The God's Wife

Lynn Voedisch

Publisher: Fiction Studio Books

Publish Date: August 09, 2011

Format: Softcover paperback from Fiction Studio Books (Thank you!!)

Series: none

This is the story of two women.   Rebecca lives in modern-day Chicago and is a dancer for the Waterfront Dance Company.  She has gotten the chance of a lifetime to star in their production of Verdi’s Aïda.  There are many people who are happy for Rebecca – her boyfriend, Jonas, her roommates, Greta and Allison, sister Amy and her best-friend Raven.  Then there is Lenore.  She is not too happy about Rebecca getting the lead part, which she herself wants.  Strange things are happening to Rebecca though.  She will black out for periods of a time and not remember what happened during those times, even though she has a suspicion that she is seeing some other life in another time.  As if her life wasn’t complicated enough, then enters Sharif.  His effect on Rebecca is hard to understand.  Following this, even more strange things have happened, and it takes everyone to figure out what is happening to Rebecca and what Sharif’s role in all this is.

Sixteen – year old Neferet lives in the 18^th dynasty in Egypt in Karnak.  In this time, there was always a wife to the God, Amun.  When the current God’s wife, Maya, was slain on the steps of the Amun chapel in the Holy of Holies, there must be a new God’s wife elected.  The current Great Wife aka Queen of the Two Lands of Kemet aka Meyrt aka Neferet’s mother gave Neferet what she called a “great gift.”  Neferet was to be the next God’s Wife.  Neferet accepted this, but didn’t really know what all that would entail.  After fulfilling this role, she learns that what comes with it is not what she bargained for.  This story tells of the interactions with her two half-brothers, Zayem, Meyrt’s son from another marriage and Kamose, the Pharaoh’s son with one of his lesser wives.   Neferet is confused in what the God’s Wife role really is and who she can trust.  The Role of the God’s Wife puts her second in command only behind the Pharaoh himself and whoever she shall marry will be the next Pharaoh.  Being the only daughter of the Pharaoh and the only child with two royal parents, she is a good match for any man.

Rebecca and Neferet are somehow able to see each other and share experiences.  For Rebecca, this comes in how she dances.  Her dancing is strengthened through Neferet.  For Neferet, this comes through as strength in times of need.  They both wonder how this is possible and what it will mean for their souls.

This book delved into Egyptian history and I love that.  I’m no historian or Egyptologist, but it was fun to read the accounts of how things were done during that time.  It was interesting to see the interactions between Neferet and her family.  I really got into this book.  It wasn’t in the way that I am usually entranced by a book.  This was more of a calm way in which I simply did not want to put the book down because I wanted to know more about Rebecca and Neferet. 

The women of ancient Egypt were the freest of any civilization on earth, until the modern era. In several dynasties of ancient Egypt the God’s Wives of Amun stood tall, priestesses of wealth and power, who represented the pinnacle of female power in the Egyptian state. Many called The God’s Wife of Amun second only to the Pharaoh in dominance. THE GOD’S WIFE follows the adventures of a 16-year-old girl, Neferet, who is thrust into the role of The Gods Wife of Amun without proper training. Surrounded by political intrigue and ensnared by sexual stalking, Neferet navigates the temple, doing her duties, while keeping her family name pristine and not ending up like her predecessor—dead. Meanwhile, a modern-day Chicago dancer, Rebecca, is rehearsing for a role in an ancient Egyptian production and finds herself blacking out and experiencing realistic dreams about life in Egypt. It’s as if she’s coming in contact with 

*Obviously Neferet and Rebecca.   They show strength in times of adversity and help each other out even though they do not know how they are doing it.

*Jonas.  He is loyal.  It is good to have characters like him in books who are just “normal” people, but who are awesome, nonetheless.

*The Egyptian history and references.  I think the history and mythology create interesting stories and I hope more authors will explore them and incorporate them into their stories.

*Kamose.  I like him not simply because he is a good guy in this story, but also because he possesses admiral traits, like honesty, bravery and loyalty.

*Sharif – something about him just always seemed off.  

*Zayem.  Kamose definitely has my vote.  Zayem was not a good person.  He used devious methods to get what he wanted.

*I was disappointed in the ending.  Not in what happened, but I felt that you were left on a cliff-hanger without knowing if there would be any more to the story of Rebecca and Neferet.