Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith Book Review
In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness.In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes's wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther's adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace politics, Esther will find herself in an impossible position: risk her life or consign her people to annihilation.
With her impeccable research and her imaginative flair, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the romantic, suspenseful, and beloved story of Esther, queen of Persia.
This is my second book I read from Jill Eileen Smith. I am always worried about Bible stories being really boring and hard to follow, but Smith does not do that. She knocked it out of the park again. I never read Esther's story in the "Holy Bible".
She takes us into the story how a Jewish girl became queen in the Persian's king, Xerxes, court and how she saved her people from Haman who wanted to see all the Jews annihilated. The story is told from a variety of point of views. There is Hadassah/Esther, Mordecai, Xerxes, and Haman. There is also point of view from Xerxes' other wife who is the mother of Darius and Artaxerxes. The way Smith has written the story of Esther, she made Xerxes more personal.
God uses everyone. He doesn't just empower men, but he also empowers women too. Other topics in the book is jealousy. God is always there and guiding us into the right direction. Every page allowed me to discover the word of God. God puts us in certain places at a certain time.
Smith did an amazing job with detailed description of each character. It is full of details of the time period and historical information of Xerxes and his reign. The story mainly focuses on the romance.
Esther is kind and faced danger dead on. She never let things get her down and never abused her power as queen. King Xerxes on the other hand allowed fear to hold him back. He had a heart of gold, but relied too much on his council who lead him astray. He fears failure. Don't we all? I know I do. He banishes his favorite wife when she didn't sow up at one of his dinners. Later he finds new love, Hadassah, who he made her his queen. Hadassah, later name changed to Esther, is keeping a secret of being a jew.
The romance between Esther and Xerxes was well done. They loved each other beyond the surface level.
Haman is evil. He loves power and very smart. He did whatever he was told in order to gain power. Amestris is the antagonist who loves power.
After reading "Star of Persia", I now want to open up my "Holy Bible" and read Esther's story.
I love seeing authors writing about powerful women and Esther is a powerful woman. Even if you aren't a Bible fan or believer you will still enjoy the story. Smith did her research and it showed.
I highly recommend reading Jill Eileen Smith's Biblical Fiction books.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book by Revell and was not required to write a postiive review. All opinions expressed are my own. "
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Wives of the Patriarchs, the Loves of King Solomon and Heart of the King, the nonfiction When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams, and Star of Persia, Esther’s Story. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable, “helpful” cat Tiger. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
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