Review: "Esther: Royal Beauty" by Angela Hunt

I loved this book!!! I really enjoy reading historical fiction that brings to life the Bible stories that I was told as a child. Angela Hunt brings the story of Queen Esther and how she along with her cousin, Mordecai assisted in saving her people from Haman’s vicious plot to wipe out the Jewish race to life in a page turning novel. She fills in the details of this amazing girl’s life in realistic fashion without sugar coating or embellishing to make it more interesting.

The story is told in both Harbonah, the chamberlain to King Xerxes and Esther’s voice. Esther, whose Jewish name is Hadassah, is a typical girl of that time. She dreams of a life in the palace, wearing beautiful gowns and attending wonderful banquets. She knew these were just foolish dreams until the king sets aside his queen and decrees that he will pick a new queen from the beautiful girls of his kingdom. Mordecai tries to protect her by sending her to Jerusalem but she is captured by slave traders. Because she is both beautiful and learned, she wins the kings heart. The story is captivating as you hear Esther’s hopes and dreams from her perspective and also the happenings in the kingdom from Harbonah.

If you enjoy reading stories that fill in missing details to familiar Bible stories and passages, you definitely want to pick up this book. The author has masterful weaved facts of life in this time period with the Bible story of Esther to produce a novel that will keep you interested and reading to the last page. Pick this book up and see Esther brought to life!

I reviewed this bookd for Net Gallery.