The Heretic Queen

by Michelle Moran

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 18th dynasty's royal family - all with the exception of Nefertari, 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 all of this changes when she is taken under the wing of pharaoh's aunt, and 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.

• ISBN10: 0307381757
• ISBN13: 9780307381750
• Publish Date: 16 September 2008 (first published 1 January 2008)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 6 July 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 383
• Language: English

Reviews

[cherryblossommj]

Originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

*This post has been updated with my new format as of January 27, 2016
with the Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin.*

Oh, what a novel! I wish it had not come to an end. Every time I picked up the book to settle in for a read, I was swept into the world of Egypt with Pharaoh's and Warrior Queen's. I was impressed by Nefertiti, Michelle Moran's debut, but The Heretic Queen surpasses my admiration by far.

Our story is told from a first person perspective straight from the mouth of Nefertari, beloved of Ramesses, and Warrior Queen of Egypt. From a child to a woman, as a reader you get to hold onto her tale. I giggled with her, and I became enraged at her enemies. I felt empathy for her situations and I praised her for her morality and decisions for love instead of revenge.

Nefertari is one for the heart, she has gone in and is there to stay. I wish her story could continue, because I would just love to soak in more. Michelle has truly a winner on her hands here. It is one of those books that I doubt I will lend, because I just want to read it again (sorry, go buy your own!). It makes me think about so many things. Although, I do believe it is a fabulous novel and can be fully enjoyed on it's own, it does make me desire to go back and re-read Nefertiti, because I have know realized things that I have missed.

Nefertiti and her Pharaoh left a legacy that was difficult if not impossible to follow for our dear Nefertari, but in this novel she is shown as a masterful work of beauty. She overcomes the "sins of her fathers" and moves beyond. So many elements of historical value are found within these pages that I want to buy a textbook or book a plane trip to learn more. Michelle gives you just a taste and it is the teaser of the mind. She is an author to watch and look forward to for more, that can know go without having to be said.

I cannot wait for Cleopatra's Daughter next year!

View all my reviews.

This review was originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

I Liked

The Heretic Queen was an Ancient Egypt Sister Wives Iset and Nefertari's bickering and fight to the top was entertaining and would have made for great reality t.v.


I enjoyed watching Nefertari come into her own and expand her knowledge of languages giving her a leg up from Iset and Ramesses' most trusted advisers. She is a character stacked against adversity who you couldn't help but root for and anxiously read of her climb into the Warrior Queen.

I Didn't Like

I think the depiction Nefertari and Ramesses' relationship would have been better suited for a young adult novel. True it matured after Ramesses became Pharaoh but I felt the majority consisted of "I'm cool, you're cool our relationship is awesome." It just didn't work for me.

Overall Impression

Nefertari is a lost Egyptian royal, overshadowed by Ramesses the Great. Michelle Moran was very creative and did a wonderful job bring this historic figure to life.