Rating: 3.5 Stars
Published: November 1, 2022
Pages: 396
Genre: Biblical/Historical Fiction
This was another insightful story set in biblical times when Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon and Daniel, the prophet was one of his trusted advisors. It follows Keren, the daughter of one of the many Jewish captives in Babylon who due to poverty was sold into Daniel’s household. Keren proves herself to be invaluable to Daniel and his family, but an unfortunate accident causes her to be exiled from everyone she loves to the far away land of the Medes. There, Keren realizes that her “suffering” and all that she has gone through is not only tied to God’s purpose for her life but also to the redemption of the Jews especially when her nemesis, Jared travels all the way from Babylon in search of her. This is a story about love, sacrifice, self-discovery, trust in God and forgiveness.
I really enjoyed reading the first half of this book because unlike the author’s two other books I have read, it was written in first person POV and fast paced. Keren’s journey was interesting to watch, and I was routing for her until the unthinkable happened and she had to leave her new home in Daniel’s house into the unknown. After she arrived in the land of the Medes, I felt the story began to slow down a bit and although interesting, dragged longer than I would have liked. As always, there were so many lessons here to learn but most importantly, leaning on and trusting God in our darkest times was what stood out for me the most. The history lessons that came on the back of this story were also a treasure as it gave more flesh to the biblical account of what we know happened in that time and how it affected the Jews. Lastly, I enjoyed seeing Daniel more as a father and husband instead of what he is mostly known for.
This is a really good story I would recommend to all biblical fiction readers however, because the second half of the story was really slow for me, I rated it 3.5 stars. I am still binge reading this author’s books so look out for more reviews of her books here.
Enjoy your week!
The Author:
Tessa Afshar’s books have been translated into 11 languages and been on Publishers Weekly and CBA bestseller lists. Her novel, Pearl in the Sand is the recipient of ECPA’s Bronze Milestone Sales Award. Tessa’s novels have won a number of awards including the Christy and INSPY and been finalists for the Carol and the ECPA Christian Book Awards. Land of Silence was chosen as one of top five Christian fiction titles of the year by Library Journal. The Way Home, God’s Invitation to New Beginnings, is the winner of the Christian Book Award in the Bible Study category.
Tessa was born in the Middle East and lived there the first fourteen years of her life before attending boarding school for girls in England. She fell in love with Jesus after moving to the United States. Tessa and her husband live in New England where they tend their mediocre garden.
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Your attention to detail creates a rich tapestry of biblical settings and landscapes.
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