Heather’s Bookshelf: Cobra Kingdom
Author: Michael A. Mattia
Released: 11/05/20
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
“Their path had followed close to one of seven distributaries that flowed from the Nile. For about a mile Yuya leaned back enjoying the wind, without sand in his face while recapturing may memories from his many years here. ”
“Cobra Kingdom” takes place in Ancient Egypt and begins with the introduction of Thutmose, Amenhotep’s only son. The heir apparent and his chariot instructor are ambushed by unknown assailants and left for dead.
While Thutmose is missing, Yuya (an advisor to the Pharaoh) has his hands full investigating the murders of several women washing up from the Nile. His obligations don’t stop there as he also investigates deaths at the palace itself. He and his apprentice, Baraka, try to defend the Pharaoh while also protecting those around him. They encounter many challenges along the way including an odd connection to cobras.
Storylines including those closest to the Pharaoh and Yuya as additional plot details and scene setting.
Trigger Warning: murder, sexual situations, violence, animal death, attempted abortion
Overall, this story had me a little torn. Since I was young, I have been a big fan of all things ancient Egypt (I even took a class in college dedicated to the history of the pharaohs and the basics of hieroglyphics). So, while I was interested in the descriptions within the story, I still found much of the detail to be in more of a “telling” and not a “showing”, which slowed the pacing of the tale. The parts related to the murder mystery and especially Yuya’s portions were intriguing. Yuya was by far the best character. His sense of humor shines through in his dry responses. His relationships with his wife and his apprentice were both endearing. I found the portions related to birth control pretty gross and disturbing (no matter how accurate). The portions with the cobras were both confusing and interesting. I found myself unsure as to why parts of the plot were included and lost sight of the main story throughout. I did like that the ending tied many of the main characters together.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A mystery set in ancient Egypt with interesting details but a plot that left me confused and unfulfilled
Michael A. Mattia:
“Was first inspired by several movies set in ancient Egypt. Then started reading novels and got bitten by the ancient Egyptian bug. This lead to a dedication to writing a novel. Over 50 text books and articles later I had the fundamentals for the novel. The entire process was approximately 5 years in length.”
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