My friends, I have and amazing book to tell you about today.

KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH

by

Katie Hamstead

about the book:

When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…

The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.

Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood

my review

If you have any interest in Ancient Egyptian history, do yourself a favor and read this book.

Kiya, born a Hebrew named Naomi, is chosen to be the wife of Akhenaten. Chosen to provide him the son he needs to carry on his kingdom. She is a wonderfully strong female lead. You will fall in love with her. She is beloved of Akhenaten and reviled by Nefertiti. She faces everything thrown at her with grace and dignity. I can't stress enough how amazing a character Kiya is.

For those unfamiliar with Ancient Egypt, Kiya is widely believed to be the mother of Tutankhamen. King Tut. Very little is known of her, other than she was a lesser wife of Akhenaten. He was the 'heretic pharaoh'. He literally threw away the Egyptian pantheon, moved the capital city to Ikhaten (currrent day Armana) and ruled as pharaoh. All surviving artwork shows him as an odd shaped, almost feminine individual. Was he enlightened or mad? No one knows for certain.

This book portrays Akhenaten as a kind, generous but somewhat unstable individual. Nefertiti is a jealous, hateful, evil woman. All characters in this book have amazing almost larger than life personalities. I liked Horemheb, but loved Malachi. I found Ay to be as sneaky and rotten as his daughter.

The book focuses on Kiya and her struggle in an Egyptian household. Her many interactions with Nefertiti and Nef's daughters. Kiya becomes beloved not only of Akhenaten but of just about every other character in this well written story.

I absolutely loved this book, and look forward to more by this author. This is a 'can't put it down' book. I couldn't stop reading until I finished, and then wanted to just start over and reread. A 5 star book.

a bit of history

Akhenaten was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty.  Son of  Amunhotep III,  he ruled Egypt for 17 years.   He died around 1335 BC.  He abandoned Thebes and traditional polytheism and created a new capital and religious center  worshipping the ATEN, the sun.  He is widely believed to be the father of King Tut.  

Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten.  She was also heavily involved in the movement to the worship center of Aten (current day Armana).  She is believed to have lived from 1370-1330 bc. 

canopic jar believed to be the likeness of Kiya  (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiya

I'd like to introduce a fantastic book by author Jay Speights.

about the book:

Publication Date: March 28, 2013

7 Days With Adam is about Adam, the first man, who visits me and shatters many of my core beliefs about God, creation, the basic nature of humans, this world and, his and Eve's real legacy. After the 7 day visit, he leaves me fully enlightened with actual exercises, prayers and meditative techniques that we can all use to access our Divine Inner Power and use it to achieve mastery in our lives. This book is a testament to the value of story telling in spirituality, disciplined spiritual practice and being attuned to the Higher Self and Divine Inner Light that is in all of us.

My thoughts:

Imagine waking up one day and meeting Adam.  First man on Earth.  Adam, who along with Eve, is responsible for Original Sin.  (honestly, I've never much believed in the concept of original sin-I think of Eve as more of a liberator.  She and Adam are responsible for giving us knowledge and the ability to question everything, solely because they ate from that tree)

Now Imagine being able to spend seven days with Adam learning, having questions answered, and generally having your eyes opened up to amazing truths.

WOW.  I have to admit, I'll never think about things quite the same way again.  Personally, I've never been one to believe in the ritualistic trappings of religion, being more interested in the message than anything else.  

Reverend Speights does a wonderful job of taking Biblical ideas, endless questions, and spiritual ideas and explaining them in ways that will make the reader question his/her own beliefs.

My advice is to read this book with an open mind.  You may not agree with everything you read, but I promise, you will enjoy the book.  It won't rock your faith (whatever you may believe) but it may have you questioning a few things, and in my book, questioning is always good.  It is what allows us to learn, understand and grow.