His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabés Corpora

✦ BLURB ✦

Desire, War, Magic, Monsters...a forgotten oracle will unite them against an ancient enemy. But who will be on the throne when the red dust of Khetara settles?

The Kingdom of Khetara is gift of the River Iteru, the jewel of the desert. Yet a crisis looms on the horizon. The crowns of the north and south were joined through war a generation before, but Khetara remains a land divided. The pharaoh is wasting away from a mysterious illness--and forces in the south and within his own family are plotting against him. As rebellion grows and secrets flourish, an even more deadly threat emerges. An ancient evil awakes among the rolling dunes of the Red Land that threatens to destroy everything in its path.

Four strangers—a princess, a young priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber—are ripped from their lives and thrown into the conflict. Amid murder and betrayal, magic and monsters, gods and visions, love and war, these four unlikely heroes find themselves connected by a forgotten oracle that whispers insistently across the land. Only together can they save the kingdom from destruction, but when the bloodshed is done, who of Khetara's children will sit on the throne?

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✶ PRE-READING ✶

Look at that cover! Absolutely amazing. All the details mean something once you've read it. I have generally as much knowledge about Ancient Egypt as anyone, so I thought this would be an interesting read - it's not quite Egypt, but it's pretty close.

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✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... this is pretty close to old Egypt, down to the same gods in the same roles, the same types of clothes and weapons. The politics is closer to Game of Thrones. This is the first of a series, a trilogy I think, so I knew that not everything would be resolved in this one.

It surprised me by... how little was resolved and how far apart our four heroes are at the end of this volume. There's only two of them in the same place, and only variations of two have met up at any point - only one of them has met all the others, even. I was also surprised by how slow it was to get going (I nearly gave up more than once) although once it started going, it was very good.

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✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

Book Recommendation: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – If you liked the uneasy alliances, prophetic visions, and divided loyalties in His Face is the Sun, this one brings the same intensity. A sprawling empire, supernatural threats, and multi-POV storytelling keep the stakes high and the tension taut.

TV or Movie Recommendation: Prince of Egypt. Yes, it's animated, but it'll give you a great look at Egypt in its' heyday, and the songs are bangers.

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✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

A colour palette: Dusty gold and blinding white.

A soundtrack: Strings and bells.

A season: Hot, dry summer, with just a hint of green.

★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

5 of Wands. Egyptian Tarot Five blue-and-gold striped crooks clash in a tangled pattern, evoking conflict and resistance. They cross over a faded papyrus scroll, worn at the edges like an ancient record of struggle. Hieroglyphs to the side hint at deeper meanings—perhaps divine order caught in disorder. The image speaks of chaos and friction, but also of potential: if these forces could align, they might form something greater. This card represents infighting and struggles. If the characters could work together, they'd get on better, but they'll need to understand each other and each other's aims first.