Review: Second book does not disappoint
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 12, 2013
I was excited to get my hands on a pre-release copy of "The Crook and Flail", having absolutely loved "The Sekhmet Bed," which is book number one in this trilogy. The timing wasn't the best for me, I had a lot of other obligations, so I had to work it in, little by little. "Crook and Flail" demanded more of me, however. It took hold and wouldn't let go, so in the end, my other obligations fell away in favor of reading this book.Here we meet Hatshepsut herself. She was only just born at the end of "The Sekhmet Bed." In Crook, she is young, being tutored and readied for her future role, which is to marry the Pharaoh, Thutmose II. Her mother, Ahmose, has been ruling as regent because of his tender age.Imagine being forced to marry your brother, a brother who is younger than you and quite the spoiled jerk (revolting, as Hatshepsut describes him). Ugh. But that is Hatshepsut's destiny.Then Ahmose tells her daughter the truth, and everything is changed. That her daughter has the ka, or soul, of a male, and that she must rule as Pharaoh.The story is riveting, flowing from one scene to the next, drawing the reader in deeper and deeper. I was mesmerized by the scene at the temple where Hatshepsut fights with the priests as she demands her rights. It's shocking! I was enthralled by her vividly-told love affairs, and the battle, where Hatshepsut reveals to everyone her true strength, her true kingly qualities. It comes with a price, however, as she earns forever her brother's murderous hatred.Stellar writing, an astonishing, affecting story, well-drawn, fully complex characters, some to despise and some to revere. I read for hours at a stretch, simply unable to stop.Highly recommended.