King's Shadow by Angela Hunt

Book Description

Two women occupy a place in Herod's court. The first, Salome, is the king's only sister, a resentful woman who has been told she is from an inferior race, a people God will never accept or approve. 

The second woman, Zara, is a lowly handmaid who serves Salome, but where Salome spies conspiracies and treachery, Zara sees hurting people in need of understanding and compassion. 

Powerful and powerless, Idumean and Jew, selfish and selfless--both women struggle to reach their goals and survive in Herod the Great's tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe.

My review:

This is a riveting novel of King Herod his wives, children and his sister, Salome.  Salome is a fascinating character who will do anything for her brother including keeping his descent into madness a secret.  There is plenty of palace intrigue mixed in with all of the gossip and finger pointing going on, it seemed as though the King wasn't the only one who was concerned about their power being usurped. 

The one character who held my attention throughout, happens to be the fictional character named Zara a nine year old who is chosen to be Salome's handmaid. I loved how her story progressed as she grew into a young lady and finally a young woman with a child. King's Shadow is told through the POV's from both Zara and Salome with each chapter marked so the reader could follow along.  Admittedly, there are several characters with the same names so that was a bit confusing at times.

Ms. Hunt writes of the 400 years between  the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament and even though I haven't read the other three book in this series, I really enjoyed this one but I may read the others in the series.  It is an interesting read and fortunately the grim details of King Herod's killings aren't told in great detail.  I have started to enjoy Biblical fiction in the last few years and this is one of my favorites.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher but was under no obligation to write a review.  All opinions are my own.

Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Anndrews

Book Description:

The Old Testament book of Daniel comes to life in this novel for readers of Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series or Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series.

Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she'd perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Now, as Daniel's wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she's safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear--until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar's palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and Bellili's tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?
Ultimately, Yahweh's sovereign hand guides Jerusalem's captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions.

My thoughts:

This is the perfect book for fans of Biblical Fiction and even those who may not be, because after reading, Of Fire and Lions you will surely become a fan of this genre and this author.

In the telling of the story of Daniel which is the true testament of faith as we know but reading it in this format opened my eyes to the true beauty of this story.   I won't go into details because most of us are familiar with his life but reading this account was truly inspiring  to me.  Yes, I have read the book of Daniel in the Old Testament so I am familiar with the story but my heart raced a little faster as I read each page in this superbly written novel.

I hope readers will pick up a coy of this one and really sit in a quiet place to read this beautifully told story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review.  All opinions are my own.