Nefertiti has had a wonderful life living with her adoring father, stepmother, and half sister. She is the beauty of her small country town situated on the Great Nile river, and has the gift of dance as well as a desire to learn to do something almost no women can do - write and read.
But Nefertiti's life soon takes a sharp curve when her aunt, the great Pharaoh's wife, decides that she is beautiful enough to wed to her son Thutmose, the crown prince of Egypt. Before she knows it, Nefertiti is torn from her home and family and living in the royal palace as a princess. Thutmose is not as nice as he has been made out to be by her aunt however and Nefertiti soon finds herself in the middle of a plot that involves Thutmose gaining power, and could endanger her own life and the lives of the ones she loves.
I'll admit it I was pretty much glued to "Sphinx's Princess" right from the start. I fell in love with Friesner's ability to bring ancient Egypt to life before my very eyes. Friesner certainly has a gift to bring the ancient world into the present for her readers. Her descriptions of the temples, the great Nile river, and the emotion she emits through her characters in their reverence for the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient times are so vivid and clear it's as if she's recalling something in a diary as opposed to writing a work of fiction. The only limits of this story were the ones put up by my own imagination. It was fantastic.
Despite her ability to bring the ancient world to life for YA as well as adult readers, I did have a problem with the ending of the book. I found the end to come to an abrupt halt. Well, that's actually too kind, it was more like the book smashed into a brick wall head on going 80 mph. I felt like I was right in the middle of the action and the plot was just coming to fruition when all of a sudden I was closing the back cover. It's almost like Friesner was about to go over a certain page limit or something and she had to find a way to end the story and in a hurry. After the magic and bewilderment of the story before that the end was a huge let down.
There was also no indication if there was going to be a second book that featured Nefertiti. I sincerely hope there will be. Not knowing is going to drive me crazy. Overall I enjoyed "Sphinx's Princess" and will definitely be reading more of Friesner, but the abrupt ending keeps me from giving it that 5th star simply because I felt like I was served a 5 course meal that had no dessert. I was left wanting more and I have no idea if I'll get it or not. Boo. '
But Nefertiti's life soon takes a sharp curve when her aunt, the great Pharaoh's wife, decides that she is beautiful enough to wed to her son Thutmose, the crown prince of Egypt. Before she knows it, Nefertiti is torn from her home and family and living in the royal palace as a princess. Thutmose is not as nice as he has been made out to be by her aunt however and Nefertiti soon finds herself in the middle of a plot that involves Thutmose gaining power, and could endanger her own life and the lives of the ones she loves.
I'll admit it I was pretty much glued to "Sphinx's Princess" right from the start. I fell in love with Friesner's ability to bring ancient Egypt to life before my very eyes. Friesner certainly has a gift to bring the ancient world into the present for her readers. Her descriptions of the temples, the great Nile river, and the emotion she emits through her characters in their reverence for the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient times are so vivid and clear it's as if she's recalling something in a diary as opposed to writing a work of fiction. The only limits of this story were the ones put up by my own imagination. It was fantastic.
Despite her ability to bring the ancient world to life for YA as well as adult readers, I did have a problem with the ending of the book. I found the end to come to an abrupt halt. Well, that's actually too kind, it was more like the book smashed into a brick wall head on going 80 mph. I felt like I was right in the middle of the action and the plot was just coming to fruition when all of a sudden I was closing the back cover. It's almost like Friesner was about to go over a certain page limit or something and she had to find a way to end the story and in a hurry. After the magic and bewilderment of the story before that the end was a huge let down.
There was also no indication if there was going to be a second book that featured Nefertiti. I sincerely hope there will be. Not knowing is going to drive me crazy. Overall I enjoyed "Sphinx's Princess" and will definitely be reading more of Friesner, but the abrupt ending keeps me from giving it that 5th star simply because I felt like I was served a 5 course meal that had no dessert. I was left wanting more and I have no idea if I'll get it or not. Boo. '
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Nefertiti is not a princess but her father is the brother of the Royal Wife to the Pharaoh. When Queen Tiye hears about Nefertiti's beauty, she's determined to make her a Princess in order to marry her firstborn son. She orders Nefertiti's family to her side, where she manipulates the family into giving Nefertiti's hand in marriage.
There is a catch, of course. Nefertiti will not marry for three years, but in that time she must reside in the royal household. Sadness overwhelms her as she says goodbye to her family, not knowing when she'll ever see them again.
She moves into the women's suite where she's given a comfortable room. The other women in the suite are junior wives of the Pharaoh. Due to Queen Tiye's paranoia, she's not allowed to communicate with any of them. Instead, her loneliness threatens her state of mind.
Before long, she begins to take secret scribing lessons again. While Nefertiti rarely spends any time with her betrothed, a cold man, she enjoys his brother's company greatly. He teaches her how to drive a chariot and shows her around the city. But when Nefertiti's betrothed learns of this, he threatens his bride-to-be.
When the Pharaoh leaves the palace for an extended period of time and leaves his firstborn son in charge, the change in him is overwhelming. Nefertiti can't believe the difference, and she just might fall in love with him. But when an accusation comes her way, can he save her?
An enchanting beginning tale of the strong feisty character of Nefertiti left me wanting to read more; the cliffhanger ending leaves me anxiously awaiting the next installment about this fascinating woman.
Nefertiti is not a princess but her father is the brother of the Royal Wife to the Pharaoh. When Queen Tiye hears about Nefertiti's beauty, she's determined to make her a Princess in order to marry her firstborn son. She orders Nefertiti's family to her side, where she manipulates the family into giving Nefertiti's hand in marriage.
There is a catch, of course. Nefertiti will not marry for three years, but in that time she must reside in the royal household. Sadness overwhelms her as she says goodbye to her family, not knowing when she'll ever see them again.
She moves into the women's suite where she's given a comfortable room. The other women in the suite are junior wives of the Pharaoh. Due to Queen Tiye's paranoia, she's not allowed to communicate with any of them. Instead, her loneliness threatens her state of mind.
Before long, she begins to take secret scribing lessons again. While Nefertiti rarely spends any time with her betrothed, a cold man, she enjoys his brother's company greatly. He teaches her how to drive a chariot and shows her around the city. But when Nefertiti's betrothed learns of this, he threatens his bride-to-be.
When the Pharaoh leaves the palace for an extended period of time and leaves his firstborn son in charge, the change in him is overwhelming. Nefertiti can't believe the difference, and she just might fall in love with him. But when an accusation comes her way, can he save her?
An enchanting beginning tale of the strong feisty character of Nefertiti left me wanting to read more; the cliffhanger ending leaves me anxiously awaiting the next installment about this fascinating woman.
