The book immediately transported me to ancient Egypt. Instead of arriving at a palace, I loved how the opening scene surprised me by following a trio of foolhardy teenagers attempting to steal treasure from a group of thieves. I'm interested to keep following the story, but I get the feeling I'll be skimming through much of the content for two reasons. 1) The opening sequence felt long, and I started to lose emotional interest in the details of the snatch-and-run event as I grew increasingly impatient to know if the men made it out or not. 2) The prose felt a bit juvenile in tone. For example, the author spelled out things that had already been communicated through the characters' actions. Some sections also felt overly dramatized, like I had suddenly started reading the back cover: "Could Hui carry Qen’s secret with him for the rest of his days, the guilt eating away at him? Should he tell all, so that in some small way things could be made right? Could he betray his brother?"
The author seems to be well-regarded, and this is my first book of his to read, so I'm still willing to give it a shot and see how things develop!
The author seems to be well-regarded, and this is my first book of his to read, so I'm still willing to give it a shot and see how things develop!