Despite the long list of content warnings, this was a favourite from my youth, and remains one to this day. It's the first book I ever read with an Egyptian main character—a big deal to me at the time. Never mind that it was ancient Egypt and the author a white woman, because I definitely wasn't thinking about that as a teenager. But to see my country written about in a book was a profound experience. Of course, it helps that I also really love the story and the characters, specifically Mara, our seventeen year old protagonist, and Sheftu.

Mara, a slave girl, finds herself suddenly stuck between two masters, on opposite sides of a political struggle. Neither knows of the other's existence, so Mara decides to play them both for her own gain. And this goes well, for a while. Part of her duties are to act as translator to Inanni, a Canaanite princess who was brought to Egypt so she could marry Prince Thutmose, at Pharaoh's orders. Mara has a lot of preconceived notions about Canaanites in general, and Inanni specifically. She calls them fat barbarians more than once. And this isn't limited to Mara—Thutmose makes similar remarks. But as the story progresses and she gets to know Inanni, she starts to think differently about her. A genuine friendship develops between them, and it's interesting to see how Mara's thoughts about Inanni change with time. 

Despite Mara being a very clever young woman, there's also quite a bit of misogyny in the text, especially with regards to Hatshepsut. There are multiple mentions of the unsuitability of a woman as Pharaoh, and she is definitely the villain of the book. The thing with all the content warnings is, I don't think they go unchallenged within the narrative for the most part. There are some exceptions, though, so definitely tread with caution. 

With regards to historical accuracy, I've forgotten all my history lessons, so all I can really tell you is that Hatshepsut and Thutmose existed, and that Hatshepsut was Pharaoh for a time. Whether she really was keeping Thutmose from the throne I honestly don't know.

The story of a young woman who, through her wits and courage, becomes part of a revolution, is compelling on its own. Mara changes from someone who only looks out for herself, to someone who, to her chagrin, cares deeply about the people around her, and about her country. But what gives it that extra something for me is Sheftu.

Sheftu is the love interest in this story, and also the leader of the revolution. He's clever, manipulative, and will do anything to see Thutmose on the throne as Pharaoh. The banter between him and Mara is a lot of fun, but my teenage heart went pitter-patter at the romantic tension most of all (and adult me still loves it, to be honest). 

I've reread this book more times than I can count, and it's still just as fun every time.