Book Review: Salvation in the Sun(The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles #1) by Lauren Lee Merewether

Salvation in the Sun by Lauren Lee Merewether is a historical fiction novel set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and the first book in the Lost Pharaoh Chronicles. This focuses on the relationship between Akhenaten and Nefertiti and how they change the religion of Egypt.

Salvation in the Sun is primarily told in flashback starting during the early reign of Akhenaten when he was known as Amenhotep, where the Pharaoh and his advisors are trying to take back the power of the priesthood of Amun by changing the main god of worship to the Aten. As time goes on it becomes more and more apparent that Amenhotep now Akhenaten truly believes that that only god is the Aten and none of the other gods matter.

This change to the religion leads to major political conflicts and I feel like this is a way these events of history could have happened. I have done a decent amount of nonfiction reading on this time period and it is obvious that Lauren Lee Merewether has done her research. While there are somethings that are probably not historically accurate given that we don’t know how these players would have thought or acted this doesn’t feel completely fictionalized.

I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction and those with an interest in Ancient Egypt.

Book Review: A History of the Vampire in Popular Culture by Violet Fenn

A History of the Vampire in Popular Culture by Violet Fenn is a nonfiction book about Vampires and how vampires are portrayed in popular culture through out history. As it comes out in May of 2021 there is a bit more focus on recent Dracula adaptations and other vampire stories in comparison to other books that discuss vampires and popular culture. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Unlike other nonfiction or historical books, this history of vampires doesn’t completely go in chronological order and focuses more on different types of popular culture, as well as the tropes and themes that the vampire represent or embody. This is the first book of this type that I’ve ever read so I’m not sure the best way to review it but my love of vampires and the different depictions of vampires throughout history is what intrigued me about this book.

This is a very well written and researched deep dive into many aspects of Vampires and how vampires are used in popular culture depictions. Personally, I loved both discussion on the historical vampire accounts and how vampires are used in movies and TV shows. The vampire mythos is constantly changing and there seems to be something for everyone even if you personally don’t agree with all of the depictions. I think this would be a great book for anyone that is fascinated by vampires and vampire fiction.