review 1: It had promise but in the end I gave up half way. It's just not what I expected. It's neither purely historical, nor paranormal and the parts taking place in the present time are the least interesting ones. Either have the magic be more prominent or just make it purely historical imho. There's very little connection between the two plots by half way and I have very little interest in the part taking place in the present- the characters are uninteresting and dull. The historical parts are better but the characters there are pretty one dimensional too. Neferet feels a little too modern. If you want a modern view point on the historical times just throw in time travel and not this half baked supernatural connection.It's all pretty thin - the intrigue, the characterization. I ... moreexpected polytheistic cults and some magic, people truly believeing in different things, truly having different point of view and way of thinking, what we get is monotheism in disguise, and almost modern sensibilities. The heroine Neferet even has qualms about incest - in the royal Egyptian family?! really?! Like a cliche good modern princess she even asks servants to be her friends and call her by her name.. review 2: The God’s Wife was beautifully written and truly exceeded my expectations. It was a perfect mix of historical and contemporary fiction, switching back and forth between Ancient Egypt and present day Chicago. The focus of this novel is shared between Neferet, daughter of the Pharaoh and the ceremonial wife to the God Amun, and Rebecca, a present day professional dancer in Chicago. I love to read books with alternating point of views but it can be challenging to pull off, especially when the characters are from such drastically different time periods. I am happy to say that the author executed it flawlessly in The God’s Wife. Lynn’s descriptions of Ancient Egypt were so vivid that everything from the clothing, to the royal ceremonies, and the somewhat questionable relationships between characters came to life. Here is an author who has done her homework and was able to provide enough historical details for the plot and characters to feel authentic. I loved that this novel was full of strong and capable women. Rebecca and Neferet were both characters that were easily identified with and I was consumed with their stories. It was Neferet’s story that really kept me flying through the pages and I have to commend Lynn for so wonderfully depicting Ancient Egypt and Egyptian Royalty. While I found the scenes taking place in Ancient Egypt to be slightly more intense and fast moving than those in Chicago, I thought that overall this book was nicely balanced and well paced.I was intrigued from the beginning with the connection between these two women and I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like The God’s Wife. It was incredibly unique and the interconnecting stories of Neferet and Rebecca were fantastically written. It was full of rich historical depictions of Ancient Egypt but the parallel story line in Chilcago kept it from feeling like too heavy a historical read and that is why I would recommend it as a must read for fans of both contemporary and historical fiction. I received a free copy of The God’s Wife from Pump Up Your Book Virtual Tours (thank you!!!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. less
