between Neferura and Iset.
As well as this network of spies, the second part of the book shines more light on Neferura’s uplifting female friendships. From her handmaid, Iset, who helps bring Neferura out of her stoic ways, to her priestesses, such as Satiah and Nebtah, It is a rare writer that displays these female friendships without any hint of jealousy or rivalry, and how the women of Kemet, though overlooked, have their own remarkable power in different ways that suits their character. The strongest part of the book is the second section. It picks up pacing and makes it a truly entertaining read that garners the most interest. The mysterious wisewoman Hathor and her scorpion network of spies add a mysterious element to the story that brilliantly elevates it.
During the second part, Neferura comes into her own a lot more, and perhaps that is why this was the strongest part of the book. With that, Neferura becomes a stronger character. In this section, she is no longer passive about herself or her fate and it creates a wonderfully explored character to read but that is sadly confined to the second part of the book as she reverts back to the character in the first part of the book.
While the second part of the book is the strongest and engages well, the third and final act does not have any of these strengths and feels rushed.The story comes to a hurried and disappointing end in the final act because the better pacing and plot of the second part are absent, and there are also a lack of details that could have added significance to the story.
At times, characters can lack substance. It is written that characters are dear to Neferura, but that feeling escapes the writing, and the relationships, at times, feel hollow. This could have been changed in the writing style, with part two being the strongest and most enjoyable. Despite this, there is a lack of atmosphere or emotion in the majority of the book that is evident in the secondary characters.
The fantasy element of this book lacks depth from its genre that Evans could have used and had ample opportunity to do so. A dark fantasy could have inspired fear or dread given that is what Thutmose wanted to exploit, to magical realism that could have easily been incorporated in Hathor’s network of spies that could have elevated the book and possibly fix the pacing issues.
Neferura was a pleasant enough read, but lacked anything to fully engross its reader in what should have been a rich, atmospheric read. The book was described as fantasy, and while it is historical, there is nothing that meets that fantasy description. The second part of the book is where it shines through the assertiveness of the main character, but is frustrating when it reverts to her old passive self. If the novel had any aspect of fantasy, it would have added an element of the story that could have elevated it but felt hindered by the lack of it.