stunning retelling of the story of Esther that brings on a new perspective

I was originally drawn to this book by the fact that it was a retelling of the story of Esther from the Bible. I was soon thrilled to find there was much more to it than just a retelling. The author expanded on some points of the original story that are often overlooked when it is generally taught and created an interesting world for the story to reside. I had recently done research on Esther and the aftermath and discovered that contrary to what most of us are taught in church, Esther was most likely held against her will, SA'd by her husband and was speculated to have died young after King Ahasuerus was assassinated. This shed a new light on Esther's situation and the former two facts are expertly explored in this novel with great sensitivity. Most people treat the story of Esther as a love story and I'm love how candid this story was.

The novel has a slow start and often repeated established character flaws by telling the audience rather than allowing us to observe Roxanna's flaws in a natural way. The opening chapter felt unnecessary. All information gathered in the opening chapter is also gathered in chapter 2 in the marketplace. Due to my introduction to the first act I expected the rest of the story to be mediocre. I was proven wrong part way through the Kingmaid saga with the re-introduction of Owen and the conflict between Jayla, Roxanna and the impending meeting with the king. And after that point the plot didn't disappoint.

The pacing was perfect after the slow start. I found myself drawn into the uncertainty and conspiracy alongside Roxanna and ended up binging the book in two nights (at 1.50× speed).

I found the characters and the relationships between them very interesting. Roxanna and her uncle; Roxanna and the king; and Roxanna and Owen to name a few. They were all very complex.

One character that could've been fleshed out more was the minor antagonist, Lilith. She was pretty one dimensional and despite having access to her thoughts, Lilith's motives were just that she wanted to be queen. She acted like every mean girl in a teen film ever. But I found her very entertaining nonetheless.

Overall the novel was amazing! I loved more things than I hated and most importantly it allowed me to think about myself, my faith, and my relationship with God.

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