Skip to main content

Jerusalem's Queen (The Silent Years #3): A Novel of Salome Alexandra by Angela Hunt: A Book Review

Jerusalem's Queen (The Silent Years #3): A Novel of Salome Alexandra
Author: Angela Hunt
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: 2018
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Her Rise to the Throne Defied Expectations.
And Then She Proved to Be One of Judea's Greatest Rulers.

    Born in the small village of Modein, a place made famous by the warrior Maccabees, Salome Alexandra knows better than to harbor grand dreams for her future. She pales in comparison to her beautiful older sister, and though she learns to read at an early age, girls are not valued for their intellectual ability. However, when her father and sister are killed, John Hyrcanus, a distant relative, invites Salome and her mother to live with his family in Jerusalem, where her thirst for knowledge is noticed and indulged.


    When her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince, she questions HaShem's plan. When Hyrcanus finally marries her to a boy half her age, she questions her guardian's sanity. Though Salome Alexandra spends much of her life as a pawn ordered about by powerful men, she learns that a woman committed to HaShem can change the world. 


     My Review: Salome is the often neglected daughter in her family. Her mother prefers her prettier older sister named Kentura in favor of her. When her favored sister is killed, Salome is invited to enter her uncle’s house John Hyrcanus. Under her uncle’s teachings, she studies the Torah and learns about Judea's laws. Because of Salome’s intellect, her uncle bethroths her to a prestigious prince of the Ptolemies. 

   However, her fiance marries another woman, saving her from marrying into the violent and cruel family. Instead, she marries her cousin Alexander Jannaeus and eventually becomes queen. When her husband dies, Alexander Jannaeus chooses her to become his successor. Salome enforces God’s laws and practices in her kingdom.

  I did not know that before Israel became a Roman province, that the kingdom was ruled by a queen. Therefore, reading this novel gave me an excellent introduction to a fascinating woman whom I had never heard of. Salome Alexandria’s story is very compelling. She is a very smart and capable woman. Her uncle has given her an education that befits a queen. It is because of her abilities that her husband chooses her to be his successor. Salome Alexandra is also very devout and righteous. She cares about her people and to help her people love God. I also like that she wants girls to have an education. Thus, Salome Alexandra seems like she was a great queen.

   Overall, this novel is about faith, hope, and duty. This novel is about a woman who learns that she has a role to play in God’s plan. I found Salome Alexandra very similar to Esther because both of them use their power and status for the good of their kingdoms. I thought the characters were very realistic. The writing was filled with rich details about Ancient Jerusalem. While Jerusalem's Queen is a Christian novel, this book will appeal to those not interested in the genre because it is a biographical novel of a strong female ruler. Jerusalem’s Queen will appeal to fans of The Legend of Sheba, One Night with the King, and Queenmaker.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Interview with Melanie Karsak

Today, I have the pleasure of having an interview with Melanie Karsak! I have read and enjoyed her many series of books on some of history's more obscure or misunderstood women. Often, little is known about their true histories, either from not being recorded because of their gender and the unimportance given to women or else intentional character assassination. Mrs. Karsak seeks to bring light where much is shrouded in darkness. As a result, we are enriched by their lives and these fascinating women can speak to us through the centuries. In this interview, Mrs. Karsak talks about what drew her to these women and her writing pro cess! Thank you Mrs. Karsak! You have written books on Lady MacBeth, Hervor, Queen Boudica, Queen Cartimandua, and now Freydis. What drew you to write about these women? I like the unsung and maligned heroines. Hervor is a significant character in the Norse Hervarar Saga . In fact, there are two Hervors in that tale—grandmother and granddaughter. But

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Rose Code Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: 2021 Pages: 635 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.        Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.       Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.       1947, London.        Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, disaster threatens. Osla, Mab and Beth are estranged,