Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews Review & Giveaway!

Release Date: January 16, 2018

Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah

ISBN: 9780735290259

Genre: Biblical Fiction / Historical Fiction

Series: Prophets and Kings, Book One

Stay tuned until the very end for an opportunity to win a copy!

About 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?

My Thoughts:

Ladies and gentlemen, the long awaited wait for Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews have finally arrived. This is a book that will tug at those heartstrings as we journey along with Hephzibah (or Ishma as we first meet her in the beginning). Based on Biblical passages from 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah, Mrs. Andrews brings the characters, stories, and events through life that make the reader feel as if they were really there.

These books are usually books I tend to glance over or skip because they aren’t easy to understand. So obviously a lot of this plays into the fictional world where Andrews makes it her own. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it challenged me to pull my Bible out and study it for myself.

The characters are raw, messy, and come to life as if you personally know them making them all the more relatable. The book is told through three perspectives, Hephzibah, the prophet Isaiah, and Hezekiah. This was brilliantly done because we have the chance to glimpse the story from all angles and better understand what’s happening. We first meet Hephzibah as a five-year-old child who had just been released as a captive. She finds herself in the household of Isaiah and his family. Watching her grow up and overcome her trauma instead of playing the victim was beautiful to watch. Andrews does not sugarcoat anything of what someone who has seen trauma will struggle with as a friend, daughter, and wife. She turned out to be a beautiful and strong woman who many will look up to.

Watching Hephzibah and Hezekiah continue to trust the Lord despite all of the things that were thrown at them was amazing to watch. And trust me, those two had a lot thrown at them that they could have easily given up and turned their backs on God. They chose to remain faithful. In fact, this is what makes Hezekiah stand out from many of the other kings of his time. He was a strong and faithful leader who never waivers from God. There were so many amazing moments of faith that I found myself questioning my own faith. If I were placed in these same situations, would my attitude be the same? To be honest, I didn’t like some of the answers I came up with.

This is a story about true sacrificial love, trusting and fully relying on God even when our circumstances make it hard, remaining faithful to the Lord even when others disapprove, a love that will never end (both within a family and non-blood family), especially a never-ending love of our Heavenly Father.

Highly recommended! Do yourself a favor and purchase a copy today.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Purchase your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, or Lifeway

VISIT MESU at her website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest

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***GIVEAWAY!!!***

Before you go, be sure to enter for your chance to win a copy!

All you have to do is enter through the rafflecopter link below. You must enter through the rafflecopter to be qualified.

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter

Giveaway begins January 15, 2018, at midnight and ends January 22, 2018, at midnight.

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Open to Continental U.S. residents only.

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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

About Mesu Andrews:

Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, live in a log cabin snuggled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains with their dog, Zeke. The Andrews’ have two married daughters and a small tribe of grandkids. Mesu loves movies, football, waterfalls, and travel.

Biblical fiction is her favorite genre to read and write. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes(Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) relates the poetic Song of Solomon in story form, and Love in a Broken Vessel (Revell, 2013) sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in biblical Israel. The Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) displays God’s sovereignty over Jezebel’s daughter, Queen Athaliah. The Pharaoh’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015), the first in The Treasures of the Nile series, unveils Moses’ early years through the eyes of his Egyptian mother, and Miriam (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2016), the second book in the series, introduces Yahweh’s prophetess during the ten plagues and the Exodus as she struggles to trust this God she doesn’t understand. In January 2018, Isaiah’s Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings (Waterbrook/Multnomah) reveals the little-known personal life of the prophet Isaiah and introduces readers to his captivating daughter.