THE PEASANT KING is another beautiful Biblical fiction novel by TESSA AFSHAR which comes after The Hidden Price. However the book can easily stand alone.
It is the eighth year of King Cyrus’ reign on the Persian throne and he is in the middle of an ongoing war with Astyages, the wicked Median king, who is also his grandfather. Keren and Jared are Hebrews who work closely with Cyrus, having even saved his life. They strongly believe that the Lord will use Cyrus to set their nation free. As this quore explains, “God’s plans for the world are somehow entwined with Judah’s destiny. Which makes God’s plans for Cyrus crucial to the fate of the world”. I love the way the author starts every chapter with relevant Scripture verses, for example the verses about Cyrus in Isaiah 44:24 and 28, as she reminds us of Biblical prophecy.
Keren is the king’s chief scribe who has passed her skills on to her twin children, Johanan and Jemmah. Johanan is brilliantly clever, whilst Jemmah is beautiful and caring.
Asher is the illegitimate son of Astyarges. He is hated by his father and the feeling is mutual.
The story is very exciting as we follow Jemmah and her adopted sister Zarina as they travel to Media to try and find their kidnapped mother. This is where they meet Asher…..
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling things for you.
There is war, there are secrets, there is betrayal, forgiveness, love and compassion, a sense of family and belonging to a man who felt he belonged nowhere, and a wonderful variety of characters, both Biblical and fictional, against the backdrop of life in ancient Persia, Media and Babylon, in this well researched and lovely read. I cannot recommend The Peasant King highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.
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