Lauren Lee Merewether’s Egypt’s Second Born is book five of the Lost Pharaoh Chronicles. Amenhotep IV is the second son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, the king of Egypt, High Priest in Every Temple, Lord of the Two Lands, and Queen Tiye, the Lady of the Two Lands. Although born a prince, young Amenhotep is looked down upon by his own father and more talented older brother, the crown prince Thutmose. He was born sickly and never received praise from the Pharaoh. Whatever he accomplished was never good enough in his father’s eyes and he was always seen as an embarrassment to the Royal family. Such negative attention and comments have taken their toll on him. He sees himself as weak and useless; such low self-esteem affects his own actions and he seems stuck in a never-ending spiral of failure. Will young Amenhotep continue to drown in the shadow of his father and brother? Or will he rise above everyone’s expectations, pave his own path, and earn the love he deserves?

Book five of the Lost Pharaoh’s Chronicles, Egypt’s Second Born is a moving tale of love, family, and redemption. Queen Tiye’s love for her second son in the very first chapter gripped my interest with an iron fist. The Pharaoh's and Thutmose’s unfair treatment of the second prince made my blood boil and Amenhotep’s resignation to his fate both angered and saddened me. Lauren Lee Merewether truly knows how to spin an excellent tale and create such beautiful characters. The angst and complicated family affairs only strengthened my love for the Lost Pharaoh Chronicles. Merewether’s characters are all unique, each with their own flaws that complement the story’s plot and bring a fresh twist. I kept my eye on the second-born prince and seethed on his behalf for his unfair treatment. I got to know each character and learned of their many different sides. The Pharaoh, who belittled his second son for being weak, was a good ruler who knew the importance of loyalty and was harsh on his sons because he felt this is what the throne demands of them. Thutmose, who was arrogant and a sore loser, could love so deeply and repent well if given the right chance.

Each individual in this book was excellent, their differing sides offering much depth to the story. To me, the best part of all this was Thutmose’s redemption. Although confused and angry, he listened to his mother’s heartaches and tried to view things in a different manner. By doing so, he was able to learn from his past actions and make amends. Out of all the characters, he was the one with the greatest growth. He learned from his father’s shortcomings and made them his strength. I truly look forward to the future he will shape with his own hands. To sum it up, this book is an exceptional, fascinating, and distinctive historical novel I will never forget! Truly superb!

Egypt’s Second Born: A Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Prequel by Lauren Lee Merewether is a continuation of the prequel series to her main trilogy of Ancient Egypt that begins with Salvation in the Sun. This book is No. 5 in the prequel series and focuses on Pharaoh Amenhotep III, his heir and Prince Regent, Thutmose, and principally the second son, Prince Amenhotep. Prince Amenhotep was a sickly child not expected to live but with the help of Aten (The Sun), he was able to grow and develop into a young man. As a child, Amenhotep was everything his older brother wasn’t. His brother and their father, Pharaoh Amenhotep, would constantly criticize and ridicule the Prince for his inability to perform even the most basic tasks expected of a male member of the royal family. Where Thutmose was clever, intelligent, athletic, and handsome, Amenhotep was the exact opposite; slow, inarticulate, uncoordinated, and strangely gangly and ill-proportioned. Although his mother, the Pharaoh’s principal wife, tried to intercede with her husband and the Crown Prince on Amenhotep’s behalf, it was clear neither believed the boy had any real future in the Royal Court. What Amenhotep longed for more than anything was understanding, love, and acceptance from his father and brother, yet the only place he could find that was in the arms of his childhood friend who he was forbidden to consider for marriage.

Egypt’s Second Born offers a compelling journey back into the first great civilization of humanity and shows us the structure and societal shape that made the Egyptians so dominant in that span of millennia but would also play a part in its ultimate downfall. I have read several of these prequels from author Lauren Lee Merewether and this one ranks right up there in exploring lesser-known Pharaohs of the time. I particularly enjoyed the character of Prince Amenhotep, with all his perceived failings and shortcomings. The irony that the son of a Living-God (Pharaoh) should turn out to be so ordinary, so accident-prone, so lacking in any clearly definable skills, so human, was not lost on this reader at all. Using Amenhotep’s “failings” to highlight the importance of humility and the horrors of bullying was a real bonus in this story. The author’s style is beautifully descriptive and it is clear that this period of history is an absolute passion for her, as it flows through every sentence she writes. I love historical fiction that can take a few known facts and weave a wonderful story around those characters. This book definitely does exactly that. The appearance of Nefertiti as a minor character in this story wakened me to the realization that she will play a major part in one of this author’s many books around this subject and that, along with the obvious inferences in the story, will make me extremely keen to read more of this author’s work. This is yet another excellent introduction to the characters that inhabit the ancient world that this author has created in her many books and I can highly recommend it.