2015, 256p, Clean Historical Fiction
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
Moses has always felt like an outsider in his powerful Egyptian family, even though his close relationship with Ramses, the prince of Egypt, and their cousin Pentu keeps him entwined in the dealings of royalty. But when their youthful antics get them in trouble, the Pharaoh decides it’s time for all three of them to grow up and own their respective responsibilities. Now betrothed to a woman he cares nothing for, Moses wonders where his life is headed.
Miriam, a Hebrew slave, lives with a secret she cannot share with anyone. And though it has been eighteen years since she saved her baby brother, she is constantly getting in trouble for spying on him. In a desperate attempt to control Miriam, her older brother, Aaron, and her father look to find her a husband, something Miriam has never been interested in—until Caleb, a young, handsome man, confesses his feelings for her and asks her father for her hand in marriage.
When Libya advances on Egypt, Moses and Miriam are suddenly thrown together as the Egyptian royals and soldiers flee. Hebrew slaves are forced to defend the kingdom, and Miriam and Caleb are enlisted under Moses’s direction. Moses quickly sees there is more to this downtrodden people than what he’s been taught. When he witnesses the atrocities enacted against the slaves, he realizes he must leave—he must find out who he really is.
A gripping account of the events that lead to Moses’s flight into the wilderness, The Moses Chronicles: Bondage will take you back to a rich period of history replete with scandal, strife, love, and hope as God prepares a prophet to lead His chosen people.
I enjoy reading historical fiction based on real people and events. Heather Moore does a fantastic job of writing novels like these, and she is, in fact, one of my favorite authors. Even though I know the story, I love how the characters come to life and I'm given a fresh perspective on what may have happened to influence the decisions they make.
Miriam is a bit impulsive and sometimes that leads to something good, like saving Moses' life as a baby, and sometimes it leads to trouble, which happens twice in this book. She starts out determined not to marry but her father puts pressure on her and finds someone for her. She's appalled with his choice and finds someone more suited for her. It's not too hard to figure out at the beginning that Caleb has deeper feelings for her than he has let on and she finally considers him as something other than a nuisance. I loved their relationship and rooted for them as they dealt with some difficult circumstances along the way.
Moses is a young man who lives the life of a royal. It's widely believed that Bithiah, the pharoah's daughter, is his mother but his father is unknown so he's not fully embraced as one of them. He doesn't seem content and really doesn't fit in. We get to know more about his character as he helps Caleb get out of a bad situation, how he treats the Hebrew slaves who fight alongside the Egyptians against the Libyans and with how horrified he is by the way the Hebrew slaves are treated. He makes a life-altering decision when he witnesses a Hebrew slave being beaten to death. Shortly after that, he learns the truth about who he is and leaves Egypt.
There are some other characters we get to know as well. Bithiah, one of the pharaoh's daughters and the woman who raises Moses as her own, Mered, the Hebrew scribe who Bithiah feels drawn to but their backgrounds make it impossible for them to ever be together, and Katu, the nomad who helps Miriam during a difficult time. Aaron, Moses and Miriam's brother, isn't a main character in this story but does make some appearances and I'm sure we'll get to know him better in future installments.
I thought this first book was fantastic and had a hard time putting it down. Heather Moore does extensive research on her novels and I enjoy learning more about what life was like during this time period. There's so much more story to be told and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
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