When I named this site “More Than Poetic Musings” it was my intention to do more than just put my poetry on the page. Today I have the distinct honor to review Mesu Andrew’s newest offering, “Isaiah’s Daughter”. It has been an absolute joy to serve on her team of BFFs (Biblical Fiction Fans) to help promote this latest novel. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.
To get started, here is a summary of the book.
Gifted Bible teacher and award-winning author Mesu Andrews reaches into the pages of Biblical prophecy and Hebrew tradition to unearth a rags-to-royalty story of the devastated orphan, Ishma—meaning “desolation”—in Isaiah’s Daughter (Jan. 16, 2018, WaterBrook). At just 5 years old, Ishma’s life crumbles around her when Israelite soldiers violently kill her family and take her into captivity. Upon her release, the royal prophet Isaiah welcomes her into his home where she meets Prince Hezekiah (Hezi)—a boy who has also experienced great tragedy. Ishma and Hezi bond in their suffering, and as they grow in age, so does their love for each other. Aware of their developing relationship, Isaiah adopts Ishma as his daughter and presents her with a new name that will qualify her to marry royalty—Hephzibah (Zibah), meaning “delight of the Lord.” Hezi and Zibah marry, but after difficult times of barrenness, Assyrian aggression, disease and challenging prophecies from Isaiah, Zibah remains trapped by fear. Can she entrust everything to the only One who gives life and delivers both a captive heart and a desperate nation?
Are you captivated yet?
“Isaiah’s Daughter” breathes life and imagination into the lives of Isaiah, Hephzibah, and Hezekiah. I spent five months studying the book of Isaiah in 2017. It is easy to get caught up in the seeming doom and gloom of Isaiah's prophecies and forget the lives of the ordinary men and women who struggled with these words. Were the prophecies about the virgin giving birth to a son for their time or the future? Who would be the prince of peace? Mesu skillfully weaves the prophecy amidst the story and shows us the lives of real people trying to remain faithful to God.
My favorite quote comes late in the novel. “People fail us. Armies can’t always save us. But Yahweh is faithful forever…We must keep our eyes on eternity, my friend, for today is sometimes more than we can bear.” The characters in the book wrestle with their circumstances and living in uncertain times. The major theme is the book is trust. The characters, like all of us, look at times for solutions apart from God and need constant reminders on where their focus should be.
“Isaiah’s Daughter” is a novel that will enrich your life and draw you deeper into the heart of God. You will see His love, righteousness, and justice in the lives of Isaiah, Hephzibah, and Hezekiah. This is a book you do not want to miss.
To get a sneak peek of the first chapter, copy and paste this link into your browswer: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SNEAK-PEEK-Isaiahs-Daughter.pdf
To get more information and other reviews, check out all the blog tour stops.
Blog Tour Stops
1/15 – Lena Nelson Dooley
1/15 – It’s Storytime With Van Daniker!
1/15 – More Than Poetic Musings
1/16 – Seriously Write
1/16 – Lighthouse Academy
1/17 – Jill Eileen Smith
1/18 – Kristie Moments
1/19 – Coffee Cups & Camisoles
1/19 – Montana Made
1/20 – Fiction Aficionado
1/21 – Angie Arndt
1/21 – Christian Chicks Thoughts
1/22 – Carole Towriss
1/22 – Backing Books
1/23 – God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae
1/24 – Faithfully Bookish
1/24 – Mommynificent
1/25 – Just Commonly
1/25 – Bibliophile Reviews
1/26 – Reading is my Superpower
1/26 – The Mary Reader