Ancient Egypt has always been more fascinating to me than any other ancient culture. When I first heard about Friesner’s Sphinx’s Princess, I was elated. It has been a long while since I read a young adult novel set in that time period. Though Michelle Moran’s Cleopatra’s Daughter straddled the line between young adult and mainstream, it wasn’t truly Ancient Egypt, as it was set at the waning of the Empire and primarily focused on Ancient Rome.

Nefertiti, as Friesner explains in the Author’s Note, is as mysterious as the time period itself. Historians know very little about this woman who is written of so dynamically and was such a driving force during her years as Queen. Commoner or royalty? Egyptian or foreigner? Intelligent or just lucky? Arguably one can make the assertion that Nefertiti is as infamous as her husband the Pharoah is, but she is only mentioned as the Queen. Her life before and after has either never been recorded or lost to time, and her body has not been found.

As she did with Helen of Troy in Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize, Friesner takes what little we know of this ignoble personage and creates a well-rounded and relateable young girl who proves herself equal to the legend surrounding her name. Nefertiti is an intelligent, clever and ambitious girl. Her beauty is incidental in her mind to her other talents; she can read and write better then most male scribes and has a mind for strategy.

She is not, however, ready for the politics of court life. Brought to the court of Pharaoh Amenhotep III by her aunt, the Great Queen Tiye, Nefertiti is in both awe and fear of her aunt. At first she goes along with things, happy to do what she enjoys and feeling closer to the mother who died giving birth to her (and was the Queen’s scribe before death). But when the name of the game is trickery, Nefertiti is lost.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Friesner’s depth of detail is astonishing as she describes not only well-known locations of Ancient Egypt but also day-to-day trivials. Nefertiti’s first realization that the slaves her family and others keep are people, too, was intriguing to read while also proving that Nefertiti as a person was worth following in a simple way. Nefertiti’s thirst for knowledge can be keenly felt as she finds ways to write and read without her father’s knowledge.

While I enjoyed reading about her early life, I was hoping for more about when she meets her future husband–the controversial Pharaoh Akhenaten. Hopefully with the publication of the sequel, Sphinx’s Queen, we shall learn more. ( )

Although Nefertiti is the dutiful daughter of a commoner, her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. And her striking beauty garners attention that she'd just as soon avoid, especially when it's her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who has set her sights on Nefertiti. The queen wants to use her niece as a pawn in her quest for power, so Nefertiti must leave her beloved family and enter a life filled with courtly intrigue and danger. But her spirit and mind will not rest as she continues to challenge herself and the boundaries of ancient Egyptian society. With control of a kingdom at stake and threats at every turn, Nefertiti is forced to make choices and stand up for her beliefs in ways she never imagined.

[review written 2013]

mmkay i just finished sphinx’s princess. i read the first book of ester friesner’s series about helen of troy when i was like, 12 (and now i see that there are eight books about historical/mythical princesses wow cool). and from what i remember it was very similar

like, it started out with nefertiti as a child. (nefertiti is very cool.) and i liked it a lot, it was a good book. but it was very slow until the last few chapters until it picked up. nefertiti’s a good character. she’s likable. and i enjoyed her up until she started going on dreamily about thutmose.

like, where did that come from. literally, where. one second nefertiti hated thutmose and the next she was all dreamy about him, thinking about kissing him. i did not sign up this. it’s even lampshaded that it was stupid and pointed out as a character flaw in nefertiti. i’m still not fond of that decision but i’ll have to wait until i read the next book.

nava was a good character, and i liked her the most, along with sitamun. most of the others weren’t that remarkable. i’m still a little confused with how old they all are. i think nefertiti’s sixteen? it’s hard when you’re trying to write something spanning years; when i read the song of achilles i was a bit confused about their ages there as well.

it was a pretty good book though and leaves me wanting to read the sequel, which luckily i have. i liked the ending. the rest of the book was rather slow and didn’t grasp my attention as much as it could have. ( )

YA historical fiction. Fact and fiction are beautifully interwoven. The reader feels that she is right there in ancient Egypt. The characters grow and develop, are interesting and unique. ( )

I liked it so much, I immediately placed a hold on the sequel. ( )