Sphinx’s Princess—A Delightful Historical Adventure

Upon recently discovering that I own over forty books I have yet to read, I decided it was time to get down to business. I aspire to have them all read by springtime…we’ll see if I can actually meet such lofty goals.

But whether or not my ambitious reading adventure will prove successful, the latest book I was able to strike off the very long list was Sphinx’s Princess by Esther Freisner. Freisner is the author of Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize, both based on the story of young Helen of Troy, and both of which I’ve read and enjoyed. Happily, I found Sphinx’s Princess, which introduced me to a thirteen-year-old Nefertiti, to be just as much fun as Freisner’s other books. Since all I really knew about Nefertiti before reading this was that there’s an ancient bust of her that sports a cylindrical hairdo, I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book, artistic license notwithstanding. On top of that, it was just plain fun to read.

Though I am still a big fan of YA, despite the fact that I’m in my twenties, there are a few such books that fall into the category of “Books I’ve Grown Out Of.” With a thirteen-year-old protagonist, this one was dangerously close to earning that title. However, the Nefertiti of this story is quite mature for her age—she has to be, what with all the court intrigue and wild chariot races she has to deal with—so I was still able to get into the story without feeling (much) like an overgrown kid…no more than normal, at any rate. On the other hand, it could be argued that Freisner portrays Nefertiti as being a bit too mature—this may have been mostly due to the fact that Freisner falls into the almost-unavoidable trap that comes with writing in the first person; she uses author-speak at times, and Nefertiti’s voice sounds a little too fancy to be real. But though I sometimes I had a hard time believing that any thirteen-year-old could be that savvy and articulate, it didn’t really distract from the story often enough to stretch my suspension-of-disbelief ability too far.

The storyline, while unlikely in many ways, was quite exciting. Nefertiti discovers a talent for writing and reading, and even finds someone who’s willing to teach her—pretty impressive for a girl living around 1370 B.C. Not too far into the story, she finds favor with her aunt, who just so happens to be the Queen of Egypt, and quickly ends up as the betrothed wife of Egypt’s handsome but coldly cruel (and possibly a little crazy) crown prince.

As with Freisner’s other books, what I found most refreshing about this story is that, regardless of the arranged marriage thing, it doesn’t revolve around a romantic main plot. So many books have romance either as a subplot or the main focus, and after a while, it all starts to feel a little “same song, second verse.” It’s nice to read a book like this every once in a while, in which the action is racing instead of the hormones. Without romance, there’s more time to develop self-sufficient, interesting characters who are more concerned with being the best they can be than with finding the perfect match, and that’s just what Freisner does in this story.

All of this adds up to the creation of a strong, compelling heroine, the kind that I always wish there were more of in literature, especially YA literature. Young as Nefertiti is, she’s someone that readers can look up to, someone who faces terrible odds with confidence and daring. Even though I’m ten years older than the Nefertiti of this story, that’s something I still haven’t quite mastered, and it’s an important concept to be reminded of.

So, whether you’re thirteen or twenty-three, there’s something for you to enjoy in this book. Give it a try! You’ll be glad you did.