Title: Mara, Daughter of the Nile.
Author: Eloise Jarvis McGraw.
Gene: Historical Fiction, Suspense, Romance, Action/Adventure, Spy Thriller.
Plot: Mara, the blue-eyed sarcastic heroine of our tale, is a slave in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut. One day Mara is out and about in the marketplace when she ought to be working, and she attracts the attention of two very powerful but very dangerous men who are on opposite sides to one another. When her cruel master finds her, he drags Mara back to his estate with the intention of punishing his sly slave; but a well-to-do man stops him from beating her and buys her. When Mara and her new master are safely out of sight and hearing, he tells her that he works for the queen and wants her to spy for him; he tells her what to do next, what he wants her to look for, and in no uncertain terms lays out what will happen to her if she proves useless or runs away. Mara, rejoicing at her chance of freedom and to achieve all her dreams of becoming free and rich someday, readily agrees and sets sail to meet up with the Canaanite princess the queen has given to her hotheaded step-brother Thutmose {who is actually the rightful ruler of Egypt of course} with instructions to serve as Inanni's {the princess} interpreter. But on board the ship of Nekonkh, Mara meets and befriends a mysterious but intriguing scribe. Nekonkh is already suspicious of the charming fellow and warns Mara to be on her guard around him; unfortunately for her, the scribe proves to be just as witty, if not more so than Mara herself, and she is pressed into his service as a spy for the imprisoned Thutmose, and threatened with death if she runs away or betrays him.
Now, with two dangerous and opposing forces to deal with, juggle, and keep supplied with information without getting herself killed or losing the confidence of either of the powerful men, Mara finds herself stepping very carefully and questioning her every action and word. As she processes, analyzes, and juggles, she also befriends the homesick but friendly Canaanite princess Inanni who, being smarter than she looks, quickly catches on that there's something more to the secret chance meetings in the garden with the scribe {whom Mara is shocked to learn is actually Lord Sheftu, one of the most powerful men in the whole empire and also one of the queen's most trusted advisers and nobleman}, and the brief meetings with Thutmose {who is furious at having to take a foreign bride} in which Mara and the prince communicate in Egyptian while Inanni asks Mara questions in Babylonian to which she gives distracted replies, much to Thutmose's secret amusement. And, against her will and better judgement, Mara begins to predictably fall in love with the dashing Lord Sheftu, building castles in the air without meaning to, and seriously doubting whether the queen's side is where she actually wants to be.
However, when a slip of memory occurs, Mara's life is thrust into grave danger and both men suspect her of being a traitor to either of their causes. By then, Mara has already decided to give her help and her heart to Sheftu, but that doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore, for she will doubtlessly be tortured for information and put to death by Nahereh, her "granite faced" master. Sheftu, however, is much more quick-witted than many believe, and he quickly accesses the entire situation and, realizing his mistake, he rushes straight to the palace ahead of his troops for a final, dramatic showdown with his archenemy and the wicked queen of Egypt.
A fast-paced, exciting and intriguing historical ride, this adventure will take you into the everyday life in Ancient Egypt and give you a glimpse into just one incident in the world's oldest country's troubled and colorful history.
Likes/Dislikes: While Mara is sarcastic, her humor is actually humorous; some of the situations she finds herself in or deliberately puts herself in are a little nerve racking, especially when she sweet-talks the dopey palace guard into letting her slip out the gate every now and then. However, aside from that, several brushes with death, and a beating toward the end of the book, this is a very good story and I recommend it to anyone interested in the above listed genes or in Egypt in general.
Rating: PG-13 and up, for reading level and content that might go over the heads of younger readers.
Date Report Written: December 30th, 2010.
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