Tina Chen
As I've noted in my previous reviews of this author, Biblical fiction by Mesu Andrews never fails to send me running for my Bible to find the details she has brought to life! Half the time, I'm thinking, "She must have made that up!" only to find it right there in my Bible in black and white! That experience is probably my favorite thing about reading Andrews' books! This book was unique for me in that I still wasn't sure whether or not I liked it even when I was more than halfway through it! I didn't not like it or want to stop reading, but the first half sure is full of a lot of suffering! Some of the connections felt a little far-fetched, and I didn't agree with some of the ways prophecy was being handled by the characters. I also wasn't appreciating the intentional switches from 1st to 3rd person between chapters. While I never did come to appreciate the use of 1st person in this book, the second half was so good that by the end, I didn't really care. I closed the book thinking what a great book it had been and feeling so very encouraged at the sovereignty of God! I loved the way Andrews wove the theme of birds throughout the book; it was lovely and very nicely executed. I also appreciated the way the characters in the book grew in the ways they handled and attempted to interpret prophecy. Walking with them through this book really made me think about prophecy and how God wants us to read and apply them. While I don't necessarily agree with all the theology and ideas stated in this book, I realized that's not really the point. The point was to make us really think about it and to help us imagine what it was like to be there as the prophecies were being given and to see that those living at that time faced many of the same challenges in interpretation that we do today. If you enjoy Biblical or historical fiction at all, I think you will really enjoy this book. I definitely found it to be very worth the read. I received this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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