The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

Title: The Heretic Queen
Author: Michelle Moran
Published: September 2008
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780307381767
Source: Library

Description: In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history. 
The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.  Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

I've always loved the history of ancient civilizations.  But, history class is just facts.  It does not make you feel like you are there.  It does not give you a taste of what life might have been like.   Michelle Moran does.  I can not imagine the research that goes into her work.  The minute you open the cover of one of her novels, you are there.  I love the settings, the characters, and the story itself.  I like how she takes what is known and weaves into her story, so in the end you are not sure if the book was fact or fiction.  I also enjoyed that in both books I've read, she has included biblical references.  And, I've completely missed them until I've read the author notes in the back.  Michelle Moran leaves me talking about her books long after I've read them!