Treasures of Egypt: The Spear & the Scythe

A marvellous mixture of magic and mythology, with some flawed characters who try their best to move forward and grow.

There is evidence of the amount of time and attention Amr Saleh has spent to create this story, with how detailed the Ancient Egyptian mythology is. All the Gods and Goddesses are introduced as we meet them, with perfect portrayal of what they are known for. We are also introduced to Pharaohs of wide renown and those who have been forgotten because of history. I loved meeting Hatshepsut and looked into her more after finishing the book.

Now our main characters...they were both very flawed, their relationship very complicated yet when taking their age into factor it is very understandable. Both are young, with ambitions and plans for their own people, yet they have an attraction to each other. Nefiri's growth is clear throughout the book, with her starting off as a naive and single-minded being and ending with more tolerance towards others.

The red herring thrown in was done very well. All the setup was there and yet Amr manages to knock us off our perch before we realised we were on it.

Overall, a very good read and I look forward to the hinted second book!