Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

There is a good story here. The characters are interesting, varied and well drawn; Egypt is vividly described and sometimes you feel that you are there; I have always been interested in Egyptian myths so that was of interest to me and even if you are not familiar with Osiris, Isis etc., I think you will enjoy learning about them. There are a few good twists and the "several months later" at the very end is good but perhaps a little pat.

I did feel, though, that the story takes a long time to tell. For me, there was a fair amount of unnecessary recapping and even a lot of repetition. It is almost as if the author is trying out slightly different paragraphs to describe the basic facts of the story. The reader is constantly reminded that Clemmie is a hieroglyphist and how unusual that it, The story of the unwrapping is told in sections as flashbacks but I think it might have been better just told as one part at the start.

It was an enjoyable read, even exciting in parts but I was not engrossed by it.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the combination of fantasy, historical fiction, Egyptian mythology and the mystery element! I loved the different themes this book explored, the settings and the jumps between two timelines. It was so interesting and something I’ve not read before but I will definitely be on the lookout for more!

I went through a phase of being obsessed with Egypt when I was younger so I love books set there especially with the mythology aspect. It was really interesting finding out about nephthys because I didn’t really know a lot about her before this book. Which plays a big part of the story where she is looked over and forgotten. I liked the flashbacks. They gave enough detail of the past without taking too much time away from the present. I think the side characters could have been better I didn’t care much for them.

Two sets of sisters, separated by thousands of years and miles. This is a carefully
woven story full of deceit, adventure, and
Egyptian artifacts. Full of mystery, this book is hard to put down.

Whilst I generally enjoyed reading this book I found it at times to be somewhat repetitive. I think the story could have been cut down somewhat as I felt the author was going over certain elements time and again. That said I liked the premise of the story and the characters. The descriptions of 19th century Egypt where so evocative I could almost taste and hear the sounds.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this interesting story.

This is a story of two sisters, but centuries apart. Betrayal, loss, forgiveness and self discovery all rolled into one.

Clemmie like myself has always been interestd in Egypttology and the dtory of Isis and Nephthys. Her father has amulets in which Clemmie can decipher the hieroglyphics. But later he unravels a double headed mummy and Clemmie deciphers a curse. Sadly tragedy hit the family and Clemmie travels to Egypt with the amulet and inscriptions of the curse in the hope taking this back to its rightful place this might break this curse.

What a fascinating read set in victorian times with Clemmie and a time of great antiquity and bounty hunters.

A really good read and so recommended I was unable to put down till the book ended.

Fab! Loved it! Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance copy. Brilliant. Would definitely recommend.

The Egyptian myths are new to me - I really enjoyed reading the stories of the sisters and Osiris, and discovering more of this world.
These intertwined with the timeline of Clemmie and her sister; families, love, curses and redemption

Nephthys
A fascinating mixture of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, curses and Victorian attitudes to ancient Egyptian artefacts and women.
Clemmie the main character helps her father with his Egyptian relic parties, translating hieroglyphs and telling the stories of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.
Clemmie’s father unwraps mummies as entertainment for his paying customers setting the scene for the rest of the book.
The action switches from Egypt to Clemmies home and family throughout the book, the story is well paced with believable and interesting characters, plenty of action and just enough romance.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down, and I thought the ending was excellent.
If you have an interest in ancient Egyptian mythology and the Victorians then I would recommend reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage Publishing and Rachel Louise Driscoll for the opportunity to read this book.

At the height of Egyptomania, Clementine Attridge grows up with her Egyptologist father assisting him with his unravelling of mummies as a partypiece. They discover a child mummy with two heads that bears a warning amulet. Could there be a curse attached to the amulet? The fate of Clementine’s family would suggest as much, so Clementine travels to Egypt to try and reverse the curse.

I did like the first half, but then the fascination I felt for the description of Egypt, the characters and the plot, interwoven with myths, began to fizzle out. I found Clementine a bit too blue-stocking, the rest of the characters too black-and-white, the ending too neat.

The story of two sets of sisters centuries apart, a tale of betrayal and loss and a journey of self discovery and the beginning of forgiveness and togetherness.
Clemmie has always been fascinated by Egyptology and the story of Isis and Nephthys, she reads the hieroglyphics of amulets her father has procured during his exhibition evenings. But, one evening, he unravels a double headed mummy and the amulet with it tells of a curse. Tragedy strikes the family so Clemmie decides to travel to Egypt to return the amulet to its rightful place in order to break the curse.
This novel is an epic read, I found it fascinating to read of Victorian Egypt, like Clemmie I'm intruiged by the Egyptians past and their temples and funerary rituals. Hearing Mariams opinions of antiquity hunters puts a different perspective for the artifacts that have been found in the past and the nefarious actions of some to obtain these wonderful items. It's certainly not a quick easy read but definitely one to savour

Couched in poetic prose, Nephthys tells the story of two sisters. Actually, it is the story of more than one pair of siblings - the Egyptian goddesses, Isis and Nephthys, a mummy of conjoined twins, and Clemmie and her fight for her and her sister's survival. Clemmie, well-versed in Egyptology and a translator of hieroglyphs goes to Egypt to return an important artefact which she believes has put a curse on her family. Can she save her sister from madness and death and survive herself if she returns it? She believes so, but others don't. On her journey she meets Oswald and Celia, brother and sister, also visiting Egypt, and Rowland, a former soldier, who she at first finds irritating as he seems to know she has a secret. The four travel together down the Nile.

We are thrown into a world of Egyptomania, illegal excavations, and the desecration of tombs. The intrigue intensifies when an unexpected visitor from home joins them. There is lots to learn here, about the myths of Isis, Osiris, Nephthys and Set. The descriptions are lush and stark in turn. We feel the heat and humidity of the country, the cool of the river, and hear the sounds of the bazaars. All senses are awakened.

If I have one fault to pick, it is that sometimes things are repeated unnecessarily. But that's a minor point. This is a lovely book.

At the point of time when Victorian Britain is fascinated by ancient Egyptian culture, Clemmie's father is the toast of the relic-themed social gatherings that are so much in vogue. Her party trick at these events is to read the hieroglyphics on such items, which goes down a treat with the punters.

But after Clemmie comes into contact with an ancient amulet, things go badly awry. And in the only way she can think of to remedy the situation - insofar as that is possible - she find herself undertaking an unexpected journey a few years later...

This is an engaging story that revisits the mythical tale of the Egyptian goddess Isis and her sister, Nephthys. Clemmie's own Egyptian odyssey is eventful and perilous, peopled with a lively cast of characters that make for an interesting story.

Nephthys - Rachel Louise Driscoll - due for publication 6/2/24

Following the death of her parents and the slow decline of her sister in England. Clemmie embarks on a visit to Egypt to try and halt the curse she believes to be on her family through their work and obsession with Egyptian relics. Clemmie is an intelligent woman with a talent for languages and the reading of hieroglyphs, but with a love for her sister that makes her need to set things right; an obsession in itself. During the course of her journey she makes new friends and is surprised by who her enemies really are.

The story has a dual time line with the author weaving the Egyptian mythology of Nephthys and Isis with Victorian historical fiction amidst the craze for anything Egyptian.

This is a well researched and entertaining read. The first half of the novel for me was at times a tad slow however the last half had more action and pace and although the ending was a little too neat this was a good enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC copy.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, so pair that with tales & mystery from Ancient Egypt, I knew I would enjoy this one.
I felt totally immersed in the story from the beginning, with Clemmie & her father preforming their famous ‘mummy unwrapping, during the 18th Century. However on this occasion, she reads an unusual message in hieroglyphs on an amulet that was wrapped within the mummy, and she knows straight away that something isn’t right.
Clemmie is then set on a journey to Egypt, to undo a curse she feels is looming over her family, which I really enjoyed and loved the mystery surrounding it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley UK for this ARC

My sincerest apologies, but I just couldn't get into the book. I tried a couple of times, but it didn't grip me

Nephthys
The spellbinding novel of a forgotten daughter and a forgotten goddess
by Rachel Louise Driscoll


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction.

I was really enjoying this story for the first third, Victorian mystery wrapped up in an Egyptian story of curses. Then I began to feel bogged down by the different strands and mysteries, the characters and their motives. I did finish the book, but from that fabulous start it became just an OK read for me. Others will love it, thankfully we all like different things. I loved multi layered stories, but with this I just didn't feel the different plots really meshed properly with each other.

Stars: Three, a terrific beginning that just sort of petered out for me.

ARC supplied by netgalley and publishers

Clemmie Has finally reached Egypt but it’s not the experience she always dreamed of. She is on a mission to put things right after a disastrous few years following her father’s unwrapping of an unusual mummy. She finds herself on a boat travelling up the Nile with companions she unwillingly picked up in Cairo. We learn the details of her story as her journey progresses. Full of exotic adventures.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for my ecopy in exchange for a review. This is a lot of firsts for me. First book by this author. first Egyptian myth read and first book to read based in Egypt and I really enjoyed it! This tells the story of Clemmie who travels to Egypt on a mission. She is looking to give back an amulet that was found alongside a double mummy when her father was alive and carried out unwrapping's. The book is based in the 1880/1890s first in Chelmsford England and then on to Cairo in Egypt. There she meets fellow travellers Celia, Oswald and Rowland who embark on a trip up the Nile with her unaware of her secret. I enjoyed finding out about Isis and Nephthys who were two sisters hoping to locate their brother Osiris. The book also had a theme of family love and friendship throughout as well as some nasty characters Clemmie was best steering clear of. I will be recommending this book to others and looking out for more from this author

Historical fiction at its finest surrounding a topic I love the most - Ancient Egypt. It was incredibly absorbing with well-rounded characters you’ll love (or hate in some cases!). The storyline was unique and not like anything I’d read before. Even if historical fiction isn’t for you, I would still urge you to read it as it isn’t an overpowering element and the storyline holds itself on its own.