Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku's Reviews > Mara, Daughter of the Nile

Let's hear it for strong female protagonists found in books published in 1953!

Also, let's hear it for being able to describe any book in this way: Spies! Intrigue! Plotting! Romance! Gold! Pharoahs! Swashbuckling! Betrayal! Anguish! Drama!

What a captivating story.

Now, first things first. The history isn't quite accurate. But, that's okay. This is historical fiction, right? As long as you can ignore the real events, this is a great story. That said-- truth, or lack there of, does not take away from this story. A lot happens in a small period of time.

Mara encounters many people during her adventures, and I find them all quite intriguing. What made them to intriguing to me was how perspective switched between them all. We really got to understand this plot as it unfolded from many sides. Now, all those sides happened to be the "winning" side, but that's okay. Either way, it really brought depth to the story. For example, Mara is always scheming to try and maintain her double-agent status. She is constantly complimenting herself on how sneaky she is. However, when we see Mara from another perspective-- we learn this isn't 100% the truth. Inanni, the Canaanite princess Mara acts as interpreter for, notices that Mara is acting suspicious. She knows that something is amiss, and we see Mara for what she really is. Yes, crafty. Yes, smart. But flawed. Which is lovely.

I recommend this novel to anyone interested in "Spies! Intrigue! Plotting! Romance! Gold! Pharoahs! Swashbuckling! Betrayal! Anguish! " or just YA historical fiction. :) So, hopefully, everyone.