Strength by Lauren H. SalisburyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ok, so this book. I'm all set to start reading Discernment (book 3) so I look it up on GR and then I go eh, how come I didn't review book 2???
Grab a copy and start reading and go... BUT WAIT I HAVE READ THIS. WHY DID I NOT REVIEW IT?
[Then I realise when I got to the acknowledgements that I probably didn't review it because I beta read it and then I forgot lol]
That doesn't change my opinion that this is a brilliant, brilliant book.
If you've ever wondered what happens between the time when the Pharoah's daughter adopts baby Moses and then he goes out and murders an Egyptian guard before running away, Salisbury's wonderful reimagining does a lot to fill in the gaps. Remember though, that this is (no longer baby) MOSES IN SPACE so obviously, not Egyptian, not earth.
Strength covers Moses' teenage years. Mahsan has grown up an outcast in the Esaralian cruiser - and his only friends are really his mother, Reemah, and her two friends, Velay and Selah. He reaches that age where he really wants to know about his birth family - and defies his mother to do so, and then gets into all kinds of trouble, where he has to flee. I mean, that's the bare bones. You know how the Bible story goes.
But Salisbury's writing focuses on the women surrounding Moses, so where Courage focused on Gilla, Mahsan's birth mother, Strength focuses on Ra'hos Reemah, the Esaralian princess who defies all court and social conventions to adopt a human son. I love the strength that she shows in standing up for her son, even if that means curbing her own wild and adventurous nature, and becoming somewhat of an outcast herself so that Mahsan can grow up just like the pure-blooded Esaralians, with all their advantages.
There's political intrigue, of course, and help from unexpected quarters, including just a little bit of romance.
I love it and am excited to go on to read Discernment!!
View all my reviews
DISCERNMENT RELEASES TODAY! BUY NOW!
No comments:
Post a Comment