Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: Hathonatum
SERIES: Peletus #1
AUTHOR: Taylin Clavelli
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 238 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2020
BLURB:
Have you ever wondered if that little voice inside you is actually your voice?
Egypt captivates Benjamin. As an adult, he immerses himself in his chosen profession, as an archaeologist in the ancient city of Abydos. For Ben, the hieroglyphs, and paintings unlock dreams of a time long lost.
The dig Ben works on is financed by Ashari Hathonatum. For many years, the man has been looking for the one who completes him. He initially saw his heart’s match from a distance. But that was a long time ago and from an alternate universe. When Ashari encounters Ben, he wonders if he is the reincarnation of the man he saw, through another’s eyes, all those years ago. Will the secrets Ashari hides about his heritage stop their love blooming, or will others from his dimension, determined to keep Ashari from his heart’s match, rule the day?
REVIEW:
If you’re interested in Egypt, this is the book for you. From ancient myth and history, to archaeological digs, to vivid descriptions of modern-day Cairo and Alexandria, the book is rich in detail and vivid imagery.
The characters are engaging and well-drawn and, I think, remain consistent to themselves in their speech and actions.
The story is enthralling and I was caught up in the mystery and mayhem, experiencing a little of the sights, sounds and smells of Egypt along the way.
I truly can’t fault the story or the characters.
However, where the book falls short is in the writing. Most of the time it flows along perfectly fine, but as soon as the fantasy elements come in it becomes clumsy. The descriptions of the past, of Theshen and the pharaoh are beautiful, but Ashari’s description of how he was sent to, first in mind and then in body was painful. The world building was good but as soon as there was any explanation of its people or practices, it became pure exposition and wooden. There is also a lot of passive voice. Personally, I have no problem with that and it’s only flagged because it’s been beaten into my by editors. It’s something I have to mention though, for a purists out there.
The physical descriptions, however, of the planet, clothes, buildings etc were wide scoped and even breathtaking. I could practically see the little birds described by Ashari.
All in all, the book is sound and well worth reading but be prepared for a rocky road.
RATING:
It would have been 3.5 without the rich detail and engaging characters and story.
It would have been a 4.5 with a better flow
BUY LINKS:
I appreciate the honesty of the review, but if I may make one observation. Please can you get the spelling of my book correct. There is no R in Hathonatum, please see the cover. I have spoken to MLR about the mis-spelling of the links on amazon etc. The spelling issue was pointed out to me by the reviewer so I expected it to be spelled correctly here. This was not an issue anywhere else.