Review: His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora

I received this book via the publisher Sourcebooks Fire. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora
Series: Throne of Khetara #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 2025-05-06
Age Range: 14+
Length: 530 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 New Release Challenge

A new reign is coming...Romance, magic, adventure, and horror collide in the start to this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian inspired trilogy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi, and Sabaa Tahir.

Princess. Priestess. Rebel. Thief.

Tensions run as hot as the Khamsin winds in the great kingdom of Khetara. Rumors of the pharaoh's mysterious illness abound, and with them, murmurs of rebellion grow. Meanwhile, in the quiet desert, a forgotten oracle begins to unfold, setting a dark prophecy into action and drawing together four strangers…

Princess SITA lives in the abundance of the palace, and in a moment of passion, she unmasks a betrayal that will put her life—and the entire royal court—in grave danger.

A priestess-in-training, NEFF strives to understand her intense visions from the gods, except theirs is not the only magic at play in the grand temple.

As a farmer's daughter, RAE knows how much the pharaoh's men have taken from her land, her people. Still, who will step forward to confront the king?

KARIM was raised among the pyramids of the Red Lands and survives on the wealth of the dead as a tomb robber. But amid the spoils, an ancient evil awakens…

Bloodshed is coming. Only together do these four have the potential to save the kingdom from destruction. But when the dust has settled, who will sit on the throne of Khetara?

His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora is an epic, high fantasy inspired by Egyptian history and mythology. A prophecy connects four seemingly unconnected characters: a princess, a thief, a rebel, and a priestess. Together, they hold the fate of their homeland and the future of those they love.

The princess: Sitamun is one of the triplets born to King Amunmose at the start of the book and the only girl. She’s spoiled, vain, and hard to like…to begin with. Her older, by a few minutes, brother is heir and ready to take the throne by any means necessary. Their father is ill, but what Sita learns about his illness upends her entire world view.

The thief: Karim is a tomb raider, brash and willing to do whatever is needed to make a little money. During his last raid, he awakens something and unleashes it into the world. He tries to run from it, but it follows him all the way to the Khetaran capital.

The rebel: Rae is the only daughter to a former scribe of the Lower Kingdom of Khetara. He survived the war that joined their land but they kept his hand, stealing his profession from him. Now Rae works the land with him. With an increase in tax and harsh punishments from the nomarch, Rae joins with a band of rebels to fight back and free Lower Khetara from the Upper kingdom once and for all.

The priestess: Neff is a young girl (13 or 14 I believe) when she asks the goddess Bast to give her clarity on a recurring dream she’s been having. When Bast answers, Neff is taken to the temples to train as a seer. She’s gifted, smart, and quickly takes up with Kenna, the princess’s younger brother. When asked to interpret a dream for the ailing pharaoh, Neff complies. Her answer catches the attention of pharaoh’s heir which puts Neff on a new path.

It took a while for me to find a reading groove for this one. The chapters’ point of view alternates among the main characters and even has a few chapters from the perspective a palace cat. While I typically enjoy multiple POV, I did struggle this time. The chapters are quite lengthy, and with four main characters, you might have a hundred pages before you get back to one. I found myself forgetting what was going on with each character, and admittedly skimming some of the POV chapters of Sita and Karim. As a result, I felt like there wasn’t enough movement in the plot to keep the story going.

Despite this, I did enjoy the world building. Egyptian history and mythology are woven throughout the story. Khetara is a fictional Egypt with the same gods and goddesses. I enjoyed seeing this in the story and seeing how different classes in the society acted toward one another. While this is primarily a epic high fantasy focused on the political climate of Khetara, I did see it billed as a romantasy. While there is a touch (and I mean *maybe* 5 pages total) of romance in the story, it isn’t what I’d consider romantasy where romance is a major plot device. Maybe it builds up in later books in the series? We’ll have to see.

Overall, I enjoyed His Face is the Sun. Neff is my favorite POV so far. She was easy to follow because she is learning the world around her at the same time we the readers are. If you are a fan of epic, high fantasies, this one is for you.

Content Notice: The publisher recommends this for readers 14 and up. While the reading level is accurate for that age, the content may not be. There are several pages of on page violence and gore including beheading, burns, and beatings with a whip. There is some sexual content as well that includes voyeurism, light foreplay, and fade-to-black intimacy. All the characters with the exception of Neff are adults unless this was changed in the final copy. I’d recommend this one for older teens 16 and up or those mature enough to handle the content described.

Related Posts