Author: Marie Benedict
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: March 24, 2026
Pages: 329
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Known for her “delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense” (People), New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict, returns with a sweeping tale of a young woman who unearths the truth about a forgotten Pharaoh—rewriting both of their legacies forever.
In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert—daughter of Lord Carnarvon—whose daring spirit and relentless curiosity made the momentous find possible.
Nearly 3,000 years earlier, another woman defied the expectations of her time: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s lost pharaoh. Her reign was bold, visionary—and nearly erased from history.
When Evelyn becomes obsessed with finding Hatshepsut’s secret tomb, she risks everything to uncover the truth about her reign and keep valued artifacts in Egypt, their rightful home. But as danger closes in and political tensions rise, she must make an impossible choice: protect her father’s legacy—or forge her own.
Propelled by high adventure and deadly intrigue, Daughter of Egypt is the story of two ambitious women who lived centuries apart. Both were forced to hide who they were during their lifetimes, yet ultimately changed history forever.
My Review: Daughter of Egypt tells the story of two women from different time periods. The first is Queen Hatshepsut, who was one of Egypt’s female pharaohs. The other one is Lady Evelyn Beauchamp, who was the Earl of Carnarvon’s daughter. Lady Evelyn has always been fascinated with Queen Hatshepsut. She dreams of finding Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb. Her search to find her tomb unexpectedly leads to the famous excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. It also tells the story of how Queen Hatshepsut became pharaoh.
I found Lady Evelyn to be a one-dimensional character. I liked that she was very fascinated with Ancient Egypt, in particular Queen Hatshepsut. Even though Lady Evelyn was the main subject of the story, she seemed to be mostly a background character. She is overshadowed by her father and Howard Carter. Lady Evelyn did not have much of a part to play in the novel. Unlike what the synopsis says, Lady Evelyn did not find any truth about Queen Hatshepsut. I found her to be a very passive character. As for Queen Hatshepsut, I found her to be a very fascinating figure. She was a very ambitious woman. However, there were not enough chapters to fully flesh out her character. Therefore, I found both Queen Hatshepsut's and Lady Evelyn’s characters to be flat. I wanted them more fully fleshed out so I could understand them and feel more emotion towards them than I did in the novel.
Overall, this book is about ambition, power, and dreams. I found the characters, except for the Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter to be flat. Beside Lady Evelyn’s fascination with Queen Hatshepsut, I did not find a connection between them. I also thought that both Lady Evelyn’s and Queen Hatshepsut’s stories were incomplete. I was not satisfied with how the novel ended because it seemed very abrupt. I felt like they needed to be two separate novels on these women with a smoother ending. Daughter of Egypt had the potential to be a great novel, but was not executed well. Instead, it was ultimately shallow and forgettable. Nevertheless, I did like how Mrs. Benedict portrayed ancient Egypt. I recommend this book for those who are fascinated by Egyptian history. However, there are better written novels of Hatshepsut that are more enjoyable. Some of them are Child of the Morning, Daughter of the Gods, and The Sekhmet Bed! Therefore, I suggest that you skip this book and read those instead.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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