This week we are discussing Guarded Treasure by Mae Lovette, Ch. 1-7.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: sexual content, curses, and sexism.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Guarded Treasure by Mae Lovette.
Discussion:
Jac: Hello friends and welcome to our first discussion of Guarded Treasure by Mae Lovette. This book is definitely heavily influenced by the 1999 Cinematic Masterpiece 'The Mummy' Starring Brendan Fraser. It’s supposed to be set in the early 1900s, but sometimes I forget that while I’m reading due to some of the verbiage and behaviors of characters - oftentimes they don’t feel particularly accurate to the time period.
I was a huge huge fan of Egyptology when I was a kid, particularly the mythology, so I’m enjoying that aspect of the story. It was nice being able to visualize the statues of Anubis, for example, and get that little tickle of excitement I would when I was a kid. It’s making me want to learn more about Nefertari and the other historic Egyptian figures. That being said, it does feel a bit odd to be reading about Egyptian culture from a white author.
Michaela: My all time favorite movie is the 1999 The Mummy, so I was pretty excited for this book. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as copy paste as it has been so far but there are also a lot of differences. Maybe it’s just the set up of the two main characters that feels really familiar, but at the same time both characters are pretty different from the movie characters. I’m on the same page as Jac with the time period accuracy, it definitely feels more like we’re going for the vibes of the adventure rather than the realism of the time and culture.
I’m enjoying the nods to some Egyptian history. The Weeping Viper story feels a little more dramatic than this whole cursed tomb would really be related to but sometimes that is just how much drama historical figures hold. We only know the tiniest bit of information right now about this mystery and I am excited to learn more, also to see where the cursed part goes.
The energy between the two main characters is pretty much right up my street. I love a strong woman and the man who wants to make sure that anyone who touches her will pay. That trope just gets me every time, sometimes it leans too far towards sexist or abusive, but I’m not getting any of that from this couple so far. I love their back and forth, and them switching between flirtatiousness and their more academic minds, it’s very fun so far.
Jac: I love a good romance, so I’m excited for this one to continue to develop. I am also a fan of the “touch her and die” trope, especially when the woman is strong in her own right. I think Ben is pretty charming, and I love when Edith gets excited about a topic and can go on about it forever. They’re cute!
I’ll be curious to see what else happens in the tomb. So far the vision things are kind of confusing to me, but also interesting. I’m wondering what role those “protectors” in the desert will play, and how the magic/mysticism in the tombs are explained by the lore and Edith’s connection to the place.
Michaela: I think that’s all we can really dig into (pun intended) right now until we get further into this love story and its mystery! Until next time friends!
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