Fiction / Historical (Ancient Egypt)
258 pages / 1226 KB
4 Stars
This is Historical FICTION. If you want it to follow
history, shop elsewhere. If you want a fun read set in a long ago space, enjoy!
Yes, there were/are historical inaccuracies, BUT IT'S
FICTION! Yes, there were a few places where modern words and phrases jolted,
but over all, it was a fun and light read.
There isn't a great deal known about Kiya, but there is
some. If you're a stickler for accuracy in fiction, well, wander on down the
aisle, my friend. If you can suspend your disbelief, you just might be
pleasantly surprised at the tale. Hamstead makes Kiya a Hebrew woman named
Naomi, for starters, rather than the more or less accepted Nubian. This gives
her a lot of room for culture clashes and storyline. (Being Hebrew also makes
her, in this instance, a slave. Yes, I know, that's been pretty well debunked
by historians, but it plays well in the story.)
If you're looking for an historical romance, I think you
might be a tad disappointed in the book. There is love in the book, and hate,
and jealousy, but I don't think it would qualify as a romance. (If it had, you
probably wouldn't be reading my review, because I probably wouldn't have
finished it.)
Naomi is the favored daughter of her father, and is educated
as his son is educated. When Horemheb comes to Thebes to choose a virgin to
marry the Pharaoh, he chooses her sisters. Naomi volunteers to go. Akhenaton
wants a Hebrew wife because his God, Aten, has said that Hebrew women are pure,
and that a Hebrew wife will give him a son and heir—Tutankhaten.
Naomi is given a new name, Kiya, and made a wife of
Akhenaton, a man she has been raised to view as evil, a man who is ill and
deformed (possibly Marfanes disease), and a man she learns to love and respect.
All is not peaches and cream in the royal palace, though, and Kiya must tread
lightly and with cunning if she and her son are to survive. None of Pharaoh's
sons survive their first night, but young Tut does.
Given the time and cultures in which she was born and
raised, Kiya's behavior is not altogether unbelievable. The Hebrews did not
treat their women any better than the Egyptians treated theirs, especially in
harem situations. Women were property, and were to produce heirs. Period. If
they were intelligent and educated that was fine, as long as they knew their
place, and did not become a threat to their husband/owner.
Kiya is intelligent, educated, and strong-willed. She will
do anything for her husband, and for her children.
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