Review Detail

My favorite thing about this book is the Egyptian elements. Reading Lily’s adventures in pyramids gave me strong Indiana Jones vibes. There were also many short stories about Egyptian Gods when Lily was finding her way into the unfamiliar land, which I relished as though a small child listening to sweet fairy tales. The magical powers of the three Egyptian princes were dazzling as well. I don’t know how much of the mythology in this book is real though.

The heroine, Lily, is a rich New York girl that everyone envies. Despite her wealth, she felt trapped and empty, living a life planned by her parents. Just when she was trying hard to decide college to go to, she was accidentally involved in helping a century-old Egyptian prince to save the world.

It’s nice to see the heroine being rich for a change, instead of the orphan/poor-girl-turned-out-to-be-the-chosen-one trope. While most of us are not as rich as Lily, the author did a great job making her likable and relatable. I love how she still had troubles in her life and how this whole experience made her braver.

One problem though…. the romance.

I heard Colleen Houck is very good at writing love triangles, so I had high hopes for a sweet, touching romance. But no! This book is totally insta-love. Lily pretended she didn’t need love, but she apparently wanted it from page one, and she liked the prince mostly because of his good looks and strong muscles. It isn’t wrong to choose a man on his appearance, but when so many other male characters in this book are good-looking demigod princes, there is a problem. Although the love interest confessed his feelings pretty late in the book, it still felt a bit rush and unconvincing. I guessed their romance could be attributed to their bond. Then again, this is also a bad reason for a relationship. The fact that it didn’t turn out to be a love triangle and that the love interest was lovable are the two saving grace.

Though the romance isn’t great, I find the book pretty enjoyable in general. The plot is a bit predictable while still entertaining. The writing is nice and made me want to keep reading. The characters have good personalities. I would recommend this book to mythology and adventure lovers. (If you have high expectations for romance, though, you might be disappointed.)