Review Of Esther by Rebecca Kanner

Title: Esther

Author: Rebecca Kanner

Format eArc from Netgalley

Publication Information: Expected publication: November 3rd 2015 by Howard Books

Source: Netgalley

Description from Goodreads
From the award-winning author of Sinners and the Sea comes a breathtaking new look into the timeless tale of Queen Esther.

A glittering Persian king has a vast empire that reaches farther than where the sun meets the horizon. He is bathed in riches and commands a frightening military force. He possesses power beyond any other mortal man and rules his kingdom as a god. Anything he desires, he has. Any woman he wants, he possesses. Thousands of them. Young virgins from all across his many lands.

A Jewish girl is ripped from her hut by the king’s brutish warriors and forced to march across blistering, scorched earth to the capitol city. Trapped for months in the splendid cage of the king’s palace, she must avoid the ire of the king’s concubines and eunuchs all while preparing for her one night with the king. Soon the fated night arrives, and she does everything in her power to captivate the king and become his queen.

But wearing the crown brings with it a new set of dangers. When a ruthless man plies the king’s ear with whispers of genocide, it is up to the young queen to prevent the extermination of the Jews. She must find the strength within to violate the king’s law, risk her life, and save her people.

This is a story of finding hidden depths of courage within one’s self. Of risking it all to stand up for what is right.

This is the story of Queen Esther.

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this from Netgalley

Rebecca 's story of Esther takes us to different sides of Esther than I think we have seen before. We see her as a concubine, a woman, a friend, a protector, we dig deeper into who Esther was and who she becomes. Esther has always been one of my favorite stories in the bible, a woman who is chosen to be the savior of her people at the moment when they needed one. She becomes queen to the most powerful man during the time in which she lived.

I love Kanner's look inside the months before Esther marries the king. She delves into the harem, where the story has never really gone before. We see Esther's rivals, her friends. We find ourselves cheering on a maid in an act of bravery that befits a king. We look at the others in a different light, how maybe they have more to do with Esther than thought before.

Of course the villain is disliked, if ever there was a villain I found easy to dislike, it was Haman.
However now we get to dislike Haman's sons as well, which just adds to the story.

We have a different sort of love story in this version of Esther, it was this one point where I found I didn't know how to feel. I can see why the author did it, but I can not say if I entirely liked it. Esther has always seemed to be a devoted and loyal person, to her people and to her king. This veering of character, it seems out of place, yet even though that is, I do not think it takes away from the story.

Esther is a wonderful character to read in the first place. I hope you find the time to pick up this book especially if you love strong female characters.

Work, and more work

I know I haven't been active lately, but work has been stressful. I love blogging and reading books but I haven't taken the time to do so lately. This weekend, I actually decided to sit down and do some stuff.


PS Leaving a picture of one of my books shelves. I have many books to read before I sleep.

Review of The Wrath and The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Title: The Wrath and the Dawn

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Format: Hardcover

Publishing Information:  May 12th 2015 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Source: Purchase

Description from Goodreads 
 

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end. 

Review + a little extra

5 out of 5 stars

Finished Reading this book in August. I could have probably have devoured it in one sitting, however I wanted it to last. I had to make myself put down this book and walk away. I love the story and the setting and the details that made it a little different from the original One Thousand and One Nights. Everyone has their own agenda, everyone has different reasons for falling into this one place. The love story starts to build, and even though maybe it starts to climax. Then boom...what the heck was that in the ending. NOOOOOOOOO...you can't do that to the reader.

Okay back to other things, I know many readers loved this book, so I am adding a little extra at the end. The picture features Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in one of my favorites movies Jodhaa Akbar. I think they would be a good pair for the leading roles in the movie of The Wrath and the Dawn. Its also features one of my favorite scenes, the sword fighting one...Ms Ahdieh can we have another sword fighting scene in the second book. One that is part dangerous...part sexy. Ahem ok moving on.

If you haven't read this one, go read it

(Pictures is not mine, all rights reserved, will remove if asked)