A vast improvement over the author's earlier Egyptian historical fiction novel, Nefertiti. I admit that I had low expectations for this going in, but the plot, the character's struggles (especially Nefertari's for identity and recognition, as opposed to her "aunt"'s for just power/a man) were handled much more maturely and wholly.This foray into the fascinating world of Egypt's past has a lot more to recommend it than Nefertiti. The characters are more accessible and rounded; the similarities (both real and imagined by the author) between Nefertari and Nefertiti's lives are alluded to with subtlety, not obvious and overdone as I feared. I am pleasantly surprised and may even read the author's third Egyptian historical fiction, [b:Cleopatra's Daughter|6340471|Cleopatra's Daughter|Michelle Moran|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873348s/6340471.jpg|5973842].
