House of Rejoicing by Libbie Hawker

I'm on a bit of an Eighteenth Dynasty kick when it comes to ancient Egypt, for Reasons. So I was super excited to pick up this title through my Audible subscription, and it was, simply put, not quite what I expected, and also a whole lot more than I'd asked for. To give a little background for the peeps who are not on such a major ancient Egypt thing like I am, this is the dynasty that spawned the legendary King Tutankhamen, whose fabulous and intact tomb was discovered by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, amid much fanfare during the early years of the 20th century.

But the Eighteenth Dynasty also gave us another pharaoh who was perhaps a little more on the notorious side – one Akhenaten, who's known for how he did his level best to usher in an age of monotheism into Egypt of the time's polytheistic culture. So much has been written about the time, with many Egyptologists (and authors) taking stabs at putting out their favourite pet theories. Thing is, we have just enough research to allow us to string together dozens of fascinating theories, and the Eighteenth Dynasty certainly has its fair share of intrigue and mystery. Unless fresh finds are dug up from the sands, a lot of what is put forward is mainly conjecture, but hey ... it's fodder for cool stories.

So, to get back to House of Rejoicing by Libbie Hawker, it's book 1 of a series that details Hawker's fictionalising of the events that transpired during Akhenaten's rule. Told from multiple points of view (mainly that of the wives, mothers) this is part murder mystery, part courtly intrigue, and very much a lively imagining of what life in ancient Egypt must have been like during a time of great turmoil.

A small warning, however, if underage shenanigans and sibling love that goes beyond the platonic bothers you, perhaps this is not the book for you. We must remember that Egypt of that era was a rather different place in terms of societal values, and it was common for brothers and sisters to be wed, and often at a young age.

Most of this book, I suspect, acts as a prequel of sorts, putting the players on the stage and introducing us to their complex interpersonal relationships in the years running up to Akhenaten taking his father's throne and getting the bright idea in his noggin that the Aten is the one and only god before all others ... and we all know how well that sort of thinking plays out. However, Hawker does an excellent job subverting my loyalties between the different players (something I quite love, thank you, George RR Martin) and I'm definitely keen to check out the next title.