About the Book

Book: Hadassah
Author: Diana Wallis Taylor
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Release date: July 2, 2019

One of the great heroines of the Old Testament, Hadassah was a beautiful, graceful young woman who put her faith in God and her guardian, her cousin Mordecai.

She dreams of marrying Shamir, a tall, handsome, studious young man who is the rabbi’s son. Her heart beats faster when she hears the sound of his deep voice as he reads the Torah. And she hopes that he will visit Mordecai soon to present a betrothal request. Then, an upheaval in King Xerxes’s palace changes everything. Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen. Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Since he works as a record-keeper at the king’s gates, he can keep tabs on how she is doing. Hadassah: Queen Esther of Persia imagines what life was like for the woman who saved her people—and perhaps found love in the process.

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About the Author

Diana Wallis Taylor was first published at the age of twelve, when she sold a poem to a church newsletter. After receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education at San Diego State University, she was an elementary school teacher for twenty-two years. Diana has also sold real estate, opened two coffeehouse/used book stores, and was a conference director for a private Christian college. She has an extensive portfolio of published works, including a collection of poetry; an Easter cantata, written with a musical collaborator; contributions to various magazines and compilations; and several books, including Lydia, Woman of Philippi; Mary, Chosen of God; Ruth, Mother of Kings; and Halloween: Harmless Fun or Risky Business? Learn more at www.dianawallistaylor.com.

My Review

The book of Ester is one of my many favorite books in the Bible. The stunning book cover grabs your attention. I’m not one to pay a lot of attention to book covers but this one is stunning.

I know and expect an author that writes Biblical novels must add fictional details and make assumptions, and I get that to make a story work. Adding details is fine, changing the facts found in the Bible when there is enough of information in the book of Esther to form a novel around the biblical account. I know I seem to judge books based off of the Bible differently.

The story goes back and forth in each chapter from Hadassah and Mordecai. The author states in the epilogue that she wanted this book to be a love story between Ester and King Xerxes.

The author writes beautifully and she is descriptive in telling the story of Hadassah. You can image what life was like in the palace, and in Susa, and just the culture in general.

The characters had a lot of depth overall. She gives the characters emotions that anyone can relate to. However I felt she made Ester a bit too happy throughout the story. I would have expected a bit more of a roller coaster of emotions considering the situation and the fact that she was hoping to be betrothed to another once he asked Mordecai for permission. I have a hard time digesting the love story as strong considering King Xerxe’s harem and the mention of him still using them. However this is the author’s choice and I just had a hard time imagining that strong of a love story.

I love the extra historical references added to the story and made it more interesting. The time lapse throughout the story threw me for a loop a few times.

The beloved phrase “For such a time as this” the author didn’t spend as much time on what I would consider the pivotal point leading up to the climax of the story. We know that her actions and being faithful to G-d saved her people from destruction. I know every year when we as a family celebrate the Feast of Lots (Purim), we celebrate the joy of the survival of the Jewish people being saved by our enemies. That is just my opinion and what I would have wanted a bit more focus on in the plot.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book. This is the first book that I have read from Diana Wallis Taylor and I plan on looking into other books from her after this story.

I received a free copy of this product from Celebrate Lit Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information accordance with the FTC Regulations.

Read an Excerpt

Besides the usual vendors, there were strange, sweaty men with beady eyes who were looking to get rich from the additional population. In the wee hours of the morning, while Mordecai sat with his head in his hands, silently praying, Jerusha stopped breathing, slipping away so quietly that Hadassah thought she was still sleeping. One day, to the people’s relief, the news was spread that the unwelcome banquet guests had been ordered back to their provinces—to prepare for war. Instead of bowing, Hadassah smiled unabashedly and gazed directly at the king, who at that moment had turned his head. “Do not give your name as Hadassah, but tell them it is Esther, which is a Persian name. I would have you hide your Jewish heritage for now.” She felt their eyes silently appraising her; some with open interest, some with sympathy, and others with calculating shrewdness. Esther asked each maid gentle, innocuous questions about her homeland, favorite foods, culture, and the like, listening attentively to their answers and making sure to speak to them by name both to let them know they were important to her and also to help her remember who was who. “If you maidens help me to be my very best when I am called to the king’s chambers, if he honors me by selecting me as his queen, I will not forget you, who helped to put the crown on my head.” Esther had seen some of the women pass her quarters so laden with jewelry they could hardly walk. She wanted to laugh out loud, but suppressed even a smile. Recognition came. “Ah, the maiden in the crowd. I thought about you many times.” He moved closer. “I remember your hair, like a cloud around your face.”