Friday, August 23, 2019

King's Shadow; The Silent Years - A Novel of King Herod's Court







About the book:

Title: King's Shadow
Series: The Silent Years BK 4
Author: Angela Hunt
Publisher: Bethany House

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 is from an inferior race, a people God will never accept or approve.
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 in Herod the Great's tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe.





About Angela Hunt:

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 140 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Turner and Hooch and Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards–one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City.

Afterward, the dog gave out pawtographs at the airport.

Angela admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology, unexplained phenomena, chickens, and “just about everything” except sports. Books, she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.

Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers in 2019.

Also in 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree. She completed her doctorate in biblical studies in 2008 and her Th.D. in 2015. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs and chickens, of course.  She is also an avid photographer, using her photos to help find homes for animals at local rescues.

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My Thoughts:

I found this book hard to follow and somewhat confusing. Salome's POV was hard to follow but I enjoyed Zara's. Probably because Zara is a little girl when the story begins. And I could see her playing with her clay doll.

Ms. Hunt does a great job with the setting of both Herod's court and the battle waging in Jerusalem. It's quite a contrast between the royalty of King Herod's court and the battling struggle of Jerusalem.

While I didn't connect with this particular story doesn't mean it's not a recommendable one.

Biblical fiction is one of my absolutely favorite genre's because I always walk away learning something I didn't know. I knew there was 400 years of silence between God and His people until Jesus is born. I just didn't realize how silent it was. Ms. Hunt shows this perfectly! I kept hoping God would make His presence known because the chaos was overwhelming.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.



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