"Star of Persia" by Jill Eileen Smith

The story of Esther has always been one of my favorites from the Bible. Not just because of Esther's courage in the face of possible death, but also for the way it shows God at work in all details—big and small—of our lives. It's such a good reminder of the love and care He has for His people.

Jill Eileen Smith has brought Esther to life in a way that readers will really enjoy. This book moves quickly and touches on all parts of the familiar story. There were some historical facts woven throughout which were new to me, and I appreciated those. Learning new things is my favorite part of reading historical fiction.

One thing that was different about this book was it focused on palace intrigue with regards to King Xerxes' other wives and the maneuvering that some women of the harem might have been doing to jockey for position, whether for themselves or their children. From the author's note at the end, I understand this was based from real history. While we know King Xerxes had a harem and obviously we think of the other girls brought to the palace with Esther, I'd never really thought about what the other wives might have thought as Xerxes searched for a new queen.

Although there's no explicit content, I would not recommend this for readers under age 16 just because of the nature of the story. But if you've ever wanted to check out a fictionalized retelling of this brave woman's call to save her people under the most unlikely circumstances, I did enjoy this one and feel like you would, too.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.