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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Probably a solid 3.5 stars.
While parts of the book were gripping and the detail throughout lovely, the
entire second half of the novel felt rushed, everything from Haman's introduction onward.
While parts of the book were gripping and the detail throughout lovely, the
entire second half of the novel felt rushed, everything from Haman's introduction onward.
Esther, Royal Beauty is the quintessential example of biblical fiction. Angela Hunt has painstakingly merged historical records with fictional plot, all while upholding the inerrancy of scripture. She further added to my enjoyment of the biblical account by layering in little known details of Persian conquests and conspiracies. I remained completely absorbed in the plot even while knowing what the general outcome would be.
I could not be more pleased with the way the author has chosen to represent Esther - neither as a beauty queen nor a martyr. When the King’s ardor wanes, Esther begins to feel isolated and lonely. During this time she resolves to convey God’s love and majesty (demonstrated to her as a child while living with Mordecai) unto the children of the harem. I especially like the unspoken message of blooming where God plants us and not remaining idle while we wait for Him to reveal His purpose in our lives.
The story is told simultaneously through the eyes of Esther and Harbonah (the King’s eunuch). The inclusion of Harbonah’s viewpoint provides a small window into the mind of the king and the complexity of palace etiquette. He is an insightful man and I admired his loyalty and devotion to those he served. Persia had taken so much from him and yet his heart remained soft. I viewed his love for the King to be like a mother’s love for a wayward child.
This book is one of my Top Picks for Christian book clubs heading into the New Year. Grab your copy of Esther, Royal Beauty, releasing January 6th, and I’m sure you will agree that Angela Hunt delivers 5 Star biblical fiction!!
It is no secret that I am an avid fan of biblical fiction! So when I caught a glimpse of Angela Hunt’s new book cover on Pinterest I began to cyber stalk the book release. Thank you, thank you Bethany House Publishers for allowing me to have a sneak peek at this title (in exchange for my unbiased review) through the NetGalley blogger program. You have fed my voracious appetite for great Christian fiction!
I could not be more pleased with the way the author has chosen to represent Esther - neither as a beauty queen nor a martyr. When the King’s ardor wanes, Esther begins to feel isolated and lonely. During this time she resolves to convey God’s love and majesty (demonstrated to her as a child while living with Mordecai) unto the children of the harem. I especially like the unspoken message of blooming where God plants us and not remaining idle while we wait for Him to reveal His purpose in our lives.
The story is told simultaneously through the eyes of Esther and Harbonah (the King’s eunuch). The inclusion of Harbonah’s viewpoint provides a small window into the mind of the king and the complexity of palace etiquette. He is an insightful man and I admired his loyalty and devotion to those he served. Persia had taken so much from him and yet his heart remained soft. I viewed his love for the King to be like a mother’s love for a wayward child.
This book is one of my Top Picks for Christian book clubs heading into the New Year. Grab your copy of Esther, Royal Beauty, releasing January 6th, and I’m sure you will agree that Angela Hunt delivers 5 Star biblical fiction!!
It is no secret that I am an avid fan of biblical fiction! So when I caught a glimpse of Angela Hunt’s new book cover on Pinterest I began to cyber stalk the book release. Thank you, thank you Bethany House Publishers for allowing me to have a sneak peek at this title (in exchange for my unbiased review) through the NetGalley blogger program. You have fed my voracious appetite for great Christian fiction!
This book was recently on one of the Amazon daily deals lists, so I bookmarked it for future reading and gave it a go. It seemed like an interesting mix of religious romance (think Hallmark), historical fiction, and a mashup of Jewish and Persian culture. It was pretty much all of those things!
If you look up the book on Amazon or Goodreads you can see it's in the three-part "Dangerous Beauty" series also featuring Delilah (of Samson fame) and Bathsheba (of David killing her husband and forcing her to become his wife fame - the Bible is wild). The idea of the series is that generally when the Bible refers to beauty, the word used is more bland and chaste, but in some cases it's more like "HAWT". That's how these women were described. I think the goal of the series is to humanize these characters to draw out their personhood and the drama of what they endured.
The historical tidbits were my favorite part of the book. Hunt spent time on research and consideration of which names and even spelling of names to use for real-life figures, and also peppers in a lot of cultural notes including things like palace layouts, diets, the lives of eunuchs and concubines, and more. You realize how little control most people had over their lives. That's useful in that it reminds us to be more sensitive of vulnerable people in the present.
The romantic aspect of the book was largely non-existent to me, as poor Esther spends the early part of her life trying to avoid an arranged marriage only to get drawn in to the king's harem. There's not much romance in that. Perhaps the "Dangerous Beauty" moniker is meant to show that being beautiful brings unwanted attention and danger. I'm not sure.
I'm interested in reading other books in the series, especially the Bathsheba book, because she had a pretty traumatic run of things and I'd like to read more about her perspective (or at least Hunt's thoughts on it).
If you look up the book on Amazon or Goodreads you can see it's in the three-part "Dangerous Beauty" series also featuring Delilah (of Samson fame) and Bathsheba (of David killing her husband and forcing her to become his wife fame - the Bible is wild). The idea of the series is that generally when the Bible refers to beauty, the word used is more bland and chaste, but in some cases it's more like "HAWT". That's how these women were described. I think the goal of the series is to humanize these characters to draw out their personhood and the drama of what they endured.
The historical tidbits were my favorite part of the book. Hunt spent time on research and consideration of which names and even spelling of names to use for real-life figures, and also peppers in a lot of cultural notes including things like palace layouts, diets, the lives of eunuchs and concubines, and more. You realize how little control most people had over their lives. That's useful in that it reminds us to be more sensitive of vulnerable people in the present.
The romantic aspect of the book was largely non-existent to me, as poor Esther spends the early part of her life trying to avoid an arranged marriage only to get drawn in to the king's harem. There's not much romance in that. Perhaps the "Dangerous Beauty" moniker is meant to show that being beautiful brings unwanted attention and danger. I'm not sure.
I'm interested in reading other books in the series, especially the Bathsheba book, because she had a pretty traumatic run of things and I'd like to read more about her perspective (or at least Hunt's thoughts on it).
I'm sure that we all know the story of Esther and her heroic move to save the Jews from Persian destruction, in fact it is possibly one of the most popular Old Testament stories told and told again. But every author who writes about Esther seems to get a different message from her story, and it was very interesting to read Angela's take on Queen Esther. Though Angela has a gorgeous writing style and her characters were engaging and entertaining, I did find it difficult to actually get into the story. The way Angela wrote the story is in a two-person point of view, so it goes back and forth between two characters, Hadassah and Harbonah, both of which are recorded in first person, and I love this! You can feel with each character and relate back and forth between the two sides of the story, but because it was in first person, the author had a tendency to tell the story rather than showing it. This was the main reason that I had trouble engaging with the book; I already know the story of Esther and how it ends, so in reading this book I wanted to watch it pan out with enticing scenes and maybe a slight new twist here and there, but that is not what I got.
I still loved this book and will willingly give it 4 out of 5 stars, but I'm afraid that the author could have done a better job at showing the story instead of just retelling it. She could have done so much to make it unique and stand out (of course the cover alone does that! It's gorgeous!)! However, if you do not know the story of Esther, or are only slightly familiar with it, then I encourage you to pick up a copy of Esther by Angela Hunt, it is very informative and enjoyable to read!
"I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own."
You can read this review, as well as many others, on my blog at http://acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com
I still loved this book and will willingly give it 4 out of 5 stars, but I'm afraid that the author could have done a better job at showing the story instead of just retelling it. She could have done so much to make it unique and stand out (of course the cover alone does that! It's gorgeous!)! However, if you do not know the story of Esther, or are only slightly familiar with it, then I encourage you to pick up a copy of Esther by Angela Hunt, it is very informative and enjoyable to read!
"I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own."
You can read this review, as well as many others, on my blog at http://acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I love getting to see 2 sides of the story. it was so beautifully written, I had a hard time putting it down each night. I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series and hoping it is just as good.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
SO GOOD! Angela Hunt is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Very interesting look at the story of Esther. Lots of intrigue, some suspense, fair amount of romance.
Who doesn’t love the Old Testament account of Esther, the orphan-turned-queen?
Angela Hunt’s biblical fiction portrayal of the story, Esther: Royal Beauty was a fascinating read. Biblical facts are combined with historical research from Greek chronicler Herodotus, and then Hunt's fictional insight of this beautiful, courageous heroine adds a rich layer of intrigue into palace life.
This book gives a passionate, fresh perspective and is delightfully thought-provoking—I thoroughly recommend it, especially to those who already love the compelling story of Esther!
Angela Hunt’s biblical fiction portrayal of the story, Esther: Royal Beauty was a fascinating read. Biblical facts are combined with historical research from Greek chronicler Herodotus, and then Hunt's fictional insight of this beautiful, courageous heroine adds a rich layer of intrigue into palace life.
This book gives a passionate, fresh perspective and is delightfully thought-provoking—I thoroughly recommend it, especially to those who already love the compelling story of Esther!