The Heretic Queen

The Heretic Queen

by Michelle Moran

Synopsis:

The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating place fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty's royal family -- 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. Nefertari is pushed aside, and 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.

Dustin's Review: ****

I loved this book! Michele Moran is a fantastic author who administers the perfect mix of fact and fiction. This is a story of a true romance. Most Pharaoh's married women who they barley knew or cared about. Ramesses really loved Nefartari. Their story is a magical and it is touching how they stick together through everything.

After reading this book I was so enticed by the characters I did a little research on them to see if they really were in love and so forth. I found that Ramesses built Nefertari a tomb which is considered today to be the largest and most beautiful of any found in the necropolis. On the wall of her burial chamber, Ramesses summed up his love for her as such: "My love is unique and no one can rival her...just by passing, she has stolen away my heart."

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and/or loves a great romance.