In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah’s household rises to capture the heart of the future king. Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name–Zibah, delight of the Lord–thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet’s home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But … as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah’s lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah’s favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation.
“Andrews (The Pharaoh’s Daughter) offers her unique brand of in-depth Bible knowledge and storytelling flair … [she] is gifted at bringing the past to life…“ —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Danger, dark schemes, and political intrigue wrestle against truth, valor, and determined obedience to Yahweh in this compelling tale of Hezekiah—the boy who would be king—and a beautiful but broken young orphan girl taken in by Isaiah, the Lord’s prophet. Alternately angered and devastated by the faithlessness of Yahweh’s people in one chapter, I was revitalized and filled with hope in the unfolding prophecies and mercy of our Sovereign God in the next. Beautifully written, Andrews has woven a love story, a novel to savor, and a reminder that despite our fallen humanity, God’s best is yet to come.
Great tale to imagine a biblical character
A multi-decade saga of the legacy of Judah’s most renown king, Hezekiah, as told through the eyes of his wife.
I love the way that Mesu Andrews brings Biblical culture to life, and this book is no exception, as she shows the struggle of a king to set himself apart from his father before him. I like how this book brought a humanity to Hezekiah, and showed that while he was incredibly faithful in many ways, he was also far from perfect, and fell short.
This book also brought a humanity to Isaiah, God’s prophet, showing his struggles, and how following God was far from easy, taking into consideration how it might have affected his family.
I had high expectations for this book and it didn’t disappoint, and crazy story but our pastor was preaching over Hezekiah’s life for 2 months before I read this book, so I had pretty good background knowledge going in. Well constructed characters, and fantastic storytelling with respect to the history. This book did a great job of imagining the political and spiritual tensions, showing actions and consequence. Zibah struggles with fear, and the pressures of her position. I especially liked the friendship between Zibah an Yaira, as they support and encourage each other through many dark days. I loved the powerful message of God being the only true source of goodness and steadfastness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A really excellent story.
5 things from Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews
1) An honorable king is the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah
2) A prophet’s message or a father’s opinion?
3) Palace secrets and intrigues
4) The dung beetle as the royal seal
5) “Faith is a battle we fight every day…Come tell me the promise, so I can pick up my sword and battle with you.” -King Hezikiah
I love Mesu’s books! She has a gift for pulling the reader into the world surrounding the familiar Bible passages
#Biblicalfiction ##mesuandrews #oldtestamentkings #amreading #amreviewing ##christianfiction ##isaiahsdaughter ##mesusbffteam #naomicraigauthor
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
I am picky about the Biblical fiction I read, and Mesu Andrews is one of the few authors I read that writes this genre. And Isaiah’s Daughter is another amazing read from Ms. Andrews. I love that she has given her readers a story about Ishma. As I read the story of this young lady who had lost everything, including her family, my heart ached for her. But God had plans for this orphaned girl that even she found hard to believe. The journey is an amazing one as I watched Ishma grow into a beautiful young lady, winning the eye of Hezekiah, soon to be king.
One main thing reading this story is that you will certainly realize the in-depth study and vivid detail research by Mesu Andrews. As well as the knowledge she has of the Old Testament. This is what makes her books so interesting to read. And though the facts of the Bible are correct, the fiction is the acts of her imagination of what it was like back in the days of Isaiah, and when Hezekiah was King and Zibah (Ishma) was Queen. And this is another reason I love reading Ms. Andrews’ books. It is so unique interesting to imagine with this author how these people of the Bible lived. It brings the characters to life before your eyes. With almost 400 pages, as you can imagine, there is so much going on here in these pages, you need to read them for yourself and enjoy their meaning. And expect to experience in vivid details the accounts that happened during King Hezekiah’s reign, and his Abba before him.
I want to thank author Mesu Andrews for providing a copy of Isaiah’s Daughter for the JustRead Blind tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions here in this review are totally mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
An incredibly tender and thoughtful account! This is one of the best stories I have ever read.
The friendship between Hezi and Ishma tugged at my heart from the first moment, when God used each of them to heal deep wounds in the other’s soul. As their friendship became iron sharpening iron under the tutelage of Isaiah, and as it grew from friendship to love, my heart sang. And as they experienced their first major rift, I was gripped with pain for them, hoping for a resolution that would come quickly.
Isaiah’s Daughter tells the story of a king who reigned during a time of great upheaval and fear, ushered in by a father who rejected the Lord and turned to idols. Hezekiah and Ishma struggled with trusting the Lord and had to learn how to search the Scriptures they had to remember God’s faithfulness. The lessons were quite profound and beautifully illustrated.
I have always cheered and admired Hezekiah for his righteous stand for the Lord. How he boldly restored the Temple after its countless years of use for pagan worship. Led Judah and Israel in celebrating the Passover after centuries of neglect. Destroyed the high places where idols were worshipped. I had never considered, though, how hard that would have been; going against everything he had known. The contrast between Hezekiah and his idolatrous father who angered the Lord is so marked and author Mesu Andrews presents a plausible reason for this.
Isaiah and his prophecies were presented in an astounding manner. Do you read his prophecies and think about him as a confident and brave man, standing against the whims of kings and nations as I have? And imagine how after his vision of the seraphim at the throne of God he would have boldness the rest of his life? Being human, as we are, of course he had his moments of doubt. The author shows this conflict between his faith and faltering as well as confusion over the messages he was called to deliver. When would they be fulfilled? What did they mean? Were they for now or the future? I loved reading and thinking about these things and questioning what it would have been like for him.
One of the most interesting concepts in the book was Isaiah’s thoughts on the prophecies about the coming Son of David, the Root of Jesse who would usher His people into peace and forgiveness. Again, it was something that never occurred to me, yet it makes perfect sense and fascinated me.
I will never again read these portions of the Scriptures the same way! While I understand that this story is the author’s interpretation and partly her imagination, the events of multiple books of the Bible have been combined realistically and compellingly, making me consider hopes, fears, and motivations in a way I never have before.
Isaiah’s Daughter is my favorite of Mesu Andrews’ books so far. I am so excited to read Isaiah’s Legacy now and will most likely squeeze it in long before I am supposed to!!
If you have ever struggled through understanding the prophecies of Isaiah or understanding the events of Judah’s kings, this amazing story will help bring history to life for you. I strongly encourage all lovers of Biblical fiction to read it as well!
Read my review of Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews at AmongTheReads.net
Isaiah’s Daughter is a beautiful work of fiction that takes you into the heart of trusting God with our circumstances. Will we trust Him when our lives are broken? Will we trust Him when events are spiraling out of control? Mesu Andrews tackles these hard questions in this novel in a manner that is quite relevant for our lives today. I have read all of Mesu Andrews’ books and her writing never ceases to amaze me with its depth and artistry. You will not regret buying this book.
I enjoyed this Biblical fiction. I read along with my Chronological Bible detailing the story of Hezekiah.
This book. Wow.
I haven’t read much in the Biblical fiction genre, but this made me want to read more of it. I loved how Andrews brought to life the life of Isaiah and how realistic it all felt. Sometimes its hard to believe that the people we look up to in the Bible were actually alive once, and this book really made me see Isaiah as a real, human person with faults just like the rest of us.
Loved this read!
Biblical historical novel; fiction. I love studying the Bible and appreciated all charters listed in front and identified as real or fictional. Captivating.
Our church women’s book club read this book. I found it a chore to slog through to the end. I kept thinking it would get better, uplifting or inspirational but it didn’t. I liked that it was well-researched from a Biblical and historical perspective. It was not my cup of tea at this point in time.
Epic drama, adventure, love, treachery—Isaiah’s Daughter was all of that and more in this latest stellar novel by Mesu Andrews. The author brings to life Judah’s queen, the lovely Hephzibah, infusing each page with heart-stopping emotion and a pure, romantic love for her friend and king, Hezekiah that touched my soul. When I finished reading, I could only marvel at the novel’s depth and breadth, and how Andrews portrayed this daughter of a prophet as she rose to the greatness of God’s promise and remained resilient in a time of disobedience. When keeping faith with Yahweh amidst war and death and pestilence might be the only means to survive. A thoroughly catch-your-breath kind of experience in an impressive body of work, Isaiah’s Daughter is a story fans of Biblical fiction will love!
It is always fascinating to see a part of the Bible come to life. Yes, it is fictionalized, but it fleshes out what could have been. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. This is an author that I read all of her books.
I really enjoyed this book. I have read other novels about this great King of Judah and his wife which were different from this, of course. “Isaiah’s Daughter”, however, has an interesting take on the Biblical account. Mesu Andrews has filled this story with scripture and a love of God and His word. It is truly inspirational and faith-building. I recommend it highly to all, especially anyone who is struggling and needs to be reminded of God’s love and faithfulness.
I will be real picky now. The only thing I disagreed with (Yes I am very “Old School”) was in the Author’s Note at the end. She used BCE (Before the Common Era). I would have preferred she use BC (Before Christ). Anytime we write a date, we are acknowledging that Jesus was born 2019 years ago and that everything changed because he was.
Isaiah’s daughter is a wonderful biblical fiction novel by Mesu Andrews. She brings to life lesser known figures in the Bible while not being afraid to describe the struggles and challenges they faced. This book makes readers want to open their Bible after reading it. I recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
The name Hephzibah appears only two times in Bible scripture but this book by author Mesu Andrews will soon make Hephzibah very well known because she has created a fictional background story that will take your breath away! Yes, Isaiah’s Daughter is Biblical fiction so I appreciate that Andrews started each chapter with scripture that would allow me to refer back to the Bible as I read her story. When we first meet Hephzibah she is an orphan who had witnessed the murder of her parents. This young girl who will become Isaiah’s daughter and the future Queen of Judah is now a servant in the household of Isaiah the Prophet. Isaiah is a teacher and one of his students has also suffered a great tragedy; Hezekiah saw his brother offered as a human sacrifice to pagan gods by their own father and he has become catatonic. Isaiah believes that these two young people can help each other and he sets forth a plan to make this happen. This book relates their relationship, first as friends who comfort each other, and then as two people who fall in love and it tells how Isaiah further helped them by adopting Ishma and renaming her Hephzibah so that she would be deemed worthy to marry Hezekiah.
There is, however, so much more in Isaiah’s Daughter! The evil reign of King Ahab is explained in depth and becomes even more disturbing as we read about all of the idolatry. We are also given glimpses of the goodness of his son Hezekiah who wants to correct the sins of his father by turning the people back to worshipping the one true God. We feel Hephzibah’s concern as she offers her support to her husband while dealing with her inability to give Hezekiah a child. And we are reminded of the prophesies that foretold the birth of a Messiah.
Isaiah’s Daughter is truly an epic work of Biblical fiction and the 384 pages are overflowing with Bible history. There is evil, there is danger, and there is hopelessness. But there is also hope and there are two beautiful love stories. There is the romantic love between Hezekiah and Hephzibah and the overpowering love that God had for His children then and continues to have for all of us today! Reading Isaiah’s Daughter reaffirmed my belief that our Heavenly Father is a loving and forgiving God and I often read it through eyes filled with tears. Yes, there were tears for the sadness but there were also tears for the moments of great joy!!
I received an advanced copy of this novel, which I chose to review; the opinions expressed here are my own.
Connilyn Cossette gets better with each book. Though it’s hard to pick a favorite of the three Out of Egypt books, Wings of the Wind nearly takes the win. It’s hard to separate them out because they work so well as a trilogy, telling an over-arching story that made me eager to be with these characters again. For me, a sign of great biblical fiction is when I’m inspired to pick up my Bible again, and re-read those familiar stories with fresh eyes. This is what the Out of Egypt series has done for me. Cossette is entirely respectful of scripture, highlighting miracles and acts of God throughout the Israelites wandering years in the desert.
The plot is steady, giving plenty of room for both character development and action. There is also a strong sense of place, whether it’s in the desert or in the debauched city of Jericho. The setting brims with life – the barbarity of some of the customs and the danger that life could bring during that time is portrayed well. Despite an unforgiving landscape and much hardship, there was still beauty and happiness to be found in the lives of the Israelites.
I adored Alanah’s character. She is strong in so many ways, yet sometimes her strength – and stubbornness – are her biggest weaknesses. Cossette’s first person narration of both Alanah and Tobiah is so well-done. They are both two of my favorite characters that I’ve “met” this year. Both Alanah and Tobiah are believable characters as individuals, and as a couple, wow, do those sparks fly. Their interactions are full of passion, humor, love and sacrifice. I know I say it in my reviews often, but a couple that I can really believe in is one of the things I look for in the romantic thread of the story, and that is definitely the case here.
I also loved the way that characters from past books were still a key part of the story. Not only was I just happy to see them again, but it really emphasizes the continuity of the over-arching story of the forty years the Hebrews spent in the desert. It truly adds a special depth to the story to see these characters again, while also providing different views of the story – that of an Egyptian woman, Kiya, in book one, a Hebrew woman, Shira, in book two, and then through the eyes of Alanah, a Canaanite and a complete outsider in every way. The author also includes new characters in this story, and I sincerely hope Moriyah will make an appearance in a future book – I just loved that girl! Tobiah’s voice in this book is very well-done, and I enjoyed getting the story from both his and Alanah’s perspectives.
Here at the end of the series, it’s hard not to look at them as a whole. I’m so glad I took a chance on a new-to-me and debut author with the first book in this series. They are uplifting, entertaining stories, and I feel enriched after having read them. I’m so excited that Connilyn Cossette has another series in the works, and I can’t wait to read it. The Wings of the Wind is definitely a 2017 favorite for me!
Prepare to be transported and inspired…
Biblical fiction is a genre that has really grown on me over the years. I’m still a little wary, I guess, of trying new authors but Mesu Andrews is one that I know and trust. Her compelling characters, her truly exquisite attention to detail, and her way of bringing the Holy Land and the Bible to life without compromising Biblical fact, are just amazing.
To be honest, when I started Isaiah’s Daughter I really didn’t remember having heard of Hephzibah before. I remembered reading about King Hezekiah asking God, and receiving, 15 more years to live, and having read the book of Isaiah, but that was it. Needless to say, reading this novel has caused me to want to dive back into the Old Testament to see what else I might have missed, as well as find out more about the historical and archaeological evidence.
Like the Bible, Isaiah’s Daughter was sometimes hard to read. Not because it was dry and dull but because of the evil things, and the consequences of them, done by those who knew better. I was so emotionally engaged in the story that my heart hurt for these people, even though they were actually fictional and fictionalized characters.
If you are looking for a beautiful, sometimes heart-wrenching, story. The story of a girl who, like we all do, longs to be valuable, to be truly loved. This is the book for you. As you turn that last page you will be simply amazed, and blessed, by Mesu Andrews’s superb storytelling and by her very message itself.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
Mesu Andrews did not disappoint with this greatly anticipated biblical fiction masterpiece. I have read every one of her previous 6 books and believe this is her best yet.
Isaiah’s Daughter is the story of Ishma, an orphan taken in by the prophet Isaiah, who goes on to become Queen Hephzibah, the only beloved wife of King Hezekiah. The novel chronicles her life and love in breathtaking historical detail, a hallmark of Mesu’s research prowess. Although the Bible does not reveal many facts concerning Zibah’s life, Mesu took what is known and weaved a page-turning tale leaving the reader longing for more.
As well, we get to know what the life of the prophet Isaiah could have resembled. Mesu took a real character from a very complicated book in the Bible and made him relatable. This alone has stirred renewed interest within me to reread the book of Isaiah.
Love, adventure, a beautiful example of a covenant relationship, intrigue, heartache…Isaiah’s Daughter contains all the ups and downs, smiles and tears that make a novel worth waiting for.
Disclaimer: I was supplied an uncorrected proof to review. I have no ties with the author or publisher.