Nephthys

Nephthys

Rachel Louise Driscoll

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

Sister. Rival. Protector. The spellbinding story of a forgotten daughter and a forgotten goddess. Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. But although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society. But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever. Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys' story that she can undo the mistakes of the past. On her journey up the Nile she will meet unexpected allies and enemies and, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, Clemmie will be forced to step into the light.


From the Forum
  • Ancient Egyptian Mythology

    It was so exciting to see a book that had its basis in Egyptian Mythology, there have been so many Greek Mythology retellings and this was such a nice change of pace. Combined with other books like the What The River Knows duology, I'm really hoping this kicks off a bit of an Ancient Egypt trend

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  • EmmsBookshelf
    Mar 12, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

     
    Nephthys is a novel that weaves together Egyptian mythology and the Victorian Era, particularly focusing on the exploration and pillaging of Egypts rich history. 
     
    The story was well written, in a manner that is evocative and engaging and I could vividly picture the events unfolding as I read.  Both the settings in England and Egypt were descriptive and detailed.  Character wise, Clementine was well rounded and had great development.  She goes from sheltered and naively following her fathers instructions, to independent and actively questioning everything, her loyalty to her sister is one of her chief qualities.  It took me some time to warm to Rowland as a character and Oswald kind of melted into the background, Celia was an interesting character who had an interesting duality against Clemmy (though two ‘C’ names had me rereading some sections). 
     
    Mythology was woven into the story incredibly well, this is quite a difficult thing to do, considering the variations between the different versions and different translations.  There was a great deal of historical and geographic accuracy, that showed that this book was incredibly well researched.  The themes of sisterhood were strong and shown in the connection between Clementine and Rosetta, but additionally between Isis and Nephthys, their mythology is woven into the story.  Additionally, themes of repatriation and the impacts of colonialism were worked in, this was done in an interesting manner by working in the idea of a curse.  Repatriation is something I am incredibly passionate about and I was incredibly pleased to see it play out in the story and watch Clemmie and Rowland in particular become more and more aware of the need for items of cultural heritage to remain or be returned to their country of origin. 
     
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and am grateful to Netgalley and the Publisher Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own 

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