Asp of Ascension is an entertaining and engrossing young adult mystery. We have a teen protagonist accompanied by her friends in an all too familiar whodunnit story. While predictability is not an issue for me when I read mystery novels, I am always wary of poor execution. Personally, this book did not appeal to me because of it's execution, or lackthereof.

It will likely appeal to readers and fans of YA series such as Deadly Cool, Heist Society, The Liar Society, or authors such as Myra McEntire, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Mariah Fredericks. Furthermore, readers who enjoy Egyptian history, pharaohs, and novels that talk about the fascinating life of Cleopatra might also find themselves drawn to this title. But alas, it isn't for me.

This was not really my kind of book. it was just a bit too YA for me to really enjoy. It had a good storyline but the main character was not someone I would care about

Asp of Ascension (The Nefertari Hughes Mystery Series Book 1)
By: B R Myers

The first book in a new series, a really good YA mystery. Two good, unique protagonists that you wouldn’t think would make good friends but prove us all wrong. An Egyptian prince, an ancient Egyptian asp that went missing from the museum 50 years ago. A curse, romance, and a mystery all tied together and thank heaven I had the next book in the series because I didn’t want to wait to find out what happens next. Excellent story, I highly recommend it. While the paperback might not be available, it is available in ebook.

Loved the book and story, amazing writing and the conpect and characters are fantastic!

The new school year doesn't seem promising. Terry's still dealing with the grief of losing her mother, struggling to get used to her crippled leg, plus trying to deal with fitting in at a new school in a new continent. It only gets worse when her father falls into a coma and his creepy colleague insists that she's the only one who can break the curse... by solving the mystery of the ancient Egyptian asp that went missing from the museum 50 years ago.

On the surface, ASP of Ascension is typical teenage girl fodder. There's the outcast girl--well, girls--who are awesomely kickass, the handsome basketball star who is paying attention to them, the jealous girlfriend who'll stop at nothing, and a real honest-to-goodness Prince (even if he's Egyptian). There's flirting and awkwardness and new love and...

...there's the mystery. The new Egyptian display includes what's rumoured to be Cleopatra's sarcophagus--the very same one Terry's mother died trying to find. Here's where Myers shows her twisty depths. Nothing is what it seems, and not everyone is who they're supposed to be. Everyone has secrets--but which ones are dangerous?

Overall, the novel is a fun read--light enough to keep you entertained, mysterious enough to keep you hooked, and with just the amount of teenage silliness to keep you charmed.

I wasn't crazy about the cover of the book itself but really enjoyed the plot.

Nefertari "Terry" has been disabled and her mother killed in an archeological dig. Her father a famous archeologist has moved them back to the United States where he has been offered a job to oversee the new Egyptian display at the museum. Terry just wants to be invisible at school but isn't able to when she catches the eye of a boyfriend to the meanest girl in school. Fraser is the editor of the school newspaper and wants a scoop for his newspaper. He asks Terry to give him the scoop on the Egyptian display. He has heard a rumor that Cleopatra's sarcophagus will be show. He researches for the article, when he discovers a fifty year mystery of a girl disappearing while on a school trip to the museum along with an artifact that might be Cleopatra's asp. Was the girl ever found? When Terry's father falls into a coma, it is said to be Cleopatra's curse that has caused it. What did cause it? Terry, Fraser and her friend Maude need to try to find out what happened to the missing girl in order to save her father. Will Terry find out?

The author has written a great first novel of a series-to-be. It is mysterious, romantic and at times a little bit scarey. I found it easy to identify withe Terry and her friends. It also shows what bullying can do to others. There is a section at the end that has questions that could be used for classroom discussion. The history and myth useage is excellent. I need to read the next book as I am hooked!

Nefertari “Terry” Hughes has three rules for surviving high school:
#1 Don’t attract attention.
#2 Don’t get involved.
#3 Don’t make trouble.

A year after the accident that left her crippled and took her mother’s life, sixteen-year-old Terry just wants to keep her head down and survive her new high school. When she catches the eye of cute basketball star Zach—who happens to be the boyfriend of mean girl Allison—all hopes of flying under the radar are gone.

She is thrust even further in the spotlight when Fraser, the editor of the school newspaper, learns Mr. Hughes is the renowned archaeologist overseeing the new Egyptian display at the museum, which is rumoured to include Cleopatra’s sarcophagus. Fraser’s research leads to the fifty-year-old mystery of a girl who vanished while on a school trip to to the museum along with an artefact that may be Cleopatra’s asp.

When Mr. Hughes falls into a coma and his co-worker claims it’s the curse of Cleopatra, the stakes become too high for Terry to ignore. Terry must work with Fraser and her new candy loving friend Maude to find out what happened fifty years ago in hopes of saving her father before time runs out.

Rated T - Teen 13 and up: May contain violence, crude humour, suggestive themes and/or strong language.



* * * * *



I am an adult who happens to enjoy the Young Adult genre. It's refreshing to read a book that isn't overloaded with sex so instead it has to rely on a good plot.



The ASP OF ASCENSION reminds me in a way of my time in high school. I wasn't dealing with disappearances and all that but I did change schools often and my rules were quite similar to Terry's. I enjoyed watching as Terry starts to work her way through the grief at the loss of her mother and begins to make friends.



The secondary characters are well portrayed and add much to the story from Maude's optimism to Fraser's cluelessness. Some of their circumstances were worth a chuckle, other's made me rather annoyed at the cruelty of people.



I would recommend ASP OF ASCENSION to any reader who enjoys young adult and mysteries. And it is rated T for a reason. There are violent scenes along with some risque dialogue.



*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

Asp of Ascension by b r Myers.
Nefertari hughes or as she would like to be known as Teri.
Her dad is the famous Guthrie Hughes who is a egyptologist.
Her dad is to set up a exhibit to save a museum.
A good read with good characters. Although slow I managed to read it.
I liked her mum and dad. full of twists. Teri was my favourite character.
I give it 4*. Netgalley and Digi writing.

After a slow start, this book did grow on me a little, but I was still left feeling that it was a little rough around the edges.

Nefertari “Terry” Hughes is still recovering from the accident that killed her mother and left her permanently injured. Now she has to start at a new school while her dad helps to organise an exhibit at the local museum, which may feature the sarcophagus of Cleopatra. But when Terry’s dad is found unconscious in the museum’s Egypt Room, she finds herself trying to solve a 50-year-old mystery and dealing with what may be a 3000-year-old Egyptian curse.

The plot of this book, with its mystery and also small supernatural element, was actually pretty tight, but the writing style felt more middle-grade than young adult. Apart from the romance, which felt pretty target-age-appropriate, the characters felt a lot younger than their sixteen/seventeen years. Some of them actually also felt rather two-dimensional, particularly in the beginning. At about 20% in, I was reading on the bus and turned to my partner to complain that the characters were all such archetypes, “the jocks”, “the cheerleaders”, “the one who doesn’t fit in”, “the quirky one”, etc. Fortunately, the main characters did at least develop a little more depth, though several of the side characters still felt two dimensional.

There was also the issue that took 75% of the book to hit me, but once it did I couldn’t let it go: one of the characters is an Egyptian Prince (allegedly). With all the talk of Cleopatra and pharaohs, I didn’t question it at first, until my brain finally caught up said, “But wait… Egypt’s a republic!” I did Google it just to be sure, and Wikipedia tells me the monarchy in Egypt was dissolved in 1952. And the thing is, this character doesn’t even need to be a Prince for the story and his character arc to make sense. He could have just been a diplomat. It wouldn’t have made any difference, apart from the fact that the teenage characters couldn’t swoon over there being a literal prince in the vicinity.

Okay, I feel like I’ve ranted a lot, so here are the things I did like. I thought the mystery was well-constructed and I enjoyed seeing the characters doing some really good research into the past of the museum. I also really appreciated that there was some ethnic diversity among the characters; I’m not sure but I got the impression that one or both of Terry’s parents had been Middle-Eastern or of Middle-Eastern descent. Not only that but there was the fact that Terry was dealing with chronic injury/pain, which is uncommon in YA protagonists. I also really loved the frienship between Terry and Maude, who was another social outcast at the school. The scene where Maude admitted she hadn’t acted when the school bully started approaching Terry was because it was nice to not be the target anymore felt painfully honest.

Having said all that, the book was enjoyable but nothing amazing for me, so I don’t think I’ll be reading the second book in the series.

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

Terry Hughes has had a rough year. While on an archaeological dig with her parents, a cave-in permanently damages her leg and kills her mom. Now, months later, it’s time to reveal the artifacts from that dig -- the final treasures of Mrs. Hughes’s life’s work -- to the world. Terry thought it was just a bunch of coins. She didn’t know they found a sarcophagus after the accident, much less the sarcophagus of Cleopatra! The only way to open it safely is using Cleopatra’s asp, though, and that was stolen 50 years ago from the very museum in which they are setting up the exhibit. Crazy Dr. Mullaca thinks Terry is the key to finding the asp. How do you find a relic that’s been missing for 50 years though?


Asp of Ascension had a bit of a retro feel to it. Aside from the occasional use of cell phones (usually by people other than Terry) and some discussion about the unrest in Egypt this could have been set in the 1990s. Which was kind of nice. Nostalgic. Terry clearly has no use for social media and may not even know it exists. She turns her cell phone off at bedtime and runs the battery down repeatedly. She also climbs a fire escape to her boyfriend Zach’s apartment because she forgot phones were useful (“She rolled her eyes to the sky. She was so stupid. Why hadn’t she called him from downstairs?”). In short, she’s hard to reach. Even when she does get Zach’s texts, she often leaves him hanging. It`s refreshing to see technology left in the background. It`s still essential to the story – a weird text from her dad keeps Terry wondering, best friend Maude googles the gorgeous Prince Kamal, and another friend uses his special access to the local paper’s database to discover important information for her. The tech just isn’t the focal point.

The powerful asp IS. They think about it and search for it. When Terry finally does find it, she also finds it is not just a relic. It makes her stronger than she ever was before, though the strength does come at a price. Actually, the asp it comes with different prices, depending on how she chooses to use it…

The first book in the adventures of Terry Hughes and with linked to ancient Egypt. This story has her searching for a jewelled asp belonging to Cleopatra, but there are other less scrupulous people also searching. A very readable adventure.

Asp of Ascension clearly has roots in Nancy Drew - but updated for the modern middle schooler to include hunky love interests (in multiples) who fall for the way she smells, her eyes, her hair, etc. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, necessarily, but the harem does get a bit old with all the fawning all over her constantly. Odd pacing made the book feel like a slog - overly long when it wasn't and not really following a cohesive and thoughtful path. If anything, I felt like I was reading a 300 page synopsis - characters go to point A to overhear something, then point B to get a clue to a mystery. Point C is for studly jock to swoon over Nefertari, point D brings in the handsome Egyptian prince, point E introduces long lost childhood sweetheart from Egypt, etc. etc. It bounced around everywhere, never really settling down on any one scene.

Story: Nefertari lost her mother in an archeological excavation that also left her with a permanent limp. Now returned home and with the hot Egyptian sun behind her, Nefertari just wants to fit in with normal high schoolers. But the opening of a mysterious sarcophagus at the local museum that could very well be Cleopatra's leads to her father collapsing and fear of an ancient curse coming to life. With new friends at her side, Nefertari's scooby squad will help her solve a decades old mystery of a missing asp bracelet - and perhaps also help save Nefertari's father from the mysterious illness that has him in a coma.

I'll have to be honest - as much as I love ancient Egyptian history, this fell very flat for me. It's all over the place, the Cleopatra references felt really shallow, and the whole story just didn't feel like it could be anything more than made up in an author's mind. Which doesn't mean it was terrible by any means - just that I couldn't get into it at all. It's not a long book but felt like I had already read 800 pages by the 50% mark. Too much bouncing around and boys falling all over themselves to help Nefertari (read: a lot of instaluv). I wish more time had been devoted to the mystery; and that the mystery itself had a much tighter focus instead of wandering around all over the place constantly.

So, although I did not dislike the book, I have to admit that it didn't catch my interest, either. Nothing felt realistic and perhaps I want more than a Scooby Doo level of mystery. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A fast paced adventure targeted for teens and young adults.
This is definitely a page turner that will keep the reader glued to the story as the plot unravels.
Love the History details and facts that conforms this work.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars because of the Egyptian connection!

Nefertari may have been given the name of a queen but she doesn't feel like one so she insists she be called the more common Terry. With her mother dead and her leg crippled this 16 year old must re-enter the world of high school when her archaeologist dad gets a job with a museum. Life is complicated when she is paired with Zach the star basketball player and mean girl Allison takes exception to it. When her father falls into a coma and it is blamed on an Egyptian curse Terry with the help of her new friends, Maude and Fraser will uncover a 50 year old mystery and figure out what happened to the missing asp.

The cover has this retro feel that I kind of dig but at the same time made me pause at reading it but I love any fiction to do with archaeologists and Egypt so this premise sounded really fun. Plus it turned out to be really fun to read too! Terry really felt like a real teenager to me. Sometimes she was a bit of a coward and sometimes she was so gutsy that I worried she would survive. Her backstory was set up such that I totally believed that she hadn't really had close friends yet and that her philosophy would be to keep her head down. Many times this is a sticking point for me that I just have to ignore but this time I was pleasantly surprised. Strong storycraft is very important in crafting a sound and compelling mystery so I was excited to find Asp of Ascension having it in even the fine details. Character wise Terry was a great combination of regular girl who had unusual circumstances in her life. I really loved that she wore a brace and had a crippled leg. Also it was fun how knowledge of Cleopatra was important to the story and Terry was a bit of an authority on it due to her mother's research.

So a really great protagonist is joined by two of the funnest and most compelling friends I have met in contemporary teen fiction: Maude and Fraser! Gosh I really loved them. The candy loving Maude was bold and proud while also having to deal with a serious bully problem. I loved that she was Hispanic and how we got to see her entire background with her grandma and mother. Any girl would be blessed to have a friend like Maude. I really took to her from the moment she put that sticker over the word whore. Fraser is your classic reporter wannabe but somehow he made you feel like he was a real reporter even in high schooler... I loved how he first approached Terry to get a scoop for his school newspaper and it developed into more than just a story. I loved the way he talked and how he was constantly referencing Scooby-doo! In fact he quite reminded me of Fred! I really liked how these two were separate from her relationship with Zach. They weren't all friends then partnered up but legitimately grew closer because of their friendship with Terry who grew closer to Zach due to the secrets she knew about him.

I liked Zach too. I guessed his troubles right off but they were a compelling part of his relationship with Terry. I liked how he mirrored Terry as a regular guy but with some unusual fame in his life. I loved how Terry saved him and it happened in a believable way (if in unusual circumstances). The prince was a really great touch! As was the Egyptologist Dr. Mullaca. Also the museum director who had a crush on her dad and the creeper stalkery teacher who adored Egyptology. The characters in this story really made the book for me due to the fact no character was wasted and everyone had their moments in the limelight.

The narrative was really strong too if a little morose. Understandably so though with all Terry has gone through the last year.

"She stared at the space between her sneakers. There was a hole in her spirit, and it was growing every day. Soon she’d be so hollow, the wind would pick her up, rip apart her limbs and scatter her all over the world."

Well what about the plot? Loved it! It is a little high school but it does have to do with a group of teenagers. I liked the mystery a lot with the old missing persons case and the missing artifact. I liked how Terry was not a stupid girl and figured things out in steps. She was a bit naive and believed how things appeared but doesn't all teenagers do that?! The kids all had some growing to do and I loved how those moments layered over one another in a very real and compelling way. There is an aspect of the supernatural that is unexpected in the story. As well as an end result that was shocking in how spot on it was.

If everything was so great then why 4.5 stars and not 5? Well while I loved the plot and the characters made the book for me I could see the outcome of all of the foreshadowing. I don't know of one of these moments that didn't jump out at me. I like to be surprised at least once like I'm meant to. This book didn't have that for me... I don't think it will be bothersome to others as there are quite a number of little twists! Don't be turned off by the cover*, this is a must read, especially for Egypt lovers!

BOTTOM LINE: Supernatural coming of age mystery with plenty of Egyptian mythology!

(*I wish the cover had been a more modern rendition of a retro feel rather that seriously copying cover art of a bygone time...)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book. I could not get into it at all.

This was a really fun book for me to read. I enjoyed all the ancient Egyptian history coming to life throughout the story, the basketball hottie who is secretly a sweetheart, the funky pink haired sidekick, and the mysterious Egyptian prince working behind the scenes. Terry proves to be a relatable female lead who has regular teenage problems while also dealing with her mother's death and disfiguring accident. I highly recommend this YA mystery.

Posted review on Amazon, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Asp of Ascension uses Egyptian and Roman history, Nefertari is obviously the correct candidate for the story. She is the daughter of two archaeologists, hence has good background knowledge about the theme. I admire her observation skills, and Terry's ability to think on her feet.
I like the Nancy Drew feel and the added paranormal theme, it is also very educational as the series is based on Cleopatra

Nefertari “Terry” Hughes is a teenager who became disabled after an accident that killed her mother. At the time, they were unearthing Cleopatra’s burial site. Now, she’s at a new school dealing with bullies and making new friends. Her father is working at a local museum preparing to open a mysterious sarcophagus that has been attributed to Cleopatra. Some people believe that opening the sarcophagus will unleash supernatural powers. When Terry finds the golden asp of Cleopatra, will she be able to handle the energy unleashed and solve its mysteries?
This young adult novel is different from any I’ve read recently. I loved it! The main character is disabled but shows so much strength. She’s a role model for every adolescent. She shows us that we don’t have to look perfect to be strong. I also liked the portrayal of the bully character, Allison. All bullies are taught to be bullies. If we stop bullying each other, our children will stop being bullies, too! I praise this author for writing such a fantastic tale of adventure and suspense with underlying truths that are relevant in every generation. An Advanced Reading Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

It's a very interesting story about ancient curses and modern teenagers. It's well-written and all the characters are well-developed. I loved both Terry and Maude, they're two unlikeliest of friends but willing to do anything for each other. Story is full of intrigue, mystery, teenage drama, and some action. It's a thrilling adventurous books which all YA readers will enjoy.
Terry is going to school for the first time. After being with her parents and every dig site, it seem strange to b back in America and attending school as if everything is normal in her life. But she is willing to make the best of it. Now all she needs is to stay invisible. Unfortunately for her, she stands out. Soon school's mean girl is after her blood, her father is in the hospital and Prince of Egypt wants to go out with her. In short her life is quite interesting. In all this mess she has Maude on her side. A friend who will stick with her no matter what. It's not all bad, she just needs to find the asp of Cleopatra and everything will go back to normal..... or so she thought....
I loved reading it, It was very balanced book which will keep readers engrossed from very beginning until the end.