Dendera has never performed magic spells for a pharaoh, met a live sphinx, or even travelled outside her home in Thebes, Egypt.
All she knows is her boring life in the home of Tetisheri, an old lady who talks to snakes and plants more than she does people.
A chance encounter with a princess lands Dendera a new job at Karnak Temple. Training to be a priestess during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut puts crazy demands on her. But at Karnak, Dendera finds friends, discovers magic in everything from a talking stone to a runt baboon, and moves toward a destiny she never dreamed of, if she can only survive.
Genre: YA
Age appropriate: 12+
Number of Pages: 280 pages
Date of Publication: 13/11/2020
Author/Illustrator/Publisher:
The author of this book is Laurie Chance Smith who is a nationally and internationally published writer.
Rating: 4.5/5
Review:
Reading a book with a female heroin who is strong and adventurous somehow made me enjoy the book a bit more. This story takes place in Egypt and Dendera, who is the main character, has a personal mission to avenge the deaths of her parents who she believes were killed as part of a mysterious plot. With the help of her brother she is determined to find the murderer. While trying to find the person that she is looking for she lands a job training to be a priestess but little did she know that she was about to discover magic and take part in a big quest. There are also a few twists in the story which I wasn’t expecting and the ending didn’t disappoint.
I absolutely loved that this book describes Egyptian culture, places, gods and characters very vividly. It is clear that the author did a lot of research about ancient Egypt, which this book focuses on, and about the culture and use of Egyptian terms and names. There is mystery on every page so it was a really fun read. I am still thinking about how the book ended and this doesn’t happen often with me.
Young adults and adults will find a story full of adventure, magic, potions, curses, friendship and secrets.
Availability: The book is available as a kindle edition or a hardback on Amazon
Copy gifted by Laurie Chance Smith
Shelf Life 
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