Reflections in the Nile

Chloe and Cheftu #1

by Suzanne Frank

While visiting her archaeologist sister in Egypt, Dallas artist Chloe Kingsley steps into a forbidden chamber and is whisked back in time to the biblical Exodus.

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Egypt, Historical

544 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

J. Suzanne Frank is a newspaper and magazine journalist who has traveled extensively in Egypt, Greece, and Israel. A native of Texas, she lives in Dallas. She has written 4 novels under her own name and a short series of light mysteries under the name Chloe Green, which feature a fashionable sleuth named Dallas O'Connor. Her four novels are a linked series of time-travel fantasy that take a woman from the 1990s to ancient Egypt, Atlantis, and Biblical Israel. She draws heavily on history, myth and especially the Judeo-Christian Bible.

Reviews

[Suzanne Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously, I'm biased. I wrote these books because it seemed to me the COOLEST thing in the world to go back in time to ancient Egypt. But if a person knew all the details and was just confirming (or rewriting) what she'd expected, then ... where would be the fun? The adventure? The growth? Enter Chloe -- modern woman, multi-cultural, forward-thinker, but with enough understanding to comprehend the history she's living, and the skills needed to (barely) make her way through.

I loved writing this, writing the whole series. Chloe and Cheftu are some of my favorite people! Thanks to those who loved them, too!

[Spooty Mcblarbsnarble · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh god, this book was baaaaaad. I have no clue how it has such a high rating.

There are a two mild positive aspects to this book:

1. It was so bad that at times it burst out the other side of dreadful to become hysterically funny. I had a great time describing the ridiculous "plot twists" to my coworker during long drives out to work sites.

2. I picked this book up because I wanted a hot slice of Ancient Egyptian escapism, and the book assuaged that craving fairly well. The wording was often trite, but the imagery did the job and I felt like I got enough Ancient Egyptian ambiance.

And now, the many bad things:

1. The main female character is unbelievably insipid - one of those girls who is supposedly a Strong Female Lead, but who has the personality of an indecisive paper towel and depends on a man to get shit done. And of course, she is a virgin because...

2. Any female character who has a lot of sex is evil. No exceptions.

2.5. If you're wondering from the previous point whether many of the characters are one-dimensional, the answer is yes. Aside from the two main characters, everyone is a cardboard cutout of a parody of an archetype.

3. I love long books, but long books need good pacing and substantial material. This book is bloated with inconsequential crap, with a very long beige stretch in the middle. Of course, the grueling crawl to the end was where I tended to have the most giggle fits, so the totally unnecessary length did contribute to hilarity.

4. SPOILERS ahead: the story turns out to be all about how God is real. I feel like I got pranked by a door-to-door Christian missionary; I was expecting a fantasy novel, but I got a thinly veiled (or thickly veiled? See point 3) story about the Truth of the Old Testament. Now, I like fiction on Biblical themes; the Bible has some potent stories to explore. This book though... the agnostic main character witnesses the Plagues of Egypt during her time travels and Embraces the Lord, and has to leave her beloved in the past because her God-Given Destiny is to bring Proof of the Events of the Bible to the Wicked Modern World. I once heard the movie Django Unchained described as three hours of watching Quentin Tarantino masturbate through screen play. Likewise, this book is like watching an Evangelical Christian rub one out to the idea that there is a shred of proof that God exists (even though faith is supposed to be about faith, not proof, right?). True, I don't know if the author is Christian or has an agenda to push, but, if one's novel is unintentionally coming off as bad Christian "Lit", well, that might be even worse...

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was curious by the idea of Reflections in the Nile. I like to read about ancient Egypt, add to that the possibility of time travel and you could have a very entertaining tale. But not an easy plot to accomplish, despite its potential, as it turned out.

I enjoyed most of Chloe's adventures when she, through a vortex in time, finds herself in the time of the woman pharaoh Hatshepsut, as an evil priestess. However, I liked her lover Lord Cheftu, a court magus and physician, better. The difficulty in Suzanne Frank’s story arises, I think, from the fact that there was a lot happening at the same time, and her delivery lacked regularity. I found the flow of the writing inconsistent, at times too fast and confusing and other too detailed and almost tedious. The characters lack the depth that such a complex plot demands. I though they were not wholly believable. However, there were good villains and plenty of conflicts and challenges that hero and heroines have to surpass.

I wanted to like it better, read it all faithfully to the end enjoying most of it. But felt somewhat let down, 2.5 stars.

[Ana M. Román · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha parecido una muy buena historia en general. Cierto que el que se desarrollara en el antiguo Egipto le daba un punto más porque la egiptología y la arqueología siempre consiguen atraparme.

Sin embargo, si hubo un par de cosas que me chirriaron un poco porque me parecieron bastante inconsistentes como por ejemplo que después de que ella “invadiera” el cuerpo de la otra estuviera embarazada y a la misma vez siguiera manteniendo la virginidad de su yo del presente. Es lo de lo más surrealista.

También que de repente empezaran a salir viajeros del tiempo por todos lados.

Por otro lado, debo reconocer que cuando empezó todo el giro bíblico me pareció un poco exagerado. No por los hechos, que si me gustaron que los presenciaran pero sí toda la justificación divina de su viaje en el tiempo para ilustrarlos. Porque claro, no había suficiente gente en su correspondiente tiempo en el antiguo Egipto que podría haber hecho lo mismo (nótese la ironía). Máxime cuando está narrando una época en la que Dios se le apareció a Moisés y le otorgó los Diez Mandamientos. Vamos, que igual que se le pudo aparecer a él se le aparece a un pintor y asunto resuelto.

Pero en general fue una buena lectura con algún que otro pero. Si es cierto que aunque voy a seguir leyendo el resto de libros no me apasiona la idea de ellos dos saltando a través del tiempo para realizar no sé qué misiones divinas… Digamos que soy más prosaica. Prefiero creer en desdoblamientos del tiempo, agujeros negros o cualquier otra explicación, incluso si no me dan ninguna que pensar que Dios necesita hacer saltar a la gente de tiempo en lugar de hacerse valer de los que ya pueblan cada época.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From it's book cover:

"Imagine that you, a contemporary tourist, are standing awestruck in an ancient Egyptian temple. Suddenly a vortex in time and space sends you back thousands of years to a desert kingdom of glittering splendor. Your body has merged with that of a beautiful, scheming priestess, but your sensibilities, your intelligence, your terror remains that of a modern woman who is trying to get back home, trying, in this place of strangeness and wonder, to stay alive...

Rich in sensuality and authenticity, imbued with a mesmerizing "you are there" quality, J. Suzanne Frank's wonderful series makes it's highly acclaimed debut. Set in the decadent Egypt of the woman pharoah Hatshepsut, this stunning novel portrays Dallas artist, Chloe Kingsley on an unforgettable journey. A twist in time has plunged her into a world of deadly politics and dark secrets that culminates the the terror and chaos of the biblical Exodus... and challenges a modern woman to fight for her love, her beliefs, and her true destiny.

"Good storytelling...ancient Egypt comes alive!" Diana Gabaldon"

My thoughts: Anyone who knows me, knows why I read this book. It has been compared to Outlander and in the overall genre, yes, it's the same kind of story, even Diana Gabaldon writes a blurb on the front cover of the paperback. I must say, I really enjoyed this time travel story. I agree with the blurb on the book, you feel like you are there, and you learn a bit about ancient Egypt, it's customs and beliefs. The love story is good too between Chloe and Cheftu, a tall handsome Egyptian that has his own secret.

I think anyone who likes Outlander will enjoy this book, the first of a series. I liked the heroine, Chloe, and identified with her and the descriptions were vivid and the story engrossing. Not only is it the story of Chloe trying to cope with time traveling unwillingly to ancient Egypt, but it is the biblical Exodus story as well. Chloe and Cheftu must deal with the many plagues and catastrophes that are laid upon Egypt due to the fact Pharoah will not do as Mosesra (Moses) asks: "Let my people go." As much as I kept picturing Charleton Heston as Moses, it was not hokey or Cecil B. DeMillish, it was good! At the same time, it didn't hit you over the head with biblical overtones either, it only enhances the setting and drama of the story. Okay, maybe the parting of the Red Sea was a bit melodramatic, but it was interesting reading!

Is it as good as Outlander? No, but it's close to capturing the feel of it, but I was not as emotionally involved with these characters as I was with Jamie and Claire in Outlander. Still, it's a good read and their struggle to come to terms with one another and admit their love is a good tale. This book is best described as an evocative, romantic novel with an archaeological twist. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series which take Chloe to Atlantis, Canaan and finally to Babylon.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I... don't think I can finish this right now. As hot as I am for the sequel set in Minoan Crete, and as much as I enjoyed the beginning of this novel once I realized we did not only get a cute physician-and-seer love interest from Ancient Egypt, but also a second-chance romance, about 50% in the plot suddenly got ridiculous. Are you honestly trying to tell me that this American woman from the 1990s does not realize the capital-P Plagues of Egypt are happening around her? The plot twist got me back on track at first, but the sudden change of speech once that character's secret was revealed... ugh. I may return to Reflections in the Nile one day, but not soon!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egypt is one of the countries I fell in love with as a child. Mummy's, pyramids and pharoahs - what more could a girl ask for? This book is a bit more grown-up than my childhood Egyptian reads, but I loved it anyway. Time travel is always fun and Frank does it in a good way.

[tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, i found it in a used booksale at a school, picked it up and didn't stop till it was finished. great characters and amazing mix of history, archaeology, art, a religion= great read

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe, an artist, is exploring an Egyptian tomb with her sister when she enters the chamber of a priestess. Through a confluence of factors, she ends up whisked through time, waking up in the body of an Egyptian woman. Frantic to learn her identity and find a way back home, she has no one to trust and numerous enemies. The noblewoman whose body she usurped has committed evil acts, and Chloe must atone for them. With her life at risk and her options diminishing, she finds herself strangely drawn to the physician assigned to treat her.

With rich detail, this sweeping epic steeps the reader in Egyptian life during the time of Moses. One marvels at the vastness of the tale, the wealth of research, and the vivid images that spring to mind. Full of suspense, romance, and mystery, this exquisite story will leave you breathless for the sequel. This book is a keeper.

[Delafieldlib · Rating 5 out of 5]

While visiting her archaeologist sister in Egypt, Dallas artist Chloe Kingsley steps into a forbidden chamber and is whisked back in time to 1452 B.C.E. Caught in a maelstrom of political and personal intrigue, she meets and falls in love with Lord Cheftu, a court magus and physician.
(DE HAS BOOK 3 IN SERIES)

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. When I was in my early teens, I read Shadows on the Aegean, not realizing that it was the second in a series until I was halfway through the book and came to the conclusion that the things that were confusing me must have been explained elsewhere. And so I went back to read Reflections in the Nile, and my early teen self was embarrassed by the number of sex scenes (the library didn't shelve these in romance, so it was unexpected). Fast forward to today, and I had a jonesing to re-read Shadows on the Aegean (don't ask me why the risque scenes in that book didn't bother me), but I thought I'd do it in order.

Enough back story, but suffice it to say I still did not enjoy Reflections in the Nile, if for entirely different reasons this time around.

The first half of the novel runs quite smoothly. There is a good backstory. Chloe, a former member of the military, was raised in various countries by her traveling family. She visits her sister in Egypt for her 24th birthday, and ends up being thrust back in time to the days of Moses, inhabiting the body of RaEmhetep, a priestess for the goddess HatHor. Romance and Biblical plagues ensue, during which time she learns that her love interest, Cheftu, is actually also a transplant from the future (in his case, from 19th century France). The character development is well done, the novel well-paced, and I remained interested....until about halfway through the novel, when things sort of fell apart for me.

It started with this quote:

It was comforting that the man she loved was not of a race and mentality completely foreign to her. He was European...

This after the author spent a great deal of time outlining how well-traveled the main character is. She knows x number of languages, traveled all over the Middle East (even during her formative years as a child), has been exposed for most of her life to different cultures and....is relieved to find out her love interest is actually Caucasian? I had to stop and read the line twice to make sure I had that right. Aside from the vaguely (or not so vaguely?) racist undertones implied here, it makes no sense, given Chloe's background, that she would be "comforted" by the fact that her love is not "completely foreign to her."

Also, in true ridiculousness, we learn that Chloe was a virgin before being transplanted back in time. By itself, this isn't so awful...she's only 24, and that is completely plausible. However, after being transplanted back in time, she and Cheftu have a slow-building relationship (he initially hates her because he hates RaEmhetep), and then they quickly get married for very convoluted reasons. The decision to get married is literally made within a page, and executed within two. So this falls squarely in the "the characters have to be married before they have sex" category. RaEmhetep's body even starts taking on Chloe's physical characteristics, including her restored hymen (*facepalm*). I don't know...if no sex before marriage is a thing for you, perhaps just write Christian romance novels with no sex at all?

Other things were annoying as well. Cheftu had to point out to Chloe that what they were experiencing was the Biblical plagues, even after 5 of them had already taken place. Why would he need to explain this to someone as well-traveled as Chloe, even if she is not that religious?? You'd think the Nile turning to blood might tip her off...but no, she has no bloody clue until Cheftu points it out to her.

Additionally, the timing and plot that had been well-paced in the first part of the novel became erratic and nonsensical in the second half. As an example of this:

- Cheftu steals Chloe away from her intended spouse, Thutmosis, next in line to be Pharaoh. A side character tells the pair that regardless of Cheftu's "favored status," Thutmosis is not pleased, and "all the court cowers" at his anger. Cheftu responds that he doubts his former status is "valid any longer."
- Literally three pages later, Cheftu decides that he has to go to Thutmosis to warn him about further Biblical plagues. His reasoning regarding this (three pages later!) is: "Thut will not kill me. I am one of the favorites of the Great House." What? Because just three pages ago you said that your favored status was no longer valid.

What the what?

Argh. Never mind that - as is helpfully pointed out by Chloe - why is Cheftu even approaching Thutmosis about the plagues anyway? Whether you are religious or not - assuming that at least some of the plagues are based on historical fact - wouldn't that be messing with history in ways that would have unforeseen consequences? Why would that be OK to any time traveler?

At any rate, I'm still going to have to re-read Shadows on the Aegean because I went and bought it already (along with one of the next books in the series). I can only hope that it was as good as I remember, and that Frank managed to handle those books like she did the first half of this one - without weirdly racist undertones, massive timing issues, and nonsensical plot points.


______________________________
Original review, written about a decade after I initially read the book:

This would have been a lot better without the excessive love scenes, and if it were about 50 pages shorter (the research was done well, but the story just kept going...and going...)

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book 5 stars worth of love, but it is not actually 5 stars good. It's probably 2 stars good, but I read it as a teenager and was obsessed with it. It was like a combo platter of my favorite stuff - body switching, time travel, romance novel - and then three quarters of the way in it's like BAM, here is some surprise Jewish stuff (also a special interest) and btw God is Real and I don't even know why, but when I remembered the book I had to find it online and buy a copy immediately.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book when it first came out in 1997 because I'm a huge time travel and Egyptian history fan and kept meaning to read it. Grad school, work and other life events kept getting in the way and I finally sat down to read it this week. The historical aspects -- whether fiction or non-fiction, were fascinating to read. The imaginary re-telling of the flight from Egypt was a page turning part of the book. The flipping back and forth between the different names made it a tad hard to follow at points but mostly I enjoyed the read. I have the rest of the series so am looking forward to reading the rest.

[Brianna Broten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! I enjoyed reading about Egypt so much. This book was giving me vibes of The National Treasure, Da Vinci Code & Outlander! I would not consider this a light read, as it does bring forth religion, Egyptian history and a couple different languages as well - now add in some romance and a touch of fantasy and I was all in on this book after 1 chapter!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m withholding any more judgment until I give the rest of the series a chance, because I love the concept of time travel back to ancient egypt, but i do have a question. How much of her actually time travelled? It seems like she just took over ra emhatep‘s body body but kept her own eyes for some reason and maybe also the status of her hymen. ??? Why would either of those things not just be ra em? She’s the rest of her. I can overlook the eyes, i guess, but I literally can’t sympathize with everyone else’s obsession with sex. Anyway. The plagues were cool to read about, but it seems like it took them a shockingly long time to realize they were living through the plagues of egypt. I get being in denial, but when faced with that evidence, i would think, ‘wow, these things that just happened were clearly supernatural. I think they were mentioned in the bible. If one more plague shows up, I’ll know.’ I don’t have an extensive knowledge of all of them, and I don’t know how i actually would react, but if I’m screaming at the page and wondering why they don’t get it... that’s crazy. I’m not the best at picking up on things, i just enjoy the ride, and I kind of did, especially for some reason the pharaoh when exodus was in the works. He started out as a little shit but you do see him start to become fit to rule after a while. The corresponding bad to that minor good is the painting. It took her way too long to recognize her own work. I know, she’s never painted like that before, I’ve been fooled myself when I see something from a distance in an unexpected place, like, Ooh, where’d that come from it’s cool, and then I’ll remember i drew it. I understand that, but she focuses a lot on their faces when she first sees it in the present and doesn’t seem to make the connection when she meets them, not even a, Where have i seen them before?

I’m sure one of the sequels, though, must be about ra em in chloe’s time, right?

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely REFUSE to continue trying to pretend this book is for me. It was a book club thing and I gave it a shot. I wanted to get into it. It wasn't worth the effort it took to track down. I'm really happy I did not waste money buying this book.
The main character: vapid. I'm 134 pages into the story. I can't tell you anything about her that is redeeming. Here's what I do know: she's obsessed with underwear. She thinks her appearance is everything. She puts value in superficial. She's had a lot (I mean, like, TOTALLY, a LOT) of enemas. She pretends she's got substance, but then compares women who have bald heads to RADIATION VICTIMS. She thinks women who have size 9 feet are monsters (wow, as someone who wears a size 12 or 13 shoe depending on the make... I'll creep back to the lab of my creator now, sorry [not sorry] to have offended you, Chloe, I mean, Suzanne). She's a racist. She would NEVER sleep around, but it's TOTALLY okay to date men who are engaged to another woman. She needs a lesson in hymen mythology and she needs to get her goddess communion right.
Are you picking up what I'm putting down here? Chloe is a piece of shit.
Oh, and also, there's time travel and pyramids. But not really, because there's no explanation of the time travel (that I stuck around for) and the pyramids don't really play into it, either, so sorry to get your hopes up. The author has no original thoughts. She straight up rips off the Holy Bib-lee and drones about that like your worst nightmare of a sermon writer. Even plagues are made boring in her hands.

[SL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read "Reflections in the Nile" for a book club. Having loved Outlander I thought this might be a lot of fun. Time travel? Ancient Egypt? What could go wrong? A bit, as it turns out.

Chloe is a girl from the twentieth century visiting her sister, and Egyptologist on a dig, for the Christmas holiday and her birthday. One night, while exploring the temple of Karnak, Chloe is thrown out of her time and wakes up in the body of an ancient Egyptian priestess in the reign of Hatshepsut.

It sounds like it could be a pretty good adventure, and in some ways it is, but he book is muddied by poor pacing (sometimes we sprint through a week or two with barely a mention of how much time has passed). The characters, particularly Cheftu and Chloe, though interesting fail to really develop leaving them a bit boring and two dimensional. Lastly-- and this isn't really the fault of the book so much as the kindle version, I guess-- the kindle edition is RIFE with typos! So many all the time. Kind of funny, but mostly just sad.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, but the last 1/3 felt like a bit of a mess.

Overall, a fun read, but not worth getting into the series for me.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book, but I really wanted to. I'm a sucker for time-travelling stories, however I have not read one that takes place in ancient egypt, so I hoped for a great read.
I was disappointed.
I didn't really feel for any of the characters and mostly I feelt not a lot was happening. In then end the pace toke up speed and i enjoyed it more, but it just wasn't enough.
The point of view jumps mostly between Cheftu and Chloe, the main protagonists, but often it tooke me some time to realise which perspective I was reading right now, because changes seemd to occure right in the middle of the pages.
I also found it quite disturbing that hardly anyone questiones Chloes behaviour after her time-travel. I cannot imagine, that anyone from nowadays would really blend in there and people should start to ask questions.
Added to this, Chloe never was bothered to much about changing the past and that seems to be the point that is really fascinating for me about time travelling.
So, sadly only 2. 5 Stars from me.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe visits her sister, an archeologist, in Luxor. She does the usual sight seeing and also goes to the Sound and Light show at Karnak temple. She decides that she wants to see the sunrise from inside the temple to take some photos and hides in a small side chamber. Then, suddenly, when she kneels down to pick something up from the ground, everything shifts and wavers and she finds herself in the body of someone else in the times of Pharao Hatshepsut.

A romantic novel with an archeological twist. Quite entertaining and nice reading for low brainpower. This is the first of four books. In the sequels Chloe will travel to Atlantis, Canaan and finally (I think) to Babylon.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a series of time travel back to ancient Egypt. All Chloe Kingsley wants to do is find her way home. Instead she finds herself in Egypt in the reign of Hatshepsut. She meets a young physician, Cheftu who has some secrets of his own. She also meets Moses of the bible and experiences the chaos of Egypt and travails of the Israelites.
That Moses should be living in the time of Hatshepsut is one surprise but there are many more to come as the novel progresses.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. I didn't read the entire overleaf when I read this book the first time... it was a time-travel recommend. It BLEW me away and my cousin would be proud to hear I had to refer to the Bible a few times in this series...

[flajol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time-travel romance is my guilty pleasure... I love this series! Made me want to find out all about Champollion.

[Erika Boncz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who loves Diana Gabaldon would love this series

[Sher Fick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous time travel - I LOVE all 4 books in this series . . . .

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of anything Egypt and loved this book. I really feel the author did extensive research to create the story.

[Beth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE these books.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is the most coolest!!!

[Zohreh Avatefi hafez · Rating 4 out of 5]

-نمي توانم بدون تو بروم.
-برو...با خدا برو...او همراه تست.

[Majca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you ever get the mystifying urge to revisit the books you ransacked from your mum’s bookshelf in the early 2000s? It’s a pearl-clutching, fascinating experience. The nostalgia hit hard, creating an amusing gap between the quality and the enjoyment.

Let’s be real here: objectively, this is a bad book. But I’ll argue that it works if you embrace its campy, bodice-ripper aesthetic and fully lean into it—ready to throw the back of your hand against your forehead to faint, fall to your knees, and raise your fists to curse your god. You must turn off all thinking skills, OFF, I'm telling you. Follow the protagonist’s example!

Chloe barely forms a coherent thought or emotion, except when swooning over Cheftu’s muscles, leaving you plenty of room to project your own. Her near-total lack of emotional response is probably the most defining thing about her. She travels through time, experiences biblical plagues, and just goes whateves. She’s so blasé about it all that she needs lover boy to explain to her that yes, these are the capital-P Plagues. And even when something is directly stated, she often doesn’t register it until it’s repeated several pages later. She also mistakes a lion cub for a cat, so, you know.
Dense, naive, and of course virginal—because hos are evil.

Cheftu’s entire personality consists of unfounded devotion to Chloe, unfounded devotion to God, and a thick, shiny... chest. How exactly a scholar attains a Viking physique while wandering through the desert and starving remains unclear, but good for him.

Unsurprisingly, their romance is built on lust. Tension relies on a repetitive cycle of miscommunications and mood swings. Until they suddenly declare their undying love. (And for such an intense supposed connection they care shockingly little about getting to know each other). At an equally breakneck pace, they both forgo their relationship to families, friends, and entire time periods. IT'S THE POWER OF LOOOOVE.

There is a plot, but I don’t recommend trying to follow it.. And when things happen, don’t ask why it happened—I tried that once and almost hurt myself in confusion. You either go with the flow or not at all.

That said, if you manage to shut your brain off and embrace it as trashy, star-crossed lovers fare, it can be fun. The setting is nice, the scenery lush, and it has dramatic flair and a certain grandeur to it that is genuinely enjoyable.

For the most part, that’s how it worked out for me. But what noticeably irked me were the ethical and ideological underpinnings. The recurring sexism, racism, and exoticism are uncomfortable. The heavy-handed Christian ideology is grating. And the fact that Chloe—a supposedly modern woman—never once reflects meaningfully on the horrors around her (slavery, child prostitution) is downright offensive. The book wants to be brain fluff, which is fine—but some things should not go uncommented.

Evidently it's a mess. You gotta trust in the power of abs. Or, you know, don't, and read something with actual substance

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, I'm pretty divergent - if someone raves about a book, I inevitably find it boring or over-hyped. If someone calls a book the antithesis of enjoyable, I usually have it on my favorites shelf. But in this case, the majority of previous reviewers for this particular book were dead-on. The beginning was impeccable. I legitimately felt like I was ankle-deep in sand. Her description is so unbelievably vivid, and it's like that throughout the book, without being dense or heavy-handed. If M.M. Kaye wrote a book about Egypt at the start of the millennium, it would be Frank's first resplendent, well-researched, addictive fifty pages.

However...

My problem with this book, as others have said before me, is that the premise I had so come to love and admire became mired in way too many plotlines, some of which seemed hasty and impulsive the closer to the end we came. There was also the matter of TMI and TMtry, as I like to call it, because I don't have a burning desire to know about Ancient Egyptian enema tactics or sadistic sex acts, and I think in trying to keep history authentic, the author sometimes subjected the reader to things that didn't make the novel more powerful or compelling and therefore weren't necessary.

As a Jew, I had mixed feelings on the Biblical elements tied in. Every Passover seder, we go through the story of Exodus and the Ten Plagues that befell Egypt, so it was really interesting to read about them in a fictional way and see them fleshed out. I thought the author dealt with the Anti-Semitism of the day in a way that was respectful and informative, but I have no idea how accurate it was. The way she delved into the different perspectives of the ruling powers lent more credence to this method.

However, I honestly think that the Exodus storyline could've (and should've) been done in a separate novel, set in the same time period and with some of the same characters, rather than shoving it into this one. Because it did feel shoved in - it didn't feel seamless or cohesive, it felt like a giant fault line running through the novel, a San Andreas where one side is Chloe's RaEm story and the other is full of burning bushes and bloody rivers.

The relationships in this novel were very unique. The sisterly dialogue was realistic (I can vouch) and I loved how proud Chloe was of Cammy and how supportive. Hatshepsut (living forever!) was EXPERTLY done, without being too shrewd or my-way-or-the-highway. She was believable enough to root for, and despicable enough at times to believe in, if that makes sense. Even Chloe's romantic forays in Ancient Egypt held the right amount of intrigue and angst for me, though the ending of the book leaves a bit to be desired, in my opinion (and am I the only one who wishes Chloe had taken up the body of a peasant or cat watcher instead of RaEm? I really didn't like RaEm, and she made SO many issues for Chloe that I wish I didn't have to struggle through).

I genuinely think if Frank rewrote this without the Exodus storyline and pared down on the TMI, it could be a 5-star novel. Her writing and attention to detail is definitely 5-star, so all she needs is her editing to be there, too.

An enjoyable read, one I will keep and revisit despite its flaws. Thank you, Suzanne. You did the genre credit.