Review Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews

Title: Isaiah's Legacy
Author: Mesu Andrews
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
Pages: 400
ISBN: 978-0-7352-9188-1
Publication Date: February 18th, 2020

About the Book:

The drama of the Old Testament comes to life as Judah's most notorious king ascends to the throne in this gripping novel from the award-winning author of Isaiah's Daughter.

At eight years old, Shulle has known only life in a small village with her loving but peculiar father. When Uncle Shebna offers shelter in Jerusalem in exchange for Shulle's help tutoring King Manasseh, Judah's five-year-old co-regent who displays the same peculiarities as her father, she's eager to experience the royal court. But Shulle soon realizes the limits of her father's strict adherence to Yahweh's Law when Uncle Shebna teaches her of the starry hosts and their power.

Convinced Judah must be freed from Yahweh's chains, she begins the subtle swaying of young Manasseh, using her charm and skills on the boy no one else understands. When King Hezekiah dies, twelve-year-old Manasseh is thrust onto Judah's throne, bitter at Yahweh and eager to marry the girl he adores. Assyria's crown prince favors Manasseh and twists his brilliant mind toward cruelty, beginning Shulle's long and harrowing journey to discover the Yahweh she'd never known, guided with loving wisdom by Manasseh's mother: Isaiah's daughter, the heartbroken Hephzibah. Amid Judah's dark days, a desperate remnant emerges, claiming the Lord's promise, "Though we're helpless now, we're never hopeless--because we serve El Shaddai." Shulle is among them, a girl who becomes a queen through Isaiah's legacy.

My Thoughts:

Eeek....life got in the way of posting this when I was planning on it. Last time I worked on this post, it was 1 day before having baby boy. I will say though, in all of that time since I've read this book, the story has stuck with me. I still find myself thinking on different aspects of the story and the characters and their actions and their consequences they were issued.

Isaiah's Legacy is a powerful story. It is dark, it is gritty, it is a story that is very much an emotional gut punch. This story is taken directly from the Bible, so know this story isn't any bloodier than the Bible itself. 

We know who Manasseh was. We know his legacy he left over Israel. We know he ended up being the polar opposite of Hezekiah, his father. Reading a story from his perspective was so interesting. Granted, I had no sympathy for him as an adult in this story, but the way he portrayed as a child and know that palace life is a game of chess and he was a pawn as a child, made me have compassion for him. 

Shulle is a girl you just hurt for. She is used and abused by people who should care for her, but sadly they only care for themselves. She is young and has no power. And is pushed in to doing what others want.

The story of Isaiah's later life plays out in this book and of that of Hepzibah. These are two strong people of the Bible, and knowing what they will face as the story goes on is hard, but also so interesting to read about as a possibility to what they may have said or how they acted in these hard times. 

Mesu Andrews is a superb story teller. She is able to bring these people who once lived and bring them back to life with a what-if look. She never strays from what the Bible says, but makes it a story that you can connect with.

This book, along with her others, I could re-read over and over again. There is so much detail and richness surrounding the characters and background, it makes you apart of it all.

5 out of 5

About the Author:

MESU ANDREWS is the Christy Award-winning author of Isaiah’s Daughter and numerous other novels, including The Pharaoh's Daughter, Miriam, Of Fire and Lions and Love Amid the Ashes. Her deep understanding of and love for God's Word brings the biblical world alive for readers. Mesu lives in North Carolina with her husband, Roy, and enjoys spending time with her growing tribe of grandchildren.





Thank you to the publisher, I received a copy of this book for free, in exchange for an honest review.