I enjoyed parts of this story - the Egyptian independence movement and its effect on archeological digs was the most interesting. Unfortunately, there was not much info about that part of the story. I sometimes like dual timelines but I felt both of these stories were surface level and did not develop the characters in any way. The love interests seemed too perfect for both women. Also, the ending felt rushed and incompatible with the rest of the story. Overall, it was an informative story about things I had not know before but the surface level stories did not allow me to connect to either woman.

A lover of all things Egyptian, I was excited when NetGalley offered me this book to review. I have visited Tutankhamen’s tomb and Hatshepsut’s temple, as well as Highclere Castle. They made a permanent impression on me and so did this book.

The story alternates seamlessly between the woman Pharaoh Hatshepsut and young Lady Evelyn Herbert, daughter of Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle in England — yes, the one in Downton Abbey.

Howard Carter, a well-known Egyptologist who gets most of the credit for finding the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamen, spent hours at Highclere where he tutored a willing learner — Lady Evelyn. Her father is using his dwindling inheritance to fund Carter’s explorations in Egypt, and Lady Evelyn wants to be an archaeologist with one main aim — she wants to find Hatshepsut’s grave!!

Benedict deftly handles the tensions of Egypt’s fight against the British to retain their country and its antiquities for themselves. The reader learns a lot of history while also wondering if explorations will ever continue in the midst of the unrest she vividly portrays.

Lady Evelyn was a quiet young woman at a time in her life in the 1920s when she was expected to marry well. That whole story weaves around her feisty desire to be an archaeologist— education or not!

Hatshepsut — another strong woman who did numerous things to benefit Egypt during her reign in the 1400s BC — is wiped from history. Her name is not on cartouches. She has no memorials but her massive and impressive temple, and she chooses a path the reader doesn’t expect.

These people lived, loved and cared about their lives. Benedict makes them come alive for readers. I could picture the library of Highclere, the beauty of the monuments in Luxor, the jumbled rooms of Tutankhamen’s tomb and the Winter Palace in Luxor. She was spot on!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy. I was excited for this book, I was an ancient Egypt girlie and wanted to read some historical fiction about the discovery of King Tut. Unfortunately, this book was just not it. The characters were unlikable and bland. Eve is very boring. All her chapters were info-dumping about the historical time that the book is set in which is fine for context but it was just bricks of text. Additionally, Hetsheput’s chapters felt flimsy as we don’t know about her in real like but the author also didn’t flesh her out. It’s always tricky reading historical fiction about real people and for me, this book missed the mark. 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Marie Benedict for this ARC, which I received for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say that this book just didn't appeal to me. I felt both Eve and Hatshepsut were very simply drawn, as were their love interests, who only served to show how wonderful the women were. I don't know, it just felt cloying to my taste.
It also bugged me that Eve was so very 2025 with some of her attitudes and I know that wasn't the norm in in 1920s.
During Hatshepsut's time she kept referring to her stepson as Thutmose the Third, and while it's correct he was, it wouldn't have been referred to in that way. Even if I don't pick nits on this occasion, I wish, since he was the ONLY Thutmose alive at that time, the author had just referred to him as Thutmose.

Finally, and this is not on the author, but the publisher. I HATE that cover. I don't think it serves either character. It's so generic. It doesn't tell us much about the real contents of the book. Yes, it's set in Egypt, but neither character spends much time at the Pyramids. Surely there was somethings else Egyptian that could have been used. Anything else... It would be the same if a cover had a picture of Stonehenge and the book was about Queen Matilda and Kate Middleton.

I did not finish this book at around 80%. I lost my patience and life is to short to read a book I don't enjoy, even if it is about Egypt.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC this is the first read for me by this author. I am a huge historical fiction fan and I love ancient Egypt. The first half of this book was intriguing and the concept really reeled me. But midway through the book started to fall flat and I put this book down several times and struggled to finish. That said, it was nicely written. I may give this author another chance.

It was okay.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! I was intrigued by the characters of this book- I've long been a Downton Abbey/Highclere Castle fan and knew the story from the perspective of Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter. Have read other books too by Marie Benedict. I'm giving this one 3.5 stars; it was a bit long in some areas that could've moved a bit faster. I liked the dual timelines between Eve and Hatespugh; it gave the story some depth to it. Then end was bittersweet but I'm glad that she stayed true to Eve's story. Would be a good book for anyone who likes early 20th century historical fiction, especially who don't want another story focused on a war.

3 stars. I was very excited to read this given the setting and subject; I've long had an interest in ancient Egypt. However, this just fell flat with me. I found both timelines lacking in historical detail and action. Honestly the middle got a little boring, and I found the conversations in both timelines shallow and melodramatic. I just don't think this author is for me.

Really enjoyed this book, the insight to the Egyptian culture for each time period - extraordinary research!! Loved the characters and storylines!! There were a few errors in mechanics but assuming this is not a final edited copy - let me know if you want errors I found. For publication, a glossary of terms would really enhance the book! Hoping to visit Egypt soon and will reread it before I go!!

What a fantastic historical fiction! The discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920's by archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle is well documented. Yet, little is mentioned regarding the active involvement of Lord Carnarvon's daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert. While, Lady Evelyn supported her father's pursuit and was instrumental to King Tut's discovery, her passion lied with trying to discover the final resting tomb of a forgotten female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut reigned over 3000 years earlier as one of Egypt's rare female pharaohs whose leadership lead to a time of peace and prosperity for her people. Yet, most of her reign was erased after her death.

Told between two time lines 3000 years apart, Marie Benedict has done a masterful job of bringing to life these unheralded women. The movement between time lines was well documented. But, I had to take care to notice what year was being noted between the chapters of Hatshepsut's timeline since you could move multiple years forward from the prior chapter. The writing style made me feel as if I was in Egypt under the scorching sun digging for artifacts or building my burial tomb. The story was well researched and included touches of the political unrest occurring in Egypt during the search for King Tut's tomb as Egypt sought it's independence from England. Both women's boldness to leave their marks on the world is apparent through Marie's writing. She has carefully crafted them to reveal their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and desires to be seen and accepted for their talents. I enjoyed their story from beginning to end. Thank you NetGalley, Marie Benedict and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I look forward to reading more of Marie's books in the future.

In two timelines, this historical fiction tells the story of Queen Hatshepsut, in the 15th century B.C., and the post-World War I pursuit of her tomb by budding archaeologist, Lady Evelyn Herbert. Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh of Egypt; Lady Evelyn, working with renowned archaeologist Howard Carter, who was sponsored on many of Egypt digs by Evelyn’s father, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, is focused on Hatshepsut but political unrest in Egypt and her father’s preference to find financially meaningful artifacts from a “traditional” pharaoh, keep her from achieving her goal. Instead, she was one of the first people to step foot in Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

Benedict’s research is exacting, and her modest rendering of Hatshepsut and Lady Evelyn emerges in this plot-driven novel. Due to be published March 24, 2026.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Benedict for making the ARC available for my reading pleasure. Four-and-a-quarter stars

Until this book, I didn’t realize there was a female pharaoh: Hatshepsut. Marie Benedict frames her history through a tenacious woman archaeologist’s search for Hatshepsut’s tomb, weaving vivid detail with real momentum. I finished fascinated by Hatshepsut and her family—and grateful for a story that spotlights women history often overlooks. Beautifully written and easy to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC I’ve read quite a few of Marie Benedict’s books. She highlights women who have influenced history. In this dual-chron book, we learn about one of the very few female Egyptian pharaohs and the 1930s English daughter of Lord Carnarvon, who funded much of the archaeological digs in Egypt. Both of these historical figures were ambitious and strong.

Enjoyable historical fiction bouncing between two time periods - ancient Egypt and the excavation by the British. While I didn’t think it was a unique addition to the genre of historical fiction, if you tend to like it you’ll be in good hands here.

3.5 stars. Marie Benedict is an auto read author for me. Her books in my mind are American Girl Doll books for adults. I will be honest and kept comparing this to The Stolen Queen, so maybe I read two books about Ancient Egypt too close together.

It was a decent and well researched story, just could have been more to the plot. I wish the story soley focused on Eve or the Pharaoh. If she does a book tour when this releases, I would definitely attend her author speak because the presentations she gives really add to the experience/review of the book!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin'sPress, and the author, Marie Benedict, for the privilege to read this advanced copy through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. I was excited to read this book as I've enjoyed many of this author's books.

This is a story about archeologists and archeological digs in Egypt. Lord Carnarvon, his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, and Howard Carter, Evelyn's tutor in archeology strive to locate Hatshepsut's tomb. Lady Evelyn's involvement in the digs was unusual for a woman in the 1920s. Queen Hatshepsut, an Egyptian priest, regent, Pharoah herself, successfully ruled, built and grew Egypt. She was the most powerful woman in Egypt. She was also a mother, wife and lover. The book alternates between the 1920s (archeological dig) and 1450s BC (Hatshepsut's story). The insight into Saad Zaghloul, who led the Wafd party, and his followers for Egypt's independence is intriguing. Much of Egypt's history is accurate in this book.

The research the author has done for this book is phenomenal. The reader learns alot about Egypt through this story. The book flowed smoothly and kept my interest. If you enjoy other Marie Benedict books or learning about history in an easy read, this book will not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book! The two historical narratives. The female gaze on history. And now too I am on the hunt to learn more about Hatshepsut.

History has told that King Tut's tomb was discovered by two male British archeologists. What no one knows is that the daughter of one of the archeologists, Evelyn, was instrumental in the discovery of the tomb. Eveyln grew up enthralled by the story of Hatshepsut, a female ruler of Egypt who took on the guise of a man to be successful, and was ultimately erase from history by the male rulers after her. in Evelyn's quest to find the tomb of Hatshepsut, she is exposed to danger and men who do not believe in the capabilities of a woman.

As with all of the books by this author, readers get a healthy dose of history intertwined with more than one storyline that resonates with present day issues. The setting of Egypt is an added bonus in this book, and the author does a great job of immersing readers into the location.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**Review: Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict**
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marie Benedict has once again proven herself a master of illuminating the hidden corners of history through the eyes of remarkable women. *Daughter of Egypt* is a captivating dual narrative that brings together two trailblazers separated by millennia: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first female pharaoh, and Lady Evelyn Herbert, a daring figure in the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Benedict’s storytelling is immersive and emotionally resonant. Hatshepsut’s journey from royal daughter to ruler of an empire is portrayed with depth and dignity, while Evelyn’s determination to uncover the truth behind Hatshepsut’s legacy adds a compelling layer of intrigue. The alternating timelines are seamlessly woven, and the historical detail is rich without ever feeling heavy.

What sets this novel apart is its celebration of female ambition and resilience. Benedict doesn’t just retell history—she reclaims it, giving voice to women whose stories have long been overshadowed. The result is a powerful, inspiring read that lingers long after the final page.

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, feminist narratives, and anyone who loves discovering the untold stories behind iconic moments in history.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this title from Netgalley.

Sadly, it was not the five star read I was expecting. Normally I truly enjoy Marie Benedict's books and this one is about Ancient Egypt, a favorite topic of mine but this fell flat for me. I didn't connect with the characters they just weren't as three dimensional as some of her others have been. The ending felt rushed and anti climactic. I actually turned back a few times to be sure that I didn't miss a page or two. I will still recommend this title as I feel others may appreciate it, especially the Highclere setting with the new Downton Abbey movie coming out.