I recently read A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and As Sure as the Dawn all by Francine Rivers. I really enjoyed these books, staying up into the wee small hours to finish them. The books are much to complex to go into much, but I'll try to give a small preview. The chapters rotate between characters, so that makes it a little more difficult to review too. However, here are the individual reviews of each book:
(Spoiler Alert!)
- A Voice in the Wind: The touching story of a young Jewess and Christian named Haddassah. All of her family is either killed by the Romans or die of exhaustion and starvation. Haddassah alone is left alive, and even she is taken as a slave. She is bought by a Roman family as a maidservant for their young daughter, Julia, who is wild and ambitious. Haddassah ends up falling in love with Julia's brother Marcus. Near the end of the book, Julia agrees to release Haddassah and let her marry Marcus. But Haddassah refuses because Marcus isn't a Christian. Julia is furious and sets Haddassah up to be taken to the arena and eaten by lions. Marcus goes to the games that day and is sickened by what Julia is done, but he's too late to stop it. Thus ends Book 1.
- An Echo in the Darkness: As it turns out, a doctor waiting for the bodies when the lions are finished rescues Haddassah and treats her. Haddassah works with him, and God blesses her with healing power. She becomes know as Rapha, or healer. Through a twist, she becomes helper to Julia again without revealing her true identity! During Haddassah's ordeal, Marcus has gone to Judea to search out why Haddassah so steadfastly stuck to her faith. Marcus becomes a Christian on his journey. At the end of the book, Haddassah reveals herself, and after another twist, Marcus proposes again. Haddassah accepts.
- As Sure as the Dawn: This book is a follow-up of a sub-plot in A Voice in the Wind. A former gladiator named Atretes pursues his lost son and struggles to return to Germania, his homeland. But a young lady named Rizpah complicates matters...
These were among some of the most well-written books I've read in a long time. The faith of Haddassah and Rizpah is astounding. These books were so encouraging! There was a lot mature content, though, so just use wisdom and discernment when reading. What have you been reading lately?
