Title: The Peasant Queen-An Esther Retelling Author: Ashton E. Dorow
Burb: A king haunted by memories of his past... A young woman fighting against her future... Torn from her home and all that is familiar, Arabella of Caelrith finds herself as the unwilling bride of king Rowan of Acuniel--the man whose vengeful war stole her family. Bitter and confused, Arabella struggles to find her place in this new life. That is, until someone tries to kill the king.
Despite repeated warning to stay out of the matter, Arabella investigates the attempt on Rowan's life, and his parents' long ago murder, unconcerned with the potential cost of her interference. but when tragedy strikes, the seriousness of the situation becomes all too clear. Is the price of knowing the truth higher than she is willing to pay?
When the fate of the kingdom and all that she holds dear is at stake, will Arabella have the courage to stand against the evil endeavouring to destroy them all? Did God really abandon her when He left her to this fate? Or was she put in the king's palace...for such a times as this? Eeeek!!! You guys, I really cannot begin to explain how much I love this book, but of course I will try my best for the sake of this blog post. I first stumbled upon Ashton's page on instagram and I loved the aesthetic on her page. When I found out she was going to publish a book, I checked it out and became captivated by the beautiful cover. Seriously, though, let's take a moment to admire the cover again.
This story is a retelling of the Biblical story of Esther and it is set in the medieval time period with kings, queens, kingdoms, knights, battles and wars. I love the story of Esther so I couldn't help but get a copy of this book.
I was immediately drawn to the setting and the time period. I didn't realise I loved the medieval time period this much until I read this book. Ashton did an amazing job with her description of the setting and I could imagine myself walking the streets of Caelrith or down the palace hallways.
I loved the characters in this book. I could relate to Arabella's emotions, her questions, her tears, and all her frustrations. My heart reached out to her and it was so beautiful to see her grow in faith, hope, and trust in God throughout the book.
And Rowan...oh, Rowan. I thought him a very interesting character. Every time he frowned, I could almost imagine it in my head what he looked like haha. I loved following his journey of faith. Both characters went through very tough situations at a young age. This book doesn't shy away from tough questions and I love that the story is grounded in the comforting truth of God's Word.
I can't talk about this book without talking about the romance aspect of it. The hate to love trope was very well established here. It kind of reminded me of the romance arc in Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Ashton took us on a wonderful journey which took time but it was worth the wait. My heart melted and I smiled a hundred times. It was simply beautiful.
I also love the mystery aspect of this book. I kept wondering and guessing the whole time and it kept me on my toes. It made me want to keep the pages turning to find out. Every time I put the book down I felt a twinge of sadness and every time I knew I was going to continue reading it, my heart was happy.
The Peasant Queen is beautiful story about trust and about purpose. The thing about trusting God is that we don't always see the whole path but we have to trust that God has a good purpose even when it doesn't feel like it.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
Do you like retellings of Biblical stories? Will you be picking this one up? Which book are you currently reading? Thanks so much for reading. Have a lovely day. God bless you. Joanny :)
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