The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis Published by Dutton on January 7, 2025
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 352 •Format: E-Book •Source: Overdrive
Goodreads
Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.
New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.
That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.
I feel like a broken record because everytime I read a historical fiction novel I’m immediately like “I should read more!” and my reaction upon finishing The Stolen Queen is no exception. I think I came across this one on a 2025 releases list at the beginning of the year, and after a long library wait I am thrilled I finally came across it, as it’s my first Egyptian historical fiction, and who among us didn’t have an ancient Egypt phase (remember The Egypt Game?)
Alternating between 1930s Egypt and 1970s New York, The Stolen Queen follows Egyptologist Charlotte who is an assistant curator the the Met in NY. She’s passionate about her work and trying to bring to light the truth about a female pharaoh who she believes was unfairly maligned in her time. Juxtaposed against Charlotte is 19-year-old Annie who is trying to carve a life for herself from under the oppressive parentification she’s been subjected to by her mother. She stumbles upon an opportunity to work as an assistant to Diana Vreeland who oversees the Met Gala each year for the Met’s Costume Institute (think Anna Wintour before Anna Wintour). Charlotte and Annie end up crossing paths when a valuable necklace that has ties to both of their lines of work is stolen, unearthing Charlotte’s anxieties about the curse of the female pharaoh that she’s spent decades of her life trying to outrun.
This story was quite compelling! I wasn’t expecting there to be such an element of suspense, but there definitely was, from the Charlotte’s looming anxiety about the curse to the theft of the necklace to the international tracking down of art thieves, I got more than I bargained for and loved it. Reading about Egypt in both the 1930s and 1970s was fascinating, and the book explores the pros and cons of Western archeologists being present and running digs in the Valley of the Kings (and other areas/countries too) and the ethical questions and concerns. I was mesmerized by Charlotte’s story of being a young nineteen year old (in the 1930s no less) working abroad in Egypt and starting a life for herself, only to seemingly be met by tragedy at every turn (I was honestly surprised how gut-wrenching it was at times to read her story). I truly felt immersed by the travel to Egypt and the different locations and settings, down to the musty tombs they were exploring.
Charlotte and Annie’s POVs also highlighted how they were women trying to make independent lives for themselves, facing different challenges due to their respective coming-of-age time periods, but also having an overall similar goal: to pursue their passions despite those in their lives who would hold them back. Charlotte’s story in particular was quite tragic, though it had a bittersweet ending. Annie, with her plucky yet klutzy charm and determination grew on me and ended up eventually being a character I was genuinely rooting for.
While this mystery was a bit slower burn than I was anticipating, I honestly had a great time getting immersed in both settings and both time periods. As a bonus, I got some historical knowledge of the Met Gala which I was not expecting, but that was fascinating to me nonetheless as a pop culture junkie.
Overall: A return to my childhood fascination with ancient Egypt, The Stolen Queen was an immersive delight to read and Fiona Davis is now a historical fiction author on my radar.
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