Monday, June 13, 2016

Land of Silence- Tessa Afshar

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Description: Before Christ called her daughter . . .

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body . . . and soul?


My Thoughts: It's rare that a book makes me want to cry, and even more rare that I actually still enjoy the book when it does. Tessa is one of my favorite authors just for books like this, stories that hold on to me long after I have put them down. Elianna's story is one of heartbreak and redemption that is sure to stick with you.

Tessa has a gift for writing broken heroines who fall in love with long-suffering men. Elianna is a woman who believes that her worth is in how she keeps from being a burden to others, causing her to draw away from those who wish to care for her. Ethan is a man determined to love and protect her, even when she pushes him away.

The first half of this book was absolutely amazing and yet somewhat traumatizing in its emotion. At one point, I had to set it down and read three other books before finishing it because every time I thought about what Elianna was going through I started to tear up myself. Then, when I at last did pick the story back up, I finished the other half in a single afternoon.

This part of the the story was not as enjoyable, not because the emotion was gone but because it ran through the next twelve or so years of Elianna's life. Because this was such a long stretch of time, I did not feel as invested and the story lost some of the urgency that had been present before.

Still, this story is easily one of my favorites this year and I am so excited for anything Tessa puts out in the future.

I received this book through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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