UNTIL THE MOUNTAINS FALL is the third book in CONNILYN COSSETTE's CITIES OF REFUGE series. I really feel you will benefit by reading the first two books first, but it is not really necessary to do so in order to follow the story.Rikvah is the daughter of Amitai, the head priest in Kedesh, one of the Hebrew cities of refuge, and she nearly breaks his heart when she runs away with Nessa to the wicked city of Laish, in a fit of rebellion, ending up in Edrei, indentured as a scribe to the wealthy and wicked Samil.
Edrei is very different to Kedesh in that there is a form of godliness, but they have mixed pagan gods and practices into the worship of the Most High God.
We see how a person's selfish behaviour can bring trouble to those they love, as there are always consequences. In fact the novel could be called The Prodigal Daughter, as it follows the parable of the Prodigal Son, and also there is a strong feeling of sacrificial love, as parents throughout the story are ready to go into danger in order to save their children. There is an interesting comparison between the sacrificial love shown by Malakhi and Estabaal and Nessa's treatment from her abusive and selfish husband.
I enjoy seeing the development of the characters as they draw closer to the Lord, as we are reminded of God the Father's all encompassing love for His children.
The story starts just before the death of Joshua and ends at the time of the death of the High Priest, Eliezer. We see how the Israelites have largely forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and how there is fighting and lethargy amongst the tribes, making it easy for the Arameans to overthrow the city of Edrei, amongst others.
This author sets her stories in biblical times so very successfully, giving us a wonderful insight into what life was like then. This in no way detracts from the truth of the Bible. She has obviously done a great deal of research.
Until The Mountains Fall is a beautiful book and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.
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