Book Review: The Pharaoh's Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

Title: The Pharaoh's Cat
Author: Maria Luisa Lang
Kindle, 182 pages
Published: May 16th 2015
Publisher: Maria Luisa Lang
Genre: Fiction - Fantasy - Egypt
Source: via author

The Pharaoh’s Cat, narrated in the present tense by the cat himself, is the story of a free-spirited, quick-witted stray in ancient Egypt who suddenly finds himself with human powers joined to his feline nature. 

The cat immediately captures the attention of the seventeen-year-old Pharaoh, making him laugh for the first time since his parents' death, and is brought to live with him at the royal palace.

The cat also becomes friends with the High Priest of the god Amun-Ra and seeks his help in solving the mystery of his human powers and the supernatural manifestations that later plague him. He has an enemy in the Vizier—the Pharaoh's uncle and the second most powerful man in Egypt. The Vizier hates him for himself and even more for his relationship with the Pharaoh.

The cat participates in festivities at the royal palace, developing an insatiable appetite for good food, wine, and gossip. He later accompanies the Pharaoh on a trip through his kingdom, all the while renewing the Pharaoh’s ability to enjoy life and inspiring him to become a stronger leader. 
Between the cat and the Pharaoh a bond of love gradually forms which will determine Egypt's destiny.

The Pharaoh's Cat imaginatively blends Egyptology with comedy, drama, and even time travel--the cat and the High Priest will meet Elena, a resident of the twenty-first century and the daughter of a renowned Egyptologist. 

  I was given a review copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.

  The Pharaoh's Cat is an entertaining tale of ancient Egypt, told in the perspective of a cat who was given the ability to walk and talk like a human being. When the Pharaoh saw Wrappen-Hamen the cat, he was immediately entertained and was able to laugh after many years of not doing so. As a result, Wrappen-Hamen was brought to court and lived under the Pharaoh's protection. Although Wrappen-Hamen possess some abilities of human beings, he is still mostly a cat, and this is what makes the story unique and amusing.

  For the first half of the book, I really like the tone of it. It was light and enjoyable, and it has humor in it. For those of you who have ever been curious about what your pets are thinking of, I think this book would be entertaining to you. Wrappen-Hamen often gets into trouble, but he's clever enough to always get himself out of it. He's also clever enough to dupe his enemy, Cata-Mut into crazy situations.

  However, for the latter part of the book, I became a bit bored and I just wanted to finish the book. I was really surprised that there is time-travel in this novel, and at that point I was confused about its connection to the whole story. However, I'm glad that the author was able to wrap it all up together nicely in the end. What I'm trying to say is that there is a connection to everything after all.

  I was actually prepared to give The Pharaoh's Cat 4 stars in the beginning, but unfortunately, I didn't like the second half as much as I enjoyed the first half, so I found it only fair to reduce 1 star from my rating. Anyway, even though I didn't enjoy the second half, I still recommend this for those looking for a unique, interesting read.

3 stars: I liked it. Would maybe recommend.