There are dozens of books on the market today telling the biblical story of Esther...but none have told it like Roseanna White! Wow. I was enraptured in Kasia's story! Bringing a fresh and un-explored angle to this amazing story, she not only presents a story never heard before, she shares amazing historical details about the years of King Xerxes reign over Persia.
While Jewel of Persia does tell the story of Esther; she is, uniquely, only a secondary character. Taking center-stage is Xerxex, king of Persia, and a young Jewish woman, Kasia, who caught his eye and stole his heart. Right away I liked Kasia. What a perfect example for Christ she is to everyone in the Palace. Amazing, I grew to like the king as well. While he is historically known for his bloody rule, Roseanna presents him not as a blood-thirsty barbarian without a heart, but a faulty man who made mistakes and found comfort in the arms of his Jewish wife. Esther was very sweet and gentle and I really enjoyed getting to know her through the course of the book. Her connection to Kasia was neat. Zachariah was one of my favorite characters, maybe even next to Xerxes! He made mistakes--a big one--which had consequences, but he learned from them. I loved watching him grow, mature, and change through the book.
It's a story about a Jewish woman, one of many wives to a powerful king, so there is some content warning. Xerxes and Kasia often exchange kisses or sleep together and Xerxes takes turn with his other wives, but this is kept as clean as I've ever seen in books before. There's also one character who, though never spoken outright, the reader comes to realize is a homosexual. Two different couples have an affair, but nothing is ever explained in great detail. I'd still recommend this for mature readers, but I was amazingly pleased at how clean this book was.
As I've mentioned many times, the plot was awesome. Completely unique and like nothing I've ever read before, Roseanna brings an amazing love story that will leave you amazed and wanting more. Her writing is just as wonderful as her plot. Right away it pulls you into the story and I felt like I was right there alongside Kasia in Persia. All the characters seemed so believable and fleshed-out, I felt like I knew them by the end of the book. Absolutely wonderful!
What else can I say to convince you...this is an amazing book! I love history, and that, coupled with the amazing story with Kasia and Xerxes, completely endeared this book to me. I won't ever think of the story of Esther the same way again! Roseanna continues to amaze me and I look forward to reading many more of her books in the future.
I reviewed this book for the author, Roseanna White. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.
