The Sekhmet Bed

The She-King, #1

By: L.M. Ironside

Narrated by: Amanda C. Miller

Is Ahmose's divine gift a blessing or a curse?

The second daughter of the Pharaoh, Ahmose has always dreamed of a quiet life as a priestess, serving Egypt's gods, ministering to the people of the Two Lands. But when the Pharaoh dies without an heir, she is given instead as Great Royal Wife to the new king - a soldier of common birth. For Ahmose is god-chosen, gifted with the ability to read dreams, and it is her connection to the gods which ensures the new Pharaoh his right to rule.

Ahmose's elder sister Mutnofret has been raised to expect the privileged station of Great Royal Wife; her rage at being displaced cannot be soothed. As Ahmose fights the currents of Egypt's politics and Mutnofret's vengeful anger, her youth and inexperience carry her beyond her depth and into the realm of sacrilege.

To right her wrongs and save Egypt from the gods' wrath, Ahmose must face her most visceral fear: bearing an heir. But the gods of Egypt are exacting, and even her sacrifice may not be enough to restore the Two Lands to safety.

©2011, 2013 Libbie M. Grant (P)2013 Libbie M. Grant

Great portrayal

3rd time I've listened to the series. Narrator portrays the characters well with out over doing it.

tension and action that pulled the story forward

AudioBook Review
Stars: Overall: 5 Narration 4 Story 5

My first encounter with a historical set in ancient Egypt, this book manages to present a captivating story with compelling characters, mystical insets and a greatly developed sense of place and time in a story that is easy to follow despite the complexity. Ironside has managed to imbue the story with the history and feel of excitement for the time that I have only witnessed in those who have made Egypt and the Pharoahs their life’s work.

There is a nice mix of humanity in the characters: villains are sufficiently despicable without becoming caricatures or cartoonish, they all have faults and histories that are clearly presented and fuel their actions and characters with a familiar feel: people and human nature hasn’t changed dramatically over the years, even if beliefs and technology has. Captivating and easy to follow, I was initially concerned that the events and names would feel too foreign and cumbersome to follow, but each character is unique and clearly presented in a way that keeps them memorable without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Narration is provided by Amanda C. Miller and I found her narrative style to work well for the story, although a few of her choices for individual voices didn’t always line up with my own preferences. Clear and well enunciated, she managed to imbue a sense of urgency, wonderment, curiosity and vehemence where needed, and not overly emphasize in odd places. My first encounter with this narrator, and I am curious to see what else she has presented.

I was unsure about the story when I started, but it pulled me right in with tension and action that pulled the story forward as it engaged me in needing to know what comes next. As a first in a series, this is a winner that will keep readers happy and encourage many to explore historical fiction in eras other than Regency England.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Great book - really get a feel for ancient egypt

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sekhmet Bed to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the printer version so I can't be sure.

What did you like best about this story?

It really makes you feel like you're in ancient Egypt.

Have you listened to any of Amanda C. Miller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is my first, but the narrator did a great job.

Who was the most memorable character of The Sekhmet Bed and why?

Ahmose, she had the most 'screen-time'.

Any additional comments?

My only complaint was that I feel like it had a slight leaning towards a female perspective. There was more focus on motherhood and the protagonist's rival sister that I (a male reader) was especially interested in. However that did not detract enough from the book to result in my dissatisfaction of the whole.I love historical fiction, I've read most of the work by Conn Iggulden and James Clavell, as well as some by Bernard Cornwell, Robert Fabbri, Jane Auel and Ken Follett. I am not educated in Egyptian history, so I cannot judge the actual accuracy of Ironside's details (though they all seem legit as far as I can tell). However I can say she did as good a job of making the reader truly experience the historical setting as any of the those authors did. The story itself was also great, and the writing itself was too.

The Sekhmet Bed

I found the traditions of the ancient Egyptians in this story extremely fascinating. Did take me a while to really get in to the scheme of things, but once I did I was happy I'd discovered Libbie Hawker's series. The narration was not very imaginative, at least in the beginning, but once I played with the speed settings, I adjusted to Miller's narrative. She did amp up the excitement towards latter portions of audio and it helped me visualize an empire ruled by Pharaohs, sisters fighting for control of a kingdom, gods and godesses appearing in visions, heirs born to rule. I will be continuing on to the second book in the series, THE CROOK AND FLAIL. Haven't decided which format to choose. I have the Kindle version. Maybe I'll read it instead and use the imaginative voices in my head to create the characters.

Took me there!

What made the experience of listening to The Sekhmet Bed the most enjoyable?

The narration and the storytelling were both so beautiful

What other book might you compare The Sekhmet Bed to and why?

I haven't read much about Ancient Egypt in historical fiction, so I don't know.

Which character – as performed by Amanda C. Miller – was your favorite?

The narration was the best. I wasn't a huge fan of the character voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I almost did. I finished it less than 24 hours after purchasing.