Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R.L. LaFevers

Magic, Mayhem, and Mystery–the the three M’s that can’t be beat to attract fans of Fantasy to want to read books–are why you want to read Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by L.A. LaFevers. Add to that a fourth M, Mummies, and you’ve got a book that’s guaranteed to keep your attention wrapped up from its beginning to its end.

This is the third novel in LaFever’s series about the adventures and exploits of Victorian-era 11-year-old Theodosia Throckmorton, who is a cross between Nancy Drew and Harry Potter. In Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, Theo (as she’s known by her family and friends), who has an inherent aptitude for detecting and removing Egyptian curses and locating magical artifacts of immense power, has to face and deal with many problems and mysteries. Her parents own and operate the Museum of Legends and Antiquities, which explains Theo’s knowledge and love for Egyptology. She works for a group called the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, who work to protect the world from black magic, curses, and those who would use magical artifacts for evil purposes.

Theo and her brother, Henry, at home for the spring holidays from school, are investigating a tablet with hieroglyphics on it, when its clay covering is accidentally broken off, revealing it for what it truly is: the famous Tabula Smaragdina, or Emerald Tablet, which had been believed to have been destroyed in the terrible fire that burned down the library at Alexandria, Egypt. The Emerald Tablet is priceless for its rarity alone, but it’s also an artifact that many different groups of people pursue and would kill to own. They believe that it contains the information to transform lead into gold.

The main group of people trying to get the Emerald Tablet is the Arcane Order of the Black Sun, whose leader is Aloysius Trawley. The author no doubt chose the name to reference a man who actually existed and was involved in Black Magic, called Aleister Crawley. The Black Sunners “called themselves scorpions, in honor of an old Egyptian myth.” They have kidnapped Theo in the past, but Trawley believes she might be the reborn goddess Isis, so he hasn’t hurt her previously and has let her go. He and his Black Sunners have in general been pretty bumbling, but the desire to obtain the Emerald Tablet seems to bring out the evil in them.

Besides all of this, Theo has to deal with a curse that has fallen on Henry, in which the mut, or soul, of Tetley, a man mummified in a previous book, tries to possess his body. Also, her strict grandmother visits, and wants to arrange for the funeral of an old friend of hers, Admiral Sopcoate. No body has ever been found, but that doesn’t stop her. Also, Theo knows that Sopcoate is in reality a traitor, but she’s been asked by Wigmere not to let her grandmother know that information.

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus is another excellent book in R.L. LaFever’s series. If you like reading novels about Egyptian curses, Black Magic, and mummies, packed full of action and mysteries, then this is the book for you!