Review: Burial of Bones by Laura Greenwood

Burial of Bones (The Egyptian Empire)
by Laura Greenwood

My Rating:

Genre: Alternate History Urban Fantasy/ Mythology/ Paranormal Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/m

Blurb:
A new job is exactly what Hotep needs to prove himself as a capable Priest of Anubis.

When Hotep arrived in Paris, he knew the job ahead of him was going to be a difficult one, but even he had no idea that it was going to be a challenging and emotional journey, or that he’d have to face it with only his sacred jackal for support.

All of that changes when he meets Khai, a Priest of Thoth assigned to help with uncovering the names of bodies who were abandoned in the catacombs beneath the city. The two of them soon start working together, and discovering that they work might not be the only thing they have in common.

Hotep might be about to discover that Paris holds the answers to more than just his future career.

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Burial of Bones is a standalone set in the Egyptian Empire series. It is an urban fantasy set in an alternative version of London where the Egyptian Empire never fell.

If you love Egyptian mythology, alternative worlds, temple politics, and workplace romances, you should start The Egyptian Empire world books today!

My Review

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really like this Egyptian Empire series and the whole universe in general and was excited to see Laura Greenwood write a m/m romance, so I didn’t hesitate to get a review copy of this one. Burial of Bones follows Blessed Priest of Anubis Hotep. Hotep has taken a new job at the temple of Paris to help with finding out the names and burying the bodies of people who got abandoned in the catacombs.

I have to admit didn’t really pay close attention to the blurb when I got this one, just saw it was in a series I like and that was it. While Burial of Bones definitely can be read as a standalone as all the pertinent details are mentioned on page I often felt like I was missing context and more information. The plot line surrounding the bodies that have been found and everything surrounding that is part of the Apprentice of Annubis series, which I haven’t read as I unfortunately couldn’t stomach all the mummification scenes. Which meant I was left with not much information about what happens in that series and the events that impact this book. Hotep is good friends with Ani and Nik and again I felt like I missed the context there and how they became friends and the time they spend together so far.

Besides that I actually had a great time reading this one. I admired Hotep with his dedication to his new job and giving these unfortunate souls the burials they missed out on. There is some interesting backstory going on with ho he became a blessed priests and some of the things he struggles with like his family not being as supportive.

His romance with Khai was great to see unfold. I liked them together and their scenes together are fun. I especially liked their date where Khai showed Hotep around Paris. The epilogue is hopeful and I liked the glimpse of what their future might look like. I thought the Paris setting was interesting and I liked seeing the current image of Paris blended with the Egyptian touches as in this universe the Egyptian Empire never fell. It was so interesting what stayed the same and what was different. I also liked reading about Hotep’s sacred jackal Cyno, there are some fun scenes involving him.

The plot of this one can be kinda hard hitting at times as it deals with dead bodies and the way they got abandoned instead of buried like they should’ve. Seeing Hotep try to right this wrong was great. And this book mostly follows the whole burial process from the moment they find out the name of one of the bodies to the burial for her. I liked seeing the plot line get resolved, but it could be a bit sad or difficult to read at times.

To summarize: I enjoyed this book. I did struggle a bit with the fact I haven’t read the Apprentice of Annubis series and I felt like I was missing some context and information. You can read this one as a standalone, as all the important details get mentioned, but I think the reading experience will be a lot smoother and easier if you have read that series. I liked reading about Hotep and his dedication to do right by these people whose skeletons have been found and who didn’t get the proper burial. The plot follows one of the burials form start to finish and it could be a bit tough or sad to read at times. I liked Hotep’s romance with Khai and their date exploring Paris was so fun to read. All in all I enjoyed reading this book and I enjoy reading about this universe.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.