Review of Bird in a Snare
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Susanna Wiedefeld
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- Latest Review: Bird in a Snare by N.L. Holmes
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Review of Bird in a Snare
[Following is a volunteer review of "Bird in a Snare" by N.L. Holmes.]
Bird in a Snare by N.L. Holmes is an historical fiction mystery novel set in ancient Egypt that spans the time surrounding the transfer of power from Pharoah Amenhotep III to his son who becomes known as the infamous Akhenaten. It is a story told from the perspective of Hani, a well-respected diplomat in the King’s service who is entrusted with the investigation of the murder of an important political figure in one of the nearby territories that is protected by Egypt. His investigation takes place over the course of politically and religiously turbulent years and takes the reader to many ancient cities around the southeastern Mediterranean coast. It follows the adventures of Hani and his loyal secretary, Maya, and details the tumultuous changes for the family members left at home. The story ultimately leads to the resolution of an Ancient ¨Who Dunnit´?¨
This intriguing novel moves at a deceptively fast pace. Holmes does not waste words or pages detailing every day of travel or day to day interactions between characters. The story skips months at a time to take the reader directly into the plot-driving interactions. I enjoyed the style and tone of the writing. It felt relaxing and restful to read, even though there was political intrigue, plots against the lives of principal characters, and inter-generational tension and turmoil. The tone felt distinguished and proper, and almost as though it could have been written at the time of the Egyptians themselves. I also enjoyed the family dynamics and relationships that evolve between the main characters throughout the story. It was refreshing to read a story set in this time period that was about what life may have looked like from the perspective of the middle class citizens, rather than from the perspective of royalty.
While there were minimal grammatical, formatting, and spelling errors, there were a few moments throughout the novel where the author’s word choice distracted from overall tone and main style of the writing. For example, she uses the term “freakish” to describe an unexpected accident, and the phrase “for real” when wondering if a person could really change his innermost self by changing his name. These incongruent word choices were so few and far between that the word choice stuck out all the more as more modern, and a bit jarring, when compared to the rest of the writing. There were only 2-3 noticeable formatting and spelling errors, and the read had a very elegant style overall. Holmes was true to Ancient Egypt in the names and customs she portrays throughout the novel, but I felt that if one was not paying close attention to what they were reading, it would be easy to get the many similar and somewhat complex names of characters confused. I do feel that some previous knowledge of Ancient Egypt is needed to fully appreciate this work, otherwise it may be tempting to give up early on simply because of the unique names of characters and settings. At the end of the novel, the story lines were wrapped up quite succinctly, but almost to the point of wondering “Oh, is that the end?”
Overall, I give this work 3 out of 4 stars. I did enjoy reading this charming mystery novel, especially given a personal affinity for all things related to Ancient Egypt. I feel that this type of novel is best enjoyed on a lazy Saturday afternoon while drinking a cup of tea on a sunny porch. It is a quick read with well-developed, endearing characters, and an interesting take on what the common person might experience in Ancient Egypt during a time of political and religious upheaval.
Due to a few mild sexually suggestive references and a character’s story arc that relies heavily on references to a predatory pedophilic character, I’d recommend this book for ages 14 and older. That being said, I believe more mature readers will be drawn to this book because of its writing style and pace. I also think that readers who would enjoy this novel would need to have a basic understanding of Egyptian history and will love it if they are fellow Egypt enthusiasts.
******
Bird in a Snare
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Bird in a Snare by N.L. Holmes is an historical fiction mystery novel set in ancient Egypt that spans the time surrounding the transfer of power from Pharoah Amenhotep III to his son who becomes known as the infamous Akhenaten. It is a story told from the perspective of Hani, a well-respected diplomat in the King’s service who is entrusted with the investigation of the murder of an important political figure in one of the nearby territories that is protected by Egypt. His investigation takes place over the course of politically and religiously turbulent years and takes the reader to many ancient cities around the southeastern Mediterranean coast. It follows the adventures of Hani and his loyal secretary, Maya, and details the tumultuous changes for the family members left at home. The story ultimately leads to the resolution of an Ancient ¨Who Dunnit´?¨
This intriguing novel moves at a deceptively fast pace. Holmes does not waste words or pages detailing every day of travel or day to day interactions between characters. The story skips months at a time to take the reader directly into the plot-driving interactions. I enjoyed the style and tone of the writing. It felt relaxing and restful to read, even though there was political intrigue, plots against the lives of principal characters, and inter-generational tension and turmoil. The tone felt distinguished and proper, and almost as though it could have been written at the time of the Egyptians themselves. I also enjoyed the family dynamics and relationships that evolve between the main characters throughout the story. It was refreshing to read a story set in this time period that was about what life may have looked like from the perspective of the middle class citizens, rather than from the perspective of royalty.
While there were minimal grammatical, formatting, and spelling errors, there were a few moments throughout the novel where the author’s word choice distracted from overall tone and main style of the writing. For example, she uses the term “freakish” to describe an unexpected accident, and the phrase “for real” when wondering if a person could really change his innermost self by changing his name. These incongruent word choices were so few and far between that the word choice stuck out all the more as more modern, and a bit jarring, when compared to the rest of the writing. There were only 2-3 noticeable formatting and spelling errors, and the read had a very elegant style overall. Holmes was true to Ancient Egypt in the names and customs she portrays throughout the novel, but I felt that if one was not paying close attention to what they were reading, it would be easy to get the many similar and somewhat complex names of characters confused. I do feel that some previous knowledge of Ancient Egypt is needed to fully appreciate this work, otherwise it may be tempting to give up early on simply because of the unique names of characters and settings. At the end of the novel, the story lines were wrapped up quite succinctly, but almost to the point of wondering “Oh, is that the end?”
Overall, I give this work 3 out of 4 stars. I did enjoy reading this charming mystery novel, especially given a personal affinity for all things related to Ancient Egypt. I feel that this type of novel is best enjoyed on a lazy Saturday afternoon while drinking a cup of tea on a sunny porch. It is a quick read with well-developed, endearing characters, and an interesting take on what the common person might experience in Ancient Egypt during a time of political and religious upheaval.
Due to a few mild sexually suggestive references and a character’s story arc that relies heavily on references to a predatory pedophilic character, I’d recommend this book for ages 14 and older. That being said, I believe more mature readers will be drawn to this book because of its writing style and pace. I also think that readers who would enjoy this novel would need to have a basic understanding of Egyptian history and will love it if they are fellow Egypt enthusiasts.
******
Bird in a Snare
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Bird in a Snare by N.L. Holmes
