Tuesday, December 2, 2014

YA Review: Sons of the Sphinx



I don't normally read YA fiction. However, Cheryl Carpinello's new release, Sons of the Sphinx, interested me for two reasons: First, Rosa, the young protagonist, can talk to the dead, and isn't too happy it. This is always a subject of interest to me, in fact, Rosa shares her gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) with the protagonist Cass Adams in my own novel, They Call Me Crazy. Additionally, the setting for the book is Ancient Egypt, a world I find fascinating in its own right.

In Sons of the Sphinx, Rosa travels back in time to help a young King Tut fulfill a prophecy that will insure that his family is looked upon with honor in the future. Also, in the course of their journey, Tut must release the soul of his queen, Ankhesenamun, so they may be joined for all eternity.  It isn't the simplest of tasks, since they don't know exactly where Ankhesenamun is buried and they have General Horremheb trying to keep them from succeeding.

Rosa and Tut are very sleuthlike, in that they must discover and interpret clues as to the final resting place of Ay, who will tell them where Ankhesenamun is buried. It's an interesting pair, one teenager from the past and one from the future, using what knowledge they have of the time to move from one clue to another.

The historical detail was fascinating and well woven throughout the narrative. The various landmarks and the terrain in general leapt from the pages, placing the reader in an ancient, and somewhat exotic time. It has an engaging and well developed plot, dynamic characters and was a fun read.

I'm sure young adults will enjoy the attention to detail and the journey back in time.

You can buy Sons of the Sphinx at the following places online:
Nook 



 Cheryl Carpinello is a retired English teacher who hopes to inspire young readers to read more through her Quest Books. Follow her at:




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