Review: Blood and Chaos (Song of the King’s Heart #2) by Nicole Sallak Anderson (Historical Fiction Blog Tour)

Rating: 10/10

Synopsis:

The second chapter of Lord Ankhwenefer’s story is one of love, betrayal, and death. The world needs to know this forgotten king’s tale so that the ghosts of the past may finally rest.

Prince Ankhmakis has left his beloved Natasa for war and treacherous obstacles block his path to becoming Egypt’s last native king. He is the warrior that the men revere, and his orders are followed without question. He is strong and powerful with Natasa on his side, and the fear that breeds in those around him is more dangerous to Ankhmakis than the swords of the Greeks.

Natasa has risen higher in the mystic arts than any priestess before her-and she is in more peril because of it. All she desires is to assist her lover, Ankhmakis, in his quest to take back Egypt from the Macedonians once and for all, but his jealous queen, his plotting brother, and the truest evil in the world want nothing more than to be rid of her.

Natasa and Ankhmakis fight not only against the Greeks but also those at court who will do anything to see them both dead. Together, Ankhmakis would become a great general and Natasa the mystic healer who saves him. Apart, they may not survive.

Review

Thank you to Nicole for reaching out to me for review, and all thoughts are just that, mine only. And thank you to Amy Bruno at HF Virtual Book Tours for allowing me on this blog tour!

This is a novel that is on par with Wilbur Smith’s historical fiction. It is as if I have stumbled upon an under-rated historical fiction author who’s weaved a magical spell about a tale of Ancient Egypt. I would thoroughly recommend reading Book 1 in this series, which is Origins: Song of the King’s Heart. Without this, you will not have an idea what happens in book 2. I would also like to inform you that this novel is set after the events of the Ptolemaic victory at the Battle of Raphia in 272 BCE. In a nutshell: the Ancient Egyptians under Greek rule revolted and this is the result of this under-written tale that has been neglected. I think Nicole deserves wider recognition for this.

I am feeling a lot of feelings as I right now type this review. Sadness, heartbreak, and hope. I am reminded that no matter how much we idolize the Ancient World or any period, well any civilization, they were brutal. They didn’t have the same concept of rights and equality that normal humans enjoy today. And it is a brutal reminder of how Ancient Egypt fell. Not because of its military, not because of its people. It fell because of infighting. Egyptians turned against Egyptians which allow invaders like the Persians and the Greeks to come into Egypt. I have no doubt Ancient Egyptians were lamenting over the fact that this was the very cause of their demise, or that the Gods were abandoning Egypt when its male rulers sacrificed themselves for lust.

There are many spiritual moments within the novels, ones that I do not wish to embark upon. Whatever you will read will blow your mind. There are excellent quotes within this novel that force you to transcend your physical mindset to a higher mindset. Make note of what I say because this is a novel that makes Ancient Egypt come alive, and more importantly, it makes a religion that was once finished off by the time of Christianity’s Dawn in the Roman Empire, come alive again. I believe I read an ancient prophecy that the Gods of Egypt would abandon these lands. I then ask: If it was written, then where did these Gods go to? Ra, Horus, Thoth, where did they go? I hope these questions are answered in book 3! I find the Egyptian religion to be very similar to the Hindu path, for some reason. I can’t recall it, but I believe it had something to do with Thoth’s tablets. Religion plays a very spiritual role, and it is at the heart of this book.

There are so many wonderful characters, including Natasa and Ankhmakis. There are so many questions about birth, rebirth, loss, life, death, and hope. The plots in this story involving betrayal between family members, jealousy make me think: We humans haven’t changed in 2000 years. Doesn’t matter what time period. What era. We will be the same way in some form. We can’t rule our emotions until we learn to control them of course. I feel heartbreak for Ankhmakis, and sadness. I sincerely hope that we see a path where the Egyptians actually succeed and actually win for once. It has been too long since they were repressed. I would say this novel brings Ancient Egypt alive, and there are many characters you will come to love and despise. I despise Isidor the most. A horrible man indeed. It is such a good story. I do wish there was an alternate universe where Ankhmakis and Natasa become the King and Queen of Egypt and actually DO lead a prosperous Ancient Egypt into the future. The dialogue is awesome, the writing and prose really good.

I do not have much to say but this is a 10/10 from me. I thoroughly recommend you read this!