The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis🐾
Nalicia and Boots here - welcome back to Boots’ Bookshelf!
This week’s book, paw-picked by Boots, was The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis, a recent release that piqued my interest because of its premise and use of ancient Egyptian mythology. Boots and I curled up together and finished the book within a week.
But, was it a cat-tastic read or did it leave us hissing? Let’s find out! 😻📖
Quick Look
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, suspense
Release Date: 2025
Page Count: 332
Vibe Check: Engaging with just the right blend of thrill, adventure, and ancient Egyptian mythology!
Purr Rating: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (4/5 Paws)
The Plot sans Spoilers
Egypt, 1936: Young anthropology student Charlotte Cross gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she secures a coveted spot for an archeological dig in Egypt. After a groundbreaking **pun intended** discovery in the Valley of the Kings that could solidify her career, tragedy strikes, forever changing Charlotte’s life.
New York City, 1978: 19-year-old Annie Jenkins’ luck takes a turn when she stumbles into a job as the assistant to fashion icon and former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland and gets to assist with the upcoming Met Gala.
Charlotte, now a 60-year old associate curator at the Met, wants nothing to do with the Gala. Jaded after the events in Egypt, Charlotte has devoted the last three years to researching a forgotten female pharaoh, Hathokare, one who may have placed her legendary curse on Charlotte.
It seems the curse has resurfaced when, on the night of the Gala, a priceless Egyptian artifact is stolen, leading Charlotte and Annie to team up and follow the trial back to Egypt, the one place Charlotte swore she’d never return to.
Now it’s time for our 🐾Paws and Claws!
Paws
Davis did a great job balancing the past with the present - I liked the flashbacks and how they were incorporated into the story. They provided a good transition between settings and helped provide deeper insight into Charlotte as a character.
Which brings me to Charlotte and Annie. I really liked both characters and how they continued to discover their inner strength as the story progressed. This book was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at times so be prepared for emotionally charged characters. Charlotte’s past really shaped her present and Davis did well showing the reader why Charlotte is the way she is. Annie’s story unfolded in real-time and, I admit, her story tugged at my heartstrings - I truly despised Joyce! Diana was also a great character who blew a breath of fresh air into the story and amused me with her quirky personality.
I am a MAJOR ancient Egypt buff so I was really excited that this story straddled Egypt and NYC. It was really nice moving back and forth between the two settings, and the cherry on top was that it was mainly set in the Met, one of my favorite museums ever! Davis really made me feel as though I was walking through the ancient Egypt wing (which is my favorite section!!) and I love how she incorporated Egyptian mythology and artifacts into the story.
The last paw was the interweaving of the famous Pharaoh’s curse trope with a nice gender-twist! Anyone who is an ancient Egypt fan knows right away that the famous female Pharaoh, Hathorkare, who Charlotte is researching is based on Hatshepsut, a female Pharaoh who, up until recently, was fairly obscure despite her accomplishments during her reign. I love that Davis chose Hatshepsut as her inspiration for the pharaoh.
Claws
The main claw I had with this story was how rushed the ending felt - it felt anticlimactic compared to the rest of the novel and it felt like trying to tie up loose ends to “solve” the mystery. Some of the conclusions the main characters came to in the last third of the story didn’t make sense in the grand scheme of things and it made me raise my eyebrow slightly at times. This was especially true when it was revealed who the true villain was - it was a twist I didn’t see coming, and not in a good way. It felt a bit far-fetched because no one would have even suspected that character because that character wasn’t relevant. I feel like this contributed to the minor unraveling of the novel that I saw towards the end.
Another claw I had was Annie. I loved her character but wished she had a bit more character development and that there was a bit more focus on her. I understand that it was mainly Charlotte’s story but Annie was a strong character who felt flimsy at times when she shared a scene with Charlotte. But, I do appreciate the development she did have because it made her all the more enjoyable to read. I also saw bits of myself in Annie so I could relate to her on some levels. Also, Joyce was HORRIBLE and I wanted nothing more than to punch her in the face and hug Annie. Thank god for Mrs. H!
My last claw was Henry. The more I got to know him, the more I disliked him. Leon was a given dislike for me but Henry came as a bit of a shock because he was very likable until he wasn’t. I did appreciate Davis for this aspect though because she did a great job showing that anyone can have a hidden side and wrote Henry as a raw, very-human, very-flawed character. Of course, others may like Henry but he wasn’t my cup of tea.
Boots’ Thoughts
My mom really liked this book! She kept talking about Egyptian gods and showing off her ancient Egypt knowledge the entire time.
There were some parts where she made weird faces, and some characters she did not like - she even hissed a few times! I liked this book a lot because it turns out cats were a BIG DEAL in ancient Egypt - they were considered sacred and associated with the Goddess Bastet. I always knew I was ~special~🐾
Final Verdict
...
Final Verdict ...
Was The Stolen Queen worth the catnip? Boots gives it 4 paws 🐾🐾🐾🐾
We recommend it to readers who like books with:
🐾 Strong female leads and female rulers
🐾 Ancient Egyptian mythology
🐾 Emotionally charged characters
🐾 Alternating timelines and settings
🐾 Quests to find lost items
Purr-spective Wrap-Up
Ready to give this book a read? Let me know what you think in the comments—especially if your furry friends approve too! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more purr-fect recs and reviews.
Until then, stay paw-sitive and read on! ✨
🐾Boots & Nalicia
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