Book Review for The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

 

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Published: January 7, 2025

Genre:  Historical Fiction

 

Taken from Goodreads:  From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

My Thoughts:   Fiona Davis knows how to take history and bring it to life.   I learn so much from each of her books.   The Stolen Queen is a book rich in Egyptian history, which is something that I know so little about.  Now that I have finished the book, I am excited to find more books about Egypt and their history to continue learning.

From the very first page I was invested in Charlotte’s (LOVE THE NAME!) story.  I love that at her “old age” of 63 she is still full of spunk and not willing to sit back letting life pass her by.   Her quest for protecting artifacts takes her on great adventures throughout her life.  Those adventures have molded her life and left her with a quest to head back to Egypt to search for the answers she’s been waiting her entire adult life for. 

Thank you Dutton for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet FionaDavis (taken from her website):  Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Spectacular, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine.

She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she's based in New York City.