Review: King’s Shadow by Angela Hunt

Angela Hunt expertly brings history to life in all of her books, but her Biblical fiction shines as the greatest example of her prowess. Throughout her incredible Silent Years series, I have gotten to know (on what feels like a personal level) Cleopatra, the Maccabees, the Hasmonean kings-and Queen Salome Alexandra-and lastly, the family of Herod the Great. With the conclusion of each book, I felt like I had just been given the best history lesson ever.

Before Angela started this series, I had never given much thought to the four-hundred years of “silence” between the Old and New Testaments. Now I have such a deeper understanding of this little-talked-about time period and even the two testaments that bookend it.

In King’s Shadow, we meet the true historical figure of Salome, King’s Herod the Great’s sister, as well as the rest of this troubled family. Living in the Herodian court was like walking a tightrope-make one wrong move and it might be your last!

Check out the beautiful cover-featuring Salome-and the official blurb:

Two women occupy a place in Herod’s court. The first, Salome, is the king’s only sister, a resentful woman who has been told she is from an inferior race, a people God will never accept or approve.

The second woman, Zara, is a lowly handmaid who serves Salome, but where Salome spies conspiracies and treachery, Zara sees hurting people in need of understanding and compassion.

Powerful and powerless, Idumean and Jew, selfish and selfless-both women struggle to reach their goals and survive in Herod the Great’s tumultuous court, where no one is trustworthy and no one is safe.

Who knew such drama, intrigue, and downright evil could exist in the royal court of Israel? King Herod’s rule was so much more complicated than I would have expected. We all know about the slaughter of the innocent children in Bethlehem, and Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt with the toddler Jesus, but that is merely one episode, one of the final episodes, in Herod’s long and tumultuous reign.

Angela never fails to make her characters feel real to the reader. Even though some of these characters are presented in history as “villians”, you can’t help but sympathize with them. As they say, every villain is the hero of their own story. In King’s Shadow, you get a glimpse at the humanity underneath the actions recorded in history and understand the emotions that may have motivated those actions. I enjoyed seeing all of these accounts through the eyes of Salome and appreciated her staunch loyalty to her family, even if it was severely misguided at times.

The true shining star of this story, though, is one of the few completely fictional characters-Salome’s handmaid, Zara. Her selfless dedication to Salome and Yahweh reminded me a lot of Haddassah from A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. Her gentle and guileless spirit stands in beautiful contrast to Salome’s scheming nature. By far, my favorite part of the book was towards the end when Salome said this to Zara:

“Whenever I wanted to know how a Jewish… how a righteous woman would react, or what she would think, I had only to look to my handmaid. You were my looking brass. And though I thought you would begin to reflect my manner over time, I can hope that in the future I will reflect you.”

From King’s Shadow by Angela Hunt

**cue the tears!** Oh, to be such an example to those around us! You never know who may be looking to you as their “looking brass”.

If you are interested in Jewish history, especially more little known areas of it, the ancient Roman Empire, and the Biblical fiction genre in general, King’s Shadow is a must read! 5/5 Stars!

PS: this entire series is a can’t miss for all Biblical fiction and ancient history lovers! Book 1, Egypt’s Sister, is available for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.