Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Hunt is a historical fiction account based on the book of Esther from the Bible's Old Testament. Angela Hunt weaves fictional aspects into the story of Esther to create an intriguing and exciting read. She tells the story from 2 different perspectives. The first is that of Hadassah, a young Jewish woman who later changes her name to Esther to hide her Jewish heritage for her own safety. The second is that of Harbonah, the personal servant to King Xerxes, the Persian King. From these 2 perspectives, there is an added emotional stirring that captivates your interest.
The story begins with Hadassah as a young Jewish girl living with her cousin, Mordecai, in the Persian city of Susa. She is raised with love and with the Jewish Torah imprinted on her heart. However, Hadassah is a fanciful child, always dreaming of living like Persian nobility. She eventually has an encounter with Vashti, the queen of Persia, in the streets of Susa. This encounter fuels Hadassah's dream of living like Persian nobility. Little does she know that her dreams will be fulfilled, when Xerxes strips Vashti of her position as queen of Persia. Xerxes searches for a new queen from all the beautiful virgins in Persia, and he chooses Hadassah, who now calls herself Esther as a measure of personal protection.
Her dreams of this noble life crash down around her, as she sees the harsh reality of being married to a king that maintains absolute power by any means necessary. The worse comes when Xerxes' chief counselor, Haman tricks Xerxes into allowing him to issue a decree to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire. Mordecai, Esther's cousin, hears of this evil decree, and sends her messages through Harbonah, the king's personal servant, whom he trusts with Esther's safety. He urges Esther to plead with the king to revoke this evil decree, but Esther fears for her safety and doesn't know what to do. She then remembers the words of God imprinted on her heart, and she knows she must save her people despite the threat to her own safety.
Esther gathers her courage and reveals her Jewish heritage to Xerxes. She goes on to tell him of Haman's decree that all the Jews in Persia are to be killed. Xerxes heeds Esther's words and orders the immediate revocation of the evil decree. He also punishes Haman for his deceit and strips him of his position as chief counselor. Esther saves her people through her faith and trust in her God.
As you can see, Angela Hunt writes the story so eloquently that you can't help but be drawn into Esther's journey from fanciful child to a faithful, obedient woman of God. You find that you cannot put the book down until you know how her story ends. Angela Hunt creates a more personal and intriguing account of the book of Esther by weaving fictional aspects into the story. If you are looking for an exciting fiction read, this is the book for you!
Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Hunt is available to order online from Family Christian Stores. Follow the link below to purchase your own exciting copy:
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Even when we feel weak to do something, we are overcomers through God!
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