Isaiah’s Legacy by Mesu Andrews

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

My Thoughts

Isaiah’s Legacy by master wordsmith Mesu Andrews is Biblical Fiction at its finest.  This is book #3 in The Prophets and Kings Series.  It is an impressive 400 page paperback book with an enchanting cover.

Author Andrews has a captivating style of writing.  Her prose takes readers on a journey to ancient times and lands.  People from the Bible are brought to life on the pages of her book.  This is a well researched, well planned, and very well written novel.  I was immediately invested in the story.

Keeping true to scripture Author Andrews brings the life of King Manasseh front and center in her book.  He was a troubled, cruel man.  His father was King Hezekiah, who died when his son was only twelve years old. Manasseh has learning difficulties and needs to learn so much to rule. Shebna is his tutor and has a brother with a similar disability who’s daughter, Shulle, has assisted him.  Shebna offers rooms to his brother and niece in exchange for her help tutoring Manasseh.  Shebna uses her wiles to sway him away from Yahweh.  When Manasseh becomes king, he marries Shulle.

This is a powerful retelling of a Biblical story.    King Hezekiah restored Judah to a nation that followed God.   His son, King Manasseh, becomes Judah’s most wicked king and changes everything his father worked so faithfully to restore. King Hezekiah’s wife, Hephzibah, Isaiah’s daughter, struggles with her young son and losing her husband.  Then her heart breaks even more as she watches Manasseh take reign over their country and make horrible changes that result in the death of her father and friends. I found those parts hard to read, specifically about sorcery, child sacrifice and the killing of God’s people.

I highly recommend this spectacular novel.  It helps bring the Old Testament alive.  This would make a great group study book.  There is so much to discuss.  I loved it and have found it has stayed with me.  It definitely receives a 5 out of 5 stars rating from me.

A copy was provided by Waterbrook & Multnomah Launch Team. This is my own, honest opinion.

About the Book

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Isaiah’s Legacy

Author Mesu Andrews

Prophets and Kings Series

Biblical Fiction, category

400 pages

ISBN: 9780735291881

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.

About the Author

Mesu Andrews

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Mesu grew up with a variegated Christian heritage. With grandparents from the Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarene, and Wesleyan Churches, her dad was a Quaker and mom charismatic. As you might imagine, God was a central figure in most family discussions, but theology was a battlefield and Scripture the weapon. As a rebellious teenager, Mesu rejected God and His Word, but discovered Jesus as a life-transforming Savior through the changed life of an old friend.

The desire for God’s Word exploded with her new commitment, but devotional time was scarce due to the demands of a young wife and mother. So Mesu scoured the only two theology books available–children’s Bible stories and her Bible. The stories she read to her daughters at night pointed her to the Bible passages she studied all day. She became an avid student of God’s Word, searching historical and cultural settings as well as ancient texts and original languages.

Mesu and her husband Roy have raised those two daughters and now enjoy a tribe of grandkids, who get to hear those same Bible stories. Mesu’s love for God’s Word has never waned. She now writes biblical novels, rich with spiritual insight learned through fascinating discoveries in deep historical research.

Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell)–the story of Job and the women who loved him–won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year in the Debut Author Category. Her subsequent novels have released with high praise, shedding light on some of the shadowy women of Scripture. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) tells the story of the beloved shepherdess in King Solomon’s Song of Solomon. Love in a Broken Vessel (Revell, 2013) tells the story of Hosea and Gomer and is the final stand-alone novel in the Treasures of His Love Series. Her fourth novel, In the Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) tells the fascinating story of Queen Athaliah and the courageous Princess Jehosheba.

The Treasures of the Nile series (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015-16) included The Pharaoh’s Daughter and Miriam and spanned Moses’ life from birth to the Exodus. Her 2017 release, Isaiah’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah), explores the life and ministry of the prophet Isaiah and the tumultuous days of Judah under the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah but focuses on the woman Hephzibah–a fascinating character in Jewish legends.

Mesu writes in their log cabin tucked away in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Her best friend is an American Staffordshire Terrier named Zeke, who keeps her company on long writing days. Zeke also enjoys watching movies, long walks in the woods, and sitting by the fireplace on rainy days.

To learn more about the author and other books she has written go to: http://mesuandrews.com/

Of Fire and Lions by Author Mesu Andrews

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

I was well acquainted with  the story of Daniel and Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego.  My young years in Sunday School taught me those stories and we even sung songs about them.  However, “Of Fire and Lions” taught me so much more about this biblical story.

Author Mesu Andrews is an exquisite author of biblical fiction.  She does her research diligently and produces an exemplary novel.  It took me one paragraph, that’s all, to become invested in her latest masterpiece.  Her penned words picked me up and gently set me down in Daniel and his wife Abigail/Belili’s home.  With the author’s talented style I was able to glimpse the land, feasts, customs, and life of Daniel’s time.  Her eloquent words flowed gracefully and never stumbled.

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Emotions seemed to transfer to me as I felt snubbed or frightened as Abigail admitted she did.  Daniel became frustrated and so did I.  Even with the three men, I felt their anxiety and then strength.   This novel confirmed what we already know, our God is powerful and a safe refuge in times of trouble.

The author knows how to get readers involved and feel what she has written.  Descriptions were vivid and to the point.  Every word had a responsibility in this work of art and together they produced a stunning, God-glorifying retelling of a biblical story or two.

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Each chapter begins with scripture.  That was a favorite thing for me.  The point of view alternates between Daniel and his wife throughout the book.  I adored that.  Since this was fiction, I had to remind myself that it did not necessarily happen this way.  Blanks were just filled in by the author.  However it seemed possible.

All of the essentials for a Christian book were met.  First and foremost, it was easy to see this was a Christian fiction that honored a God.  Secondly, I gleaned information.  It is refreshing to come away from reading a novel with information that I previously did not know.  Thirdly, there are discussion questions.

I highly recommend this book.  It made me feel closer to God as I read it.  Anyone would benefit from reading it.  A reading group would find this to be the perfect choice.  I rated it 5 out of 5 stars.  A copy was provided by the publisher by I was under no obligation to write a favorable review.  These are my own, honest thoughts.

 

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About the Book

Paperback, 400 pages
Published March 5th 2019 by Waterbrook Press
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Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she’d perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Now, as Daniel’s wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she’s safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear–until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar’s palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and Bellili’s tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?
Ultimately, Yahweh’s sovereign hand guides Jerusalem’s captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions.

About the Author

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Mesu grew up with a variegated Christian heritage. With grandparents from the Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarene, and Wesleyan Churches, her dad was a Quaker and mom charismatic. As you might imagine, God was a central figure in most family discussions, but theology was a battlefield and Scripture the weapon. As a rebellious teenager, Mesu rejected God and His Word, but discovered Jesus as a life-transforming Savior through the changed life of an old friend.

The desire for God’s Word exploded with her new commitment, but devotional time was scarce due to the demands of a young wife and mother. So Mesu scoured the only two theology books available–children’s Bible stories and her Bible. The stories she read to her daughters at night pointed her to the Bible passages she studied all day. She became an avid student of God’s Word, searching historical and cultural settings as well as ancient texts and original languages.

Mesu and her husband Roy have raised those two daughters and now enjoy a tribe of grandkids, who get to hear those same Bible stories. Mesu’s love for God’s Word has never waned. She now writes biblical novels, rich with spiritual insight learned through fascinating discoveries in deep historical research.

Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell)–the story of Job and the women who loved him–won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year in the Debut Author Category. Her subsequent novels have released with high praise, shedding light on some of the shadowy women of Scripture. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) tells the story of the beloved shepherdess in King Solomon’s Song of Solomon. Love in a Broken Vessel (Revell, 2013) tells the story of Hosea and Gomer and is the final stand-alone novel in the Treasures of His Love Series. Her fourth novel, In the Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) tells the fascinating story of Queen Athaliah and the courageous Princess Jehosheba.

The Treasures of the Nile series (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015-16) included The Pharaoh’s Daughter and Miriam and spanned Moses’ life from birth to the Exodus. Her 2017 release, Isaiah’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah), explores the life and ministry of the prophet Isaiah and the tumultuous days of Judah under the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah but focuses on the woman Hephzibah–a fascinating character in Jewish legends.

Mesu writes in their log cabin tucked away in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Her best friend is an American Staffordshire Terrier named Zeke, who keeps her company on long writing days. Zeke also enjoys watching movies, long walks in the woods, and sitting by the fireplace on rainy days.

Find a Book Friday: “Isaiah’s Daughter” by Mesu Andrews

Posted on by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Are you beginning the year with a resolution to read more books?  I enjoy books that teach me things, encourage me, strengthen my Walk, and provide a little time away from my day to day life.  If you do, too, let me introduce you to one that comes out January 16th.  “Isaiah’s Daughter” by author Mesu Andrews is a fabulous Christian novel. I loved everything about it.  This paperback by Waterbrook Publishers has a striking cover that immediately took me back to Old Testament times.  There is a hefty total of 384 pages that might sound like a lot but they absolutely flew by.  This novel was an absolute page turner.  I could not put it down and yet did not want it to end. Author Andrews is a truly gifted wordsmith and gently lifts readers out of their chairs to place them smack dab in the middle of her setting. I felt like I was there in Israel and Judah myself.

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“Isaiah’s Daughter” by author Mesu Andrews is a fabulous Christian novel. This paperback by Waterbrook Publishers has a striking cover and is a hefty 384 pages that absolutely flew by. I could not put it down and yet did not want it to end. Author Andrews is a truly gifted wordsmith and gently lifts readers out of their chairs to place them smack dab in the middle of her setting. I felt like I was there myself.

Her latest novel is the tale of a young woman that has been taken into Isaiah’s household. Ishma is adopted by Isaiah and her name changed to Zibah, which means delight of the Lord. Isaiah is a prophet during a time when Israel has become divided in its religion. The North has turned its back on God and now worships false, pagan gods. The South, Judah, has remained faithful to Yahweh.  It was a turbulent time.

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Reading this book gave me a glimpse into the life and struggles of the Israelites. There was a big struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, worshipping God or the idols. That is why Abba sent prophets to speak to men and turn them from their wicked ways. In her wonderfully written novel, the author tells us the love story of Judah’s King Hezekiah and Queen Hephzibah as well as the love story of Yahweh for His people. It teaches us about the culture and customs of that time. Her book encourages us to put our trust in God now, even as they did in Old Testament times.

Characters in “Isaiah’s Daughter” absolutely come alive because of the writing. They are well defined so that each one is like a new friend that I have just made. Dialogue rings true to what I imagined it would be back then. The book is written in a narrative. I liked that as it made me feel closer to the characters.  Not much is written about or know of women from biblical times.  Men are deemed more important and recorded.  Reading about a woman was nice.

I highly recommend this book. It has so much to offer. If you like romance, history, inspiration, learning, adventure, suspense, intrigue, and having a Bible story come to life, this book is for you. It would be great for a book club. So many things were in it that I wanted to discuss with my reading friends. You will, also. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars.  Preorder yours before January 16th to receive goodies!

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