Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have to agree with some previous reviewers who found the book shallow. None of the characters are three-dimensional, the historical detail is thin, and the plot isn't very engaging. I didn't believe any of the characters. Akhenaton especially was annoying. He is written as a one-note shrill lunatic. Mutnodjmet and Nefertiti's relationship, the supposed centerpiece of the story, isn't interesting. It seems to be trying for the level of the "Other Boleyn Girl", and at times it seemed like elements of that story were borrowed for this, but none of it worked: Nefertiti's desperation for a son, the family meetings, Mutnodjmet's loyalty to the family interest...I've read it before in a much better written book. For anyone looking for an original take on the Amarna period I'd recommend Pauline Gedge's "The Twelfth Transforming". It has some elements disturbing to my modern sensibilities (father's marrying daughters), but it is extremely well-written and the setting is totally believeable. I would definitely recommend any of Pauline Gedge's Egypt-set books especially "Lady of the Reeds", which is set in a different reign. I read that in one sitting.