>The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

>

Genre:Historical Fiction
Rating: 9/10
Synopsis :
(Goodreads)
In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history. The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen. Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history. Sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, The Heretic Queen is a novel of passion and power, heartbreak and redemption.
Review: 
I love historical fiction, especially reading about women rulers. Though I am mostly addicted to reading about the Tudors, I wanted to read something different. 
The Heretic Queen is the first Michelle Moran novel I read. Looking at her other books, Michelle seems to have a penchant for Egyptian women rulers. 
The Heretic Queen focuses on one of the lesser known queens of Egypt, Nefertari, who was Queen Nefertiti’s niece . She is called “The Heretic Queen” since Nefertiti had abandoned the Gods Egyptians worshiped and instead had turned to a single God, something which was never accepted by the people. Nefertari’s childhood friend, Ramesses II is made Pharaoh. Her future is uncertain and bleak. She fears being forgotten and left to a life of a lonely temple Priestess. This is when Wosertit,Ramesses’ aunt takes Nefertari under her wing. She hopes to make Nefertari ,Ramesses’ Chief wife. Consequently, dramatic events unfold, that play a defining role in Egyptian history.
Egypt and its rulers have always fascinated me. Research into this novel must have taken a lot of time and effort. I admire Michelle more for that. Her efforts show in the intricate way everything has been described – the politics, traditions, rules, the clothes, the celebrations, the art, the architecture, religion and so on.
 Though The Heretic Queen is not completely based on true events, it really doesn’t matter because it makes the book more intriguing. Nefertari was a very likeable character. You can’t help sympathizing with her. She is caring, intelligent, brave, strong and determined. This book is very well-written. The plot was gripping from the first page itself. Every character was well-defined. Lots of drama, action and many tense moments will keep you enthralled.   
The court intrigue, the politics and the scheming have been vividly described. Michelle makes ancient Egypt come alive in front of our eyes.I could imagine everything she described, I could feel, see, smell, ancient Egypt. I am looking forward to reading her other novels.

About the author:

Michelle Moran was born in the San Fernando Valley, CA. She took an interest in writing from an early age, purchasing Writer’s Market and submitting her stories and novellas to publishers from the time she was twelve. When she was accepted into Pomona College she took as many classes as possible in British Literature, particularly Milton, Chaucer, and the Bard. Not surprisingly, she majored in English while she was there. Following a summer in Israel where she worked as a volunteer archaeologist, she earned an MA from the Claremont Graduate University. 

admin (476 Posts)