Description: The daughter of a pagan high priest, Sofea finds solace from her troubles in the freedom of the ocean. But when marauders attack her village on the island of Sicily, she and her cousin are taken across the sea to the shores of Canaan.
Eitan has lived in Kedesh, a City of Refuge, for the last eleven years, haunted by a tragedy in his childhood and chafing at the boundaries placed on him. He is immediately captivated by Sofea, but revealing his most guarded secret could mean drawing her into the danger of his past.
As threats from outside the walls loom and traitors are uncovered within, Sofea and Eitan are plunged into the midst of a murder plot. Will they break free from the shackles of the past in time to uncover the betrayal and save their lives and the lives of those they love?
My Thoughts: I am always surprised by the unique stories that Connilyn comes up with. Unlike most Biblical Fiction, her books step away from the characters we are all familiar with and instead focus on the people living in the background of history. Here, she writes of the people living in the cities of refuge, an aspect of the Bible that is rarely touched on even outside of fiction.
Sofea and Eitan were both lovable characters with dark childhoods. And though neither want to be in Kedesh, it is a place that Yahweh has intended to be their refugee, whether they see it that way or not. However, jumbled with my love for these characters was also my question as to why Sofea (who came from a completely different culture) did not seem to suffer culture shock except for where it aided the message that Yahweh is the only God? Especially when this new culture she is experiencing will require her to change her diet and her mode of dress, which are admittedly areas where I would have struggled.
Something pleasant that I did notice in this story was the wealth of representation for disabilities (whether they are accurate depictions, I do not have the experience to guess). I was thankful that Connilyn took the time to write these characters and look forward to seeing who she writes about in the next story, as well as going back to read the first book in this trilogy which I somehow skipped.
I have provided an honest review after having received a copy of the book from the publisher.
Below is an affiliate link:
No comments:
Post a Comment