Review: In Feast or Famine by Mesu Andrews

Thrust into an arranged marriage, the daughter of ancient Egypt’s high priest plays a pivotal role in Joseph’s biblical narrative in this powerful novel from the award-winning author of Potiphar’s Wife.

After four-year-old Asenath’s mother is murdered by Egypt’s foreign rulers, the child is raised to be a priestess by her overprotective father—high priest of Egypt’s sun god. For fifteen years, Asenath is sequestered in the upper levels of Ra’s temple, convinced it is her destiny to heal the land by becoming queen to the next Egyptianpharaoh. But when Egypt’s foreign king instead gives her as a bride to the newly appointed vizier—a Hebrew named Joseph—her entire world is shaken. 

Beyond the walls of her tower, Asenath discovers treachery, deceit, and conspiracy that force her to redefine her destiny and weigh where her true loyalties lie. Can she still trust the gods of Egypt? Or is Elohim, the foreign God of her husband, the one who will heal her nation during the feast and famine to come?

 I loved this book. I may have even liked it better than book one, in all honesty. I found the characters compelling, and the depth given to people the Bible mentions only in passing is fascinating. I loved Asenath and her journey. I felt for her so much, and I loved getting to know her. I thought the way that this story interweaved with Potiphar's story was incredible. The rich historic detail caused me to be immersed in the land. I was fascinated by everything, though equally repulsed by other bits. (Looking at you... Crocodile-toothed priest!) The story had it's share of laughter and grief and was, I believe, a fair representation of how Genesis could have played out. I was sad to see the book end. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Elohim loves."

"Trusting Elohim is always a choice between doubt that sends us spiraling or faith that reveals an awe-inspiring aspect of God's character."

"Elohim meets us in our pain."

"Elohim - who is the same yesterday, today, and forever- still chooses the unlikely and those less than perfect to partake in His promises."

Review: Potiphar's Wife by Mesu Andrews

Before she is Potiphar’s wife, Zuleika is the daughter of a king and the wife of a prince. She rules the isle of Crete alongside her mother in the absence of their seafaring husbands. But when tragedy nearly destroys Crete, Zuleika must sacrifice her future to save the Minoan people she loves. 

Zuleika’s father believes his robust trade with Egypt will ensure Pharaoh’s obligation to marry his daughter, including a bride price hefty enough to save Crete. But Pharaoh refuses and gives her instead to Potiphar, the captain of his bodyguards: a crusty bachelor twice her age, who would rather have a new horse than a Minoan wife. 

Abandoned by her father, rejected by Pharaoh, and humiliated by Potiphar’s indifference, Zuleika yearns for the homeland she adores. In the political hotbed of Egypt’s foreign dynasty, her obsession to return to Crete spirals into deception. When she betrays Joseph—her Hebrew servant with the face and body of the gods—she discovers only one love is worth risking everything. 

This was the first book I had ever read from this author. It's been a long while since I read any biblical fiction. And to be honest, I was a little nervous to go into this one, just based on the subject matter, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. The research and details put into the story are impeccable. While the story can focus on physical desires, the story in the Bible does so as well, and it didn't go too far considering how far the Bible itself goes sometimes. I was also surprised by the fact that I didn't absolutely hate Zully. Of course, it is a work of fiction, based on the Biblical characters and on heavy, intense research. If you enjoy Biblical fiction, I think you will enjoy this story. It's so immersive that you can about feel the sand in your throat. The rich historical detail is amazing, and the characters are so well-developed. I'm not sure the ending was exactly how I had hoped it would go, but sometimes, that's better for the story. I also am anticipating book two coming out so I can see how the whole Ahira business winds out with Joseph. I know that book two will focus more on his wife from the Bible, so I just want to know how that is going to work out. The second book is releasing very soon and is available for preorder from Amazon.

Pre-Order Link

Review: The Heart of a King by Jill Eileen Smith

Goodreads blurb-- "Four women captured King Solomon's heart in different ways, and he indulges his desires despite warnings. For all his wisdom, did Solomon or the women he loved ever find what they were searching for?"

I'm giving this book 4 stars. I was a little hesitant to grab this one, considering... well, it is Solomon. And yes, it was a little much at times, but let's be honest, Solomon was a bit much at times. That being said, this book kept my attention while I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of family for a much wanted visit, and I can't remember the last book that was able to distract me from my impatience. The book starts out sweet...and ends sad. Jill definitely has a way of bringing the Bible to life through her vivid characters. Her books are always sooooo researched. Of course, there is a little guesswork, but you can tell it's educated guesses. If you are looking for a story that will take you back to Bible times then Jill is an excellent option. I can't wait to share this book with my cousin, since she's my Jill buddy! This book is longer than the others, but it's definitely not painful to read more! ;) The only thing I wish were a little different is that I wish that as we moved on through the book that we still got to hear from the characters we got to know at the beginning of the book.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Hunter and the Valley of Death by Brennan McPherson

"

Experience the psalms like never before - through heart-pounding fiction!

The Hunter and the Valley of Death is a profound meditation on life, death, loss, and love. Formatted as a fantasy parable based on Psalm 23, this story shows that there is only one who could kill Death, and because of him, and him alone, we say, "Oh, Death, where is your sting?"

A man who calls himself Hunter wakes up in the Valley of Death and realizes he's given up everything to attempt to kill Death so that he can bring his Love back to life - but when he fails, who will be there to rescue him? 

Each book in The Psalm Series comes with an in-depth Bible study of the psalm the story is based on, and an explanation of the author's approach to the Scripture text. The Hunter and the Valley of Death comes with an additional, in-depth explanation of the story's symbolism. 

This makes The Psalm Series a great addition to Bible study materials. Dive deep today into fictional stories that help you wrap your heart around the Bible's most beloved poems of praise! "

This book was poignant in its representation. I felt some strong emotions throughout the whole thing. The wording was almost too flowery at times in its elegance, but all in all it made for a delightful story that took you away. The story itself was a pretty cool way to bring Psalm 23 to life. It was a pretty quick read and I would recommend this to people who enjoy Biblical re-tellings or those who enjoy fantasy, because this is a bit fantasy-like in its retelling. The characters were very alive... and I enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars for this novella.

Review: A Passionate Hope by Jill Eileen Smith

Well, this is overdue... but here it is! I'm sorry guys. I just lost track of time.

This is the story of Hannah and Elkanah, two very interesting Biblical characters who went through a lot as they longed for and prayed for Samuel. Hannah is heartbroken over her barren state and when Elkanah finally gives into his mother's demands, well.... Peninnah is anything but what either he or Hannah needs.

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars. The Biblical story comes to life in a whole new way on these pages. Most startling to me was possibly how wicked and corrupt Hophni and Phinehas were. I mean, I knew, but I didn't know... you know??? And I just enjoyed getting to... (ugh, words are not happening!).... The story is so short in the Bible and I always wanted more to this story. And I think that Jill really does an impressive job with keeping her books fairly accurate. Also, can I say that I would have liked to strangle Peninnah! Isn't that horrid, but my goodness, she was making me angry! Seeing (what? Wow... I think I was a little bit invested in this one...) Hannah go through all this and seeing her struggles were so poignant. Poor Elkanah too, although he only gets like half a sympathy point because someone couldn't hold out against his mama.... The characters in this book were all so changing. No one ended the story where they started. I think the biggest shock was (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT... I DON'T KNOW!) in Elkanah's mom. Overall, a delight to read, and a beautiful story of God's answers to prayer.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Revell.

Review: Redeeming Grace by Jill Eileen Smith

Blog Tour Dates Feb20-Mar6

Naomi follows her husband and sons to Moab to escape the famine. While there her husband dies, leaving Naomi powerless to stop her sons from taking Moabite wives. After a decade of marriage to Ruth and Orpah, Mahlon and Chillion die. Naomi decides to take her daughters-in-law back to Israel, but on the way decides to send them back to Moab. Orpah goes, but Ruth refuses and returns to Israel with Naomi. There, Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz to provide for the two of them.



This book is worth 5 stars!

1: As far as I could tell, this book was incredibly accurate! The research that's been done is evident. 85 verses of the Bible transformed into 350 pages of amazing literature!

2: So, like the book of the Bible, the romance level is a 10. A really big 10.

3: This book contained so many names of God. Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai, Elohim, Almighty.

4: I love the characters. They truly come to life. And to read this at the same time that I was studying Ruth, completely coincidently, was an incredible experience. And much of the dialogue, I recognized as direct quotes from Scripture. My favorite passage in Ruth is definitely her declaration of "Where you go, I will go, where you stay I will stay, your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" That is seriously going in my wedding.

5: This book most definitely highlights the differences between the awful religion of the Moabites and the perfection of true worship of God. Also, how much change Ruth had to get used to.

                                       I received this book in exchange for my honest review.