Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*
I wanted to read this book because I’m on a bit of a mummy/Ancient Egypt kick right now, and this turned out to be a fun read with a good story and interesting Egyptian mythology.
I’m not sure if Seti can really be considered a mummy since, once he reanimated, he seemed to be the same human/sorcerer he was before, no special mummy abilities or anything, but the author seemed to have a lot of fun with that aspect of his character anyway. Seti had already learned a lot about modern times from being talked to while he was in his sarcophagus, but there was still a lot he didn’t understand or hadn’t expected, so that made his POV interesting and entertaining, like when he learned about the temperature control in the shower and just kept changing the water from hot to cold in amazement.
I thought it was interesting though that, in many ways, Seti wasn’t a good person. I don’t know if the reader was meant to feel that way, but he killed innocent people while he was king, then he injured who knows how many people throughout the book every time he created windstorms that caused glass to shatter and heavy objects to fly through the air (not to mention destroyed food stands and things that people needed or were trying to sell in order to make a living). But he created the windstorms to save Logan, and he said himself that, when his heart was weighed against the feather in the afterlife, he would not be judged worthy, so he knew what kind of person he was. I’m not complaining though, just kind of musing about his character.
I also feel like I should give a trigger warning for sexual assault, even though it wasn’t really portrayed that way. *MILD SPOILER* Logan woke up at one point, before he and Seti were in a relationship, to find Seti touching him sexually. Since Logan was asleep, he hadn’t given consent. It was believable enough considering Seti had been a king in ancient times and was used to having slaves and concubines and just getting anything he asked for and pretty much did think at first that Logan belonged to him, but obviously that doesn’t actually make it ok. But Logan was attracted to Seti, wasn’t particularly bothered by it, and went on to sleep with him. *END SPOILER*
There were a few things I felt could’ve been better too. The characters, especially the side characters, seemed pretty flat, and the dialogue/interaction wasn’t terrible but didn’t ring fully realistic either. And pretty much the whole book was riddled with bad decisions on Logan’s part.
The story itself was good though. This was a short book, so it wasn’t the most intricate or deepest, but it did have a little more than just the romance.
Last but not least, I wanted to mention that I thought the bits of Egyptian mythology included were interesting. I learned some stuff about Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, and I liked seeing the author’s take on the Underworld and gods.
So overall, I can’t say this is the best or deepest book I’ve ever read, but it was fun for a quick read. The ancient-immortal-thrown-into-the-modern-world aspect was entertaining, the story was good, and the Egyptian mythology was interesting.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes M/M romance, paranormal/urban fantasy, Ancient Egypt, and quick, fun reads.
I might give it a go since it’s a novella. I can let a lot of stuff go and still enjoy when it’s not a full length novella and I know ahead of time what to expect. This sounds interesting even with a few flaws.
For What It’s Worth
I’m the same, I can let a lot go if it’s just a novella that’s meant to be a quick, light, fun kind of read.
I love all things Ancient Egypt too, and even though I know it’s pretty problematic, I really love the original The Mummy movie. Clearly I need to branch out and try some other Ancient Egyptian-inspired things, but I’m not sure this one is for me. The relationship between Logan and Seti does’t quite sound like my thing.
Seriously, ancient Egypt is so interesting! I think I’ve seen The Mummy but it was so long ago that I don’t remember it. Understandable, their relationship didn’t start out in a way I really approved of either.
The Fish out of water + Egyptian mythology is interesting, I think. I’d give this a read just to see how that all works together.
The fish out of water aspect was a lot of fun!
Oooh this one sounds fun 🙂 I love stories that incorporate ancient history in a cool way. I’m definitely going to check this one out, it’s been an age since I read any m/m (that wasn’t fan-fiction *ahem*)
Thanks for sharing!
Lol read as much fanfic as you want, I won’t judge! I’m generally not a history person, but I’ve just gotten somewhat interested in Ancient Egypt lately!
I’m so impressed that you’ve managed to find another book where the main character is a mummy. Really impressed. This one sounds like it doesn’t sink to deep, but I am penning that down to the shortness of this book in length. It sounds like a decent read.
Right?? It was the weirdest thing that another review copy popped up with a mummy, haha. I was just as surprised as you. But yeah, this was fun for a palate cleanser kinda book, something not to be taken too seriously.
Yay for mummies in fiction. Sorry to hear there were some flaws to the book (what book doesn’t have down sides?) but it sounds like you enjoyed it regardless. Sometimes, you just want a quick enjoyable read and don’t need all the depth of a full-length novel and at least you liked it mostly.
Exactly, I can look past some issues if I’m just looking for a quick, palate cleansing kinda read.
The unrealistic dialogue issue is a problem for me in some books, but I feel like I see it a lot more in romances. It always pulls me out of the story when I think, “Ugh, people DON’T talk this way…” This looks interesting, though. Egyptian mythology is always interesting and I haven’t read a lot of it.
Yeah, it does seem to happen a lot in romance, but I’ve seen it in other genres too. It’s frustrating since it throws me out of the story. But the Egyptian mythology was definitely fun!