Monday, November 23, 2015

Esther

Rebecca Kanner

From the award-winning author of Sinners and the Sea comes a breathtaking new look into the timeless tale of Queen Esther.

A glittering Persian king has a vast empire that reaches farther than where the sun meets the horizon. He is bathed in riches and commands a frightening military force. He possesses power beyond any other mortal man and rules his kingdom as a god. Anything he desires, he has. Any woman he wants, he possesses. Thousands of them. Young virgins from all across his many lands.

A Jewish girl is ripped from her hut by the king’s brutish warriors and forced to march across blistering, scorched earth to the capitol city. Trapped for months in the splendid cage of the king’s palace, she must avoid the ire of the king’s concubines and eunuchs all while preparing for her one night with the king. Soon the fated night arrives, and she does everything in her power to captivate the king and become his queen.

But wearing the crown brings with it a new set of dangers. When a ruthless man plies the king’s ear with whispers of genocide, it is up to the young queen to prevent the extermination of the Jews. She must find the strength within to violate the king’s law, risk her life, and save her people.

This is a story of finding hidden depths of courage within one’s self. Of risking it all to stand up for what is right.

This is the story of Queen Esther. (from Netgalley)


My Thoughts

Young Esther is only 14years old when she is kidnapped to become part of a Perian king’s harem. Hiding that she is Jewish is one of the many hardships that she must bear. There are numerous political maneuvers she must make if she is to survive living in the harem and make it to the one night she will spend with the king to convince him she should be his queen. On top of this, she learns early on that the fate of the Jewish people rests on her shoulders. Does young Esther have the strength to carry such burdens?

I have never read a story based on a character from the bible. Lucky me that this was my first. The author made reading about Esther very interesting. Not knowing the outcome, it was almost like a suspense novel. With every turn, someone wants to bring this young girl down. Even after she becomes queen, she is still not safe.

I really wanted to pull out a Bible to do a quick read about Esther. But the author’s writing was so well done that I decided to finish the book before doing any other reading. What a wonderful way to be introduced to a Bible story. Oh that the rest of the Bible could be written in such a way as to make it readable. Ms. Kanner shows us the power of Esther’s faith in believing that she was chosen for a special task, even if it was not one she would have chosen for herself. A powerful story. Ms.Kanner definitely goes on my list of author’s to follow.

My thanks to Howard Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased. review.

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