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What a wonderful book! Of Gold and Shadows by Michelle Griep ticked so many boxes for me. This paperback from Bethany House is set in 1888 England, with the main characters connecting over the need to properly identify and value a set of Egyptian artifacts. There is adventure, romance, and intrigue all rolled up into a quick read!
About the Book
The story starts out during a dark evening in an Oxford cemetery. Ami Dalton is conducting business which will net her an Egyptian artifact that she can supply to a British museum. We next jump to Edmund Price who is returning to Oxford after being abroad in India for eight years. As one of the most eligible bachelors, he is besieged by women who want to woo him. How do the two of them connect? Edmund needs someone to appraise his newly acquired collection of Egyptian artifacts so he can sell them. He seeks out Ami's father who is on a dig in Egypt. Ami offers her services and the rest is history.
While going through the collection of Egyptian artifacts in Of Gold and Shadows, Ami discovers a piece that is cursed – the golden griffin. This brings about many interesting adventures, including injuries attributed to the cursed griffin and other incidents. Does the curse of Amentuk really exist, though? Ami reminds everyone who will listen that Egyptian curses aren't real and that they should seek their faith in God.
In addition to the appraisal of the artifacts, Ami and Edmund being to fall in love with each other. But what book wouldn't be complete without complications? These complications include a reading difficulty, another woman, and a kidnapping.
What I Think About Of Gold and Shadows
I would read Of Gold and Shadows over and over again! My hope is that these characters will be seen in another book, because I really want to learn more about them.
I appreciated how Christianity and the faith of Ami and Edmund was woven very naturally into the story. There was discussion of Egyptian curses and religion, but Ami was always very firm in her beliefs.
My only complaint is in reference to Ami and her father's desire to see the Egyptian artifacts retired to Egypt. The author, Michelle Griep, does discuss this in the back of the book (with other notes about magic lanterns and palmistry). The view of returning items to the original countries was not one commonly held in Victorian England. I felt that this was allowing modern viewpoints to take too firm of a hold in a work of historical fiction.
Overlooking my one complaint, I can still highly recommend Of Gold and Shadows.
Are you interested in learning more about Egypt?
I have several Blogging Through the Alphabet posts in which I talk about Egyptian history, gods, and goddesses.
- K is for Khnum (Blogging Through the Alphabet)
- I is for Imhotep (Blogging Through the Alphabet)
- R is for Ramses the Great (Blogging through the Alphabet)
- M is for Mummies (Blogging through the Alphabet)
- B is for Bastet (Blogging through the Alphabet)
- I is for the goddess Isis (Blogging through the Alphabet)