Kiya: Mother of a King Paperback – January 1, 2013

By Aussie Author Katie Hamstead, this is the second book in the Kiya series, which follows the life of Naomi—known to the Egyptians as Kiya—after she flees the palace with her children following Queen Nefertiti’s latest assassination attempt.I’ve quite enjoyed this series so far, although I found this book a little slower in places than the first one—Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh. I suspect that’s an inevitable result of the relative lack of palace intrigue. Book two spends a lot more time focusing on Naomi’s new life (or return to her old one) as a Hebrew woman. Some of that, such as detailing various pregnancies and births, isn’t anywhere near as gripping, but it’s also nice to see Naomi get some time living a life that makes her happy.Then the fabulously sexy Horemheb comes back into her life, Tut gets dragged off to be a boy king, and Naomi’s life gets complicated again. Hooray!Normally—almost 100% of the time—when I’m reading I find I’m attracted to the good guy in any love triangle. In this series, the good guy is Malachi, and Horemheb is the bad boy. But for some reason, in this I thought Horemheb was way more interesting than Malachi. The latter is strong and caring, but Horemheb is both of those things (to Kiya at least; to others he is cruel) and also very intelligent. I like a hot, smart man.I confess that one thing I really struggled with in Kiya: Mother of a King was a side-effect of the fact it’s historical fiction. Because 3000 years ago, women didn’t have rights. All the Hebrew men buying wives they’ve in some cases never even seen from those girls’ fathers made me cranky. (Of course, the Egyptian alternative of just taking them and raping them was worse.) In each instance in this book, the Hebrew men in question were all good husbands to their wives, but ugh!At one point Naomi takes Malachi to task when he refers to her as his property, but for the most part even she—the strong-headed one, who used to be queen—is perfectly happy to see herself and other women bought and sold. I realise she simply doesn’t know any better, and maybe I’d be more used to the casual sexism if I read more historical fiction, but I wanted to shake some of the blokes till their teeth rattled.Still, this is an interesting continuation of Naomi’s story. And if she doesn’t want Horemheb, can I have him?

I have to start out by saying that I really enjoyed the first novel, hope of the pharaoh. This was also an enjoyable read, but I took one star off because it seems drawn out at certain points. Still, I had a hard time putting it down, and it is easy to see the author is talented.While not exactly true to history, the author brings the world to life and makes it pretty believable. I love most of the characters, even though I don't see many flaws in the heroine, which would've made her more rounded out. She does go through some growth over the story, but not as much as in the first.My main gripe, which was a huge disappointment, was how anti-climatic the final scene with the villain from the first novel. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I definitely expected way better from this author that kept me on my toes with the tension between the two over the course of a novel and a half.The series started out strong, and I'll definitely read the third and hope that the amazing storytelling from the first book comes back.

The Egyptian and Hebrew conflicts have always fascinated me. Why one country could totally enslave another's people was such an evil concept, I wanted to understand as much about that time, as possible. Sadly, as this wonderful book brilliantly emphasizes, greed and selfishness are at the basis of all the atrocities men commit against their fellow man. Naomi, a young Hebrew girl, has voluntarily been taken from her family to protect her younger sisters from being enslaved in the king's harem. Because of her sweet nature, she becomes the favorite of her king, ultimately bearing him his only make heir, Tut. Unfortunately, the king loudly and with temples and a tomb, shows his love for Naomi which unleashes the hatred of his queen, Nefertiti, King Akhenaten's Great Royal Wife. Her fury is unleashed against this woman of the "slave race" who's taken the affection and attention away from her. You'll find this fictionalized account of what life was like for Naomi and her family fascinating and hard to put down.

I really loved this entire series. I admit though, I was prepared not to. I do not like to give away the "meat" of any of the books I read, but basically, this is the story of an Egyptian King who needed a wife who could produce an heir to the throne. Kiya, who's real name was Naomi, is from a respected Hebrew tribe, but of course; the elite egyptians would never permit a hebrew to rise to become their Queen; thus her name change. Naomi though, continues to honor her own peoples customs even though it could have meant her life. She is at odds with the King/Pharoahs first wife, and makes more friends within the concubines rather than the royals. She actually stepped forward to take the place of her own younger sister who was the original choice of the general who'd come into the hebrew village to find a "strong, sturdy" wife who could survive childbirth. Her story is well done, and you soon become attached to this brave woman who's entire world changes swiftly. I loved the entire series. Well done!

I love all things Egyptian, and , having read book one in this trilogy I eagerly opened the pages for book two, and wasn't disappointed.This story starts with the death of Pharoah, Kyah's husband. She knows that her son's life is in danger because he is the first in line to be Pharoah, and he is only a toddler, a target for assassins.She flees back to her Hebrew family and uses her birth name of Naomi. She is loved by two men , both Egyptian soldiers, one she marries and has seven children with him, the other is a fierce General, much feared by everyone, who only shows his tender side to Naomi.This story revolves around the life of Tutenkarmun and his family and is a good strong story which draws you in. Can't wait to read the next one in the trilogy even though I know what will happen!

I've given this book 4 stars because I did find it very enjoyable (have also read the first in the Trilogy) although I must say it is not as well written as most of the other books I have enjoyed in this genre. There is very little description and some of the sentences made me cringe slightly. Despite this, I found it a compelling read, which shows how good the plot and characterisation is, as normally I would not be able to read a book that I found to be written slightly amateurishly.With this in mind I find the price a little steep compared to others in the genre (Michelle Moran's books are much more well written and yet extremely cheap). Also I did enjoy the first in the Trilogy ('Hope of a Pharoah') to be more fast paced than this one, although I am looking forward to seeing how the story ends.

Book two in this wonderful trilogy and I'm downloading book three as I type. This is a love triangle that spans across the years and into new relationships; intertwined with intrigue, cunning and a violent power struggle. This beautiful historical fiction is ultimately a romance, but it certainly keeps the reader turning the pages!

Loved this book. I became interested by Egyptian fiction after reading neffertiti by Michele Moran and kiya is equally enthralling. Kiya seems to have been a interesting character of her time with many different interpretations of her life but no matter how accurate this particular interpretation of kiyas life is its a jolly good read.

Continues Naomi's story following Akhenaten's death as she returns to her Jewish community in Egypt. The book maintains the tension between Naomi the Jewish wife, and her alter ego Kiya the Pharaoh's widow. As in the previous volume, Horemheb is the link between her two very different lives.