The Sekhmet Bed by Lavender Ironside
Series: The She-King #1
Rating: ★★★
So first, disclaimer: I love historical interpretations of famous people, and this book wasn't bad; I just couldn't quite bring myself to finish it.
I guess I got tired of waiting for our heroine to grow up. That's not really fair to her, given her age and the magnitude of the rolls thrown on her, but still - she continued to act like an impulsive twelve year old with no foresight at the HALFWAY POINT.
It got boring.
Also - I would've liked more violence or hands-on war (as provided in other retellings of the Pharaoh Queen). There was some interesting throne room manipulation, some power struggle, but I never really felt fear for our heroine. I was stressed for her...and time wore me down. There are several really well done books where the author draws you in, and you feed off of the worry that's generated—that didn't happen for me here.
So your sister's a bitch. It happens.
Also, you're ballsy enough to do very serious backhanded manipulation of one of the most powerful women in Egypt, as well as many other gutsy, not well thought out things, and you're still TERRIFIED OF SEX. It is dangerous to go through childbirth etc., very true, but women have been having kids since the beginning of time. You're going to have to do it eventually, and it's basically the ONLY THING THAT WILL FIX MOST ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS. GOD, WOMAN. It's not that she decides "Oh, I want to wait for _____ reason." Nope, she just is scared and won't fix her problems like a grownup—by doing something she considers unpleasant.
Again, this is a relatable fear. One that's still present and impeding her past the halfway point of the book...so there's that.
This came off very angry and unsatisfied, but, again, I did actually like this book, I just eventually had to file it under the DNF section of my library out of slowly built up frustration.