The Straw King

1. The Pharaoh’s Daughter by Isabelle Dethan
   Europe Comics

Pub Date 22 Apr 2020

Description
Egypt, 7th century BCE. Neith and Sennedjem are two of many royal children too far down the inheritance ladder to matter. Facing limited prospects—she’s likely to wind up in her own father’s bed, and he won’t even wind up an advisor—they set out instead to see the world. But the ancient world is full of dangers, and soon enough, the royal pair find themselves sold off to the court of Babylon by slave traders. As a lady-in-waiting, Neith becomes entangled in another royal family’s power struggles, while her brother falls victim to a bizarre religious ritual: the Straw King…

This is an adventure story set in the ancient world. Dethan’s art is well done, and, it does a great job of building tension and drama. However, I struggled to connect with the characters. It is a bit of a shame that the art is not in service of a better story. This is sold B-movie style stuff and was a pleasant way to spend an evening. I think it is telling that it ends on a cliff hanger and that I wasn’t too fussed about knowing when the next book will come out. I did enjoy the book and it is worth a read. Unfortunately, it isn’t a book that will linger with you but it is a solid story told through good artwork.

15/30