The story is set in Egypt and shares information about its
history, mythology, and culture. Ash grows up as an orphan in a small village
along the Nile River and his job is to clean the canals in the irrigation
system. Solar energy is widely used as the god Lord Ra shines his power down to
earth each day. The irrigation system, sunboards, and some flying vehicles are
all driven by the sun. Ash travels to the capital city of Memphis on a sunbarge
where he enters a trial of tests to determine which twelve-year-old will become
the shadow prince. The pharaoh, gods, and goddesses are part of the council
overseeing the contest to decide which candidate will defend the prince for the
rest of his life. All of Ash’s challenges are based on Egyptian gods and mythology.
The story addresses different forms of prejudice, tolerance,
and bullying. In Ash’s village and the capital city, the wealthy look down on
peasants as lesser humans. He’s bullied by the son of a wealthy merchant at
home, and the son of a politician during the trial demeans him at every
opportunity. Some characters believe the pharaoh is too sympathetic to the
poor, and his willingness to negotiate with other countries displays weakness.
These people have resolved to do what it takes to maintain a wide disparity
between the wealthy class and everyone else. Ash doesn’t feel this way, and he
accepts the range of personalities and backgrounds among the candidates for
shadow prince.
Most of the story is told through Ash’s eyes with periodic
chapters sharing the covert plans of the prince’s brother Rami and the god of
chaos named Lord Set. These chapters share their plans to interfere and
describe their tenuous relationship. The candidates to become Rami’s shadow
prince all perished, so his younger brother Prince Khufu will become the
pharaoh’s successor if Ash or someone else succeeds this time. Rami and Set scheme
to kill all of the candidates during the new trials, so Rami will remain the
crown prince. This subplot grows throughout the book and is sure to continue in
the sequel. The chapters told from Ash’s point of view reveal his insecurities,
quick-thinking, and compassion for others that make him such an admirable
character. He often finds inspiration from remembered words shared by his
mentor.
What didn’t work as well:
Two characters cheat, and worse, throughout the trials and
are never caught. One of them is even rewarded time after time due to the ignorance/blindness
of those running the trials. While this behavior is infuriating, it stokes
readers’ emotions and develops additional drama in the story. The end result is
a plot that will captivate readers.
The Final Verdict:
Trust yourself and your abilities. This book feels very
similar to Rick Riordan’s stories, as Ash is an underdog human battling gods
and mythical monsters. It combines adventure, tension, humor, and action to present
a story that’s sure to become a middle-grade favorite. I highly recommend you
give it a shot.
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