No notable award recognitions.

With the balance of power in Africa and Europe on the verge of tipping, Kurt, Joe, and the rest of the NUMA team will have to fight to discover the truth behind the legends—but to do that, they have to confront in person the greatest legend of them all: Osiris, the ruler of the Egyptian underworld. ( )

After Talibah and Adom mother dies, their father decided it was time to show what he works on. Archaeology of pyramids. He takes them to one of the few queens of Egypt. Talibah begins to have visions and thinks she losing her mind.

I know it is a juvenile kids book but I loved it. I learned about a female pharaoh I had never heard of and the people surrounding her. The mystical way Talibah finds out about the ruler is not really original but how light hearted the book is I am willing to let that pass. I love Talibah and her brother attitude and how they bond together to figure things out. The only thing to make this better if it were a series. So far as I know it is not. ( )

Judith says: There is almost too much going on in in this novel. Talibah and Adom have recently lost their mother to cancer. Their father has not really come to grips with his wife's deaths and has shut the children out, leaving Talibah to take care of Adom. Talibah is trying to deal with the burden of being the 'mother' as well as feeling like she must solve the mystery of Senenmut's disappearance. There is also having to figure out why Rashid creeps her out and where he fits into the picture.

Everynow and then the writing is a bit awkward but it does not keep the reader from wanting to turn the page and find out what happens next. Because of my interest in Ancient Egypt, I found myself readily engaged with the story. It was the switching back and forth from the past to the present that could be somewhat confusing. However, Talibah did a good job narrating the action.

The characters were pretty easily identifiable and you knew from whom you were supposed to root. The children did things that I kind of doubted most kids could do around the monuments, so you must at times suspend belief but it is still interesting.

The family angst is a bit forced, I think but it is resolved within the plot and the family is able to begin the healing process. Senenmut is able to rest, thereby healing the ancestors in the family's past and the bad guys get exactly what they deserve. So all in all a satisfying end. If you like Egypt, then you will enjoy this story. ( )