His Face Is the Sun (Throne of Khetara, #1)by Michelle Jabès Corpora🎧 Suehyla El-Attar

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A new reign is coming...Romance, magic, adventure, and horror collide in the start to this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian inspired trilogy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi, and Sabaa Tahir.

Princess. Priestess. Rebel. Thief.

Tensions run as hot as the Khamsin winds in the great kingdom of Khetara. Rumors of the pharaoh's mysterious illness abound, and with them, murmurs of rebellion grow. Meanwhile, in the quiet desert, a forgotten oracle begins to unfold, setting a dark prophecy into action and drawing together four strangers…

Princess SITA lives in the abundance of the palace, and in a moment of passion, she unmasks a betrayal that will put her life―and the entire royal court―in grave danger.

A priestess-in-training, NEFF strives to understand her intense visions from the gods, except theirs is not the only magic at play in the grand temple.

As a farmer's daughter, RAE knows how much the pharaoh's men have taken from her land, her people. Still, who will step forward to confront the king?

KARIM was raised among the pyramids of the Red Lands and survives on the wealth of the dead as a tomb robber. But amid the spoils, an ancient evil awakens…

Bloodshed is coming. Only together do these four have the potential to save the kingdom from destruction. But when the dust has settled, who will sit on the throne of Khetara?

His Face Is the Sun was so good! Suehyla El-Attar really brought it to life with her narration, and I highly recommend this one if you love fantasy stories with amazing characters and phenomenal world-building. I was completely immersed in this story from page one (loved the cats) and stayed hooked until the very end.

We experience the story through four different perspectives—Sita, Neff, Rae, and Karim—and each character was wonderfully written with a distinct voice and personality. We learn about the nuances of their individual lives and see the beginnings of how their paths will start to overlap: a chance encounter here, a seemingly small conversation there, and how they will come to rely on strangers they’ve never met but are connected to by a prophecy from a thousand years ago.

I really enjoyed reading and learning about the different characters (even the secondary ones). Of the main ones, I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite, and I’m deeply invested in what happens to each of them. They are four seemingly unimportant people who have been touched by the gods of their world and tasked with a vision and destiny none of them understand or are prepared for. The author gave me quite the scare at the end, but I think it also sets up the next book beautifully. It’s not a cliffhanger exactly, but it does leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

The world-building was also really well done. I felt like I was there with them in ancient Egypt. I was tomb-robbing with Karim, fighting alongside Rae, seeing visions with Neff, and swimming with Sita. The descriptions fully immersed me in the setting of the story, and the author showed the world to me through the eyes of her characters. I’ve always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, so His Face Is the Sun was a book after my own heart. You can tell the author did her homework with this one. (I think I remember the author's note saying her family is from there or had lived there previously.)

There's political intrigue, family drama, a war on the horizon, and gods meddling in mortal lives (albeit very vaguely). Their cryptic warnings usually didn't make sense until the moment they were happening, and I enjoyed experiencing everything alongside the characters. Definitely keep this one on your radar! I'm already looking forward to book two coming out in May.

Also, Behkai has my whole heart! (He's a dog we're introduced to early on and he's the goodest boy.) (★★★★⭑)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.