King's Shadow: (A Biblical Ancient World Family Drama & Romance) (The Silent Years)

I waited for King's Shadow with great anticipation, and Angela Hunt did not disappoint. Throughout the Silent Years series, she's given us the POVs of everyone from slaves and handmaids to queens, Torah scholars to polytheistic unbelievers, the righteous to the unrighteous. King's Shadow, which pairs Herod's sister Salome with her handmaid Zara, is no different and no less multifaceted.Salome stands out as a markedly different kind of protagonist for Christian or Biblical fiction, in that she has little to no interest in God for almost 100% of the book. Yet she cannot help feeling the influence of characters like Zara, and the presence of God even if no one is particularly speaking of Him to her. Additionally, Salome remains very in tune with what happens when not only a nation, but a ruling household of that nation, is not following Yahweh's steps. She's sympathetic because she grieves her situation and feels deep human emotions--fear, anger, confusion, sometimes outright rage. But like so many of us, she feels pulled in several directions and/or feels she has no choice but to do what she does. This makes her bad choices that much harder to watch and her good ones that much more cheer-worthy. When she does recognize Yahweh and make a crucial decision to follow Him, it's worth the wait and leads to a triumphant moment that, while fictionalized, may well have had a huge impact on history.I wanted to see much more of Zara and Salome's relationship; Zara feels less developed and cheated out of page time. That said, she is a relatable character with whom I enjoyed spending time, especially as she grew older. She is not a foil to Salome, perfect and faithful where Salome is a selfish pagan. Instead, she is a needed confidante who shines her light often without knowing she is doing it, growing into a faith of her own as she gets older and wiser. I loved the idea of Zara as a confidante and "auntie" to Salome's children, and the chapters chronicling her years as a married and barren woman. The callbacks to Hannah, Sarah, and other such women provided a needed spiritual thread for her. Were it up to me, I'd have had Zara enter the story older, perhaps as a teen, perhaps as a young wife who had already been set aside, to explore that struggle and spirituality. But what exists works well for the type of story this is.Speaking of story type, the Silent Years does close out with a book that is very much a historical epic. A lot of the plot focuses on court intrigue, inter-family politics, and Herod's reign in general. This sometimes seemed to take away from the story because Herod is not set up to be a main character, nor should he have been. It can also be *extremely* confusing to keep up with who is who because of the name overlaps and generational overlaps. (Royal family, I get it, but seriously, couldn't somebody have given these people somewhat original names)? :) Anyway, those issues aside, it is a deep and attention-grabbing plot that lets you see inside the heads of royals heavy from wearing crowns. King's Shadow mostly escapes the dryness trap, coming across instead as a personal and timely narrative.My love of Angela Hunt's Biblical fiction has been cemented thanks to this series, and I eagerly anticipate the first in her next series, Daughter of Cana, in a few months. She deserves a place among such authors as Jill Eileen Smith and Mesu Andrews, and a place on your keeper shelves.

Another great book by Angela Hunt. I love what she writes! This one completes her Silent Years series but each book is unique and stands alone. What if King Herod was a very good brother? What if he were manipulated by friends, family and his own fears? What if he had jealous people around him that constantly worked against him, coveting his throne? What if he ended up destroying both the guilty and many innocents in order to keep that throne? I won't spoil the ending but it really had my attention as I was so engrossed in the add in character Zara and her family. Happy reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this last novel as much as the previous ones in this series. The character Salome was hard to relate to and I wondered where the author was going with her, even Zara’s loyalty to this princess felt misplaced, but halfway through Salome’s character proofed not to be only bad, and she started to gain my sympathy and closer to the end, my admiration. I would recommend this book to those that see it as a challenge to step to the opposite side of what we see as good and just. Lorraine

I am very interested in ancient history especially surrounding the Lord Jesus Christ. This book fills in a lot of details regarding Herod's family and the affects he had on Israel leading up to Jesus's earthly ministry. If you like detailed history in a story form this is for you

Angela Hunt’s historical novels never disappoint! Her extensive research brings the people, places and events to life with intriguing interpersonal relationships and historical facts. I am looking forward to reading her next series.

I couldn’t put this book down. The insights to what it must’ve been like to have been a slave or royalty during that time period was a real eye opener for me.

Angela Hunt has expertise in weaving poetry into story telling. You can hear, see, touch and smell all that takes place. She helps you recall the facts of God's inspired words. She takes you back to the past in vivid form and eloquence.

Y. I really appreciate all the tremendous research Ms.Hunt had to do. It was an eye opener as well as being entertaining.

I actually found myself rooting for Herod, against my own will! The book brought him to life. The one thing that disappointed me about this book is that there is very little about God and faith in God, as opposed to other books by Mrs. Hunt