Author: Angela Hunt
Series: The Silent Years
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-0-7642-3336-4
Publication Date: August 6th, 2019
About the Book:
Their Lives Couldn't Be More Different,but Their Goal Is the Same: Survive King Herod's Rule.My Thoughts:
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's from an inferior race, a people whom God will never accept or approve of.
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 each day within Herod the Great's tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe.
When I hear the name Herod, I always think about the Christmas story. Herod met with the Magi and wanted the info they had to give to find the new baby king. Then the aftermath of that, that made Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus to flee to Egypt. We know this story, but, what led to it. What happened with Herod in those years of silence before Jesus made it into the world?
King's Shadow is such an amazing story. We follow this story through two different views. Salome, the sister of King Herod. What a view into the court she had. The family dynamic that was in place and the intrigue that went on in the palace walls. Not only that, but the aging and the mental break down of Herod.
Zara was a girl who had survived an attack in Jerusalem, but lost her father and her mother was severely hurt. She had a natural talent that brought her into the palace life, but as a handmaid, she is brought into the palace life of the servants. The area where all information is filtered together.
The story of Salome and Zara is one that caught me up. I couldn't put this story down! The settings were rich and vivid. This story kept moving and turning and twisting. This story also helped tie together the known histories of Egypt and Rome. Seeing it all come together with that of the time of silence, it was interesting to see how they all worked together and how they were all tied together.
Antony, Cleopatra, & Augustus Ceaser were apart of this story. They all had connections with Herod. I loved seeing time lines all come together. Angela Hunt's research in the time really shows. This book had me looking up information.
With such a deep and reach history as a background, characters could be washed out, but that wasn't the case. Each character was unique, whether they were historically based or fictional. They popped. Zara was a girl who was a innocent. Her views were that of one how hadn't been corrupted and stayed true to her Torah teaching. Salome was a woman who was Herod's sister and raised to know how to get what she wants. It didn't matter how it happened, but she was going to get.
I really enjoyed reading from Salome's point of view.
This was a fabulous story!
5 out of 5
About the Author:
She can be found online at www.angelahuntbooks.com.
Thank you to the publisher, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
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