Following Nefertiti

I was lucky enough to receive The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran from the publisher.  After reading Nefertiti, I was looking forward to reading the sequel.  I was not disappointed!  I think I liked it even better than the first.

This book is the story of Nefertiti’s niece, Nefertari, as she tries to regain her family’s once prominence in Egypt after it had been wiped away.  Above all else, I found this book to be a love story, with a historical twist.  I enjoyed this aspect of the novel.  Especially how Nefertari fought for what she wanted: love and her family’s name. 

Nefertari was a strong woman.  She knew when to take advice and when to use her own instincts.  I find that makes a woman stronger than just following her own instincts blindly.  I also found Nefertari to be compassionate.  She didn’t like her rival, but she showed compassion during very difficult times.

Again, I found the Egypt history fascinating.  I thought the author did a better job in this book than the first book in keeping the history easier to follow (or maybe I was just more familiar with it after reading her other novel).  The family tree in the front was, once again, very valuable in keeping all the Egyptains straight.

Some time and significant events do pass between the end of the first book and The Heretic Queen.  Some of this is hinted at in the prologue, but I wish it had been fleshed out a lttle more before the book began.  I think it would have added to Nefertari’s sense of urgency even more.  Nevertheless, the author did make the reader feel for Nefertari and also to admire her persistance and intelligence.  I found Nefertari to be a much more likable character than her namesake Nefertiti.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.  I definitely look forward to Michell Moran’s future novels.