Book Review: Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette

 About the Book:

As the eldest son of a Levite and a Philistine, Avidan is torn between his duty to his family legacy and the desire for something more. After an enemy attack strikes close to home, he takes the opportunity to fight with his cousins for the newly crowned King Saul. But when one of the cousins goes missing during the battle, Avidan refuses to leave him behind.

Keziah is the daughter of one of the most powerful clan chiefs in the territory of Manasseh. On the brink of a forced marriage to a loathsome man decades older than her, she has no choice but to run, hoping to find sanctuary with her mother's family.

United during their journeys and battling to survive the dangers that surround them, Avidan and Keziah make a pact to travel together. As challenges pile up, they must not only rely on each other to stay alive but also learn to trust the true and eternal King of Israel to guide their every step.

Read an excerpt from Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette on the publisher's website.

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My Thoughts:

With happy anticipation of an engrossing story, I cracked open Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette. The plot held an ebb and flow of danger that kept my attention without being too intense. Both main characters, Keziah and Avidan, were in their late teen years and retained some youthful naivete that lent a young adult feel to the novel. As events progressed, both characters matured in ways that created depth in character and story. I particularly liked Avidan’s coming-of-age progression as he learned to find his calling and embrace his Levite heritage.

The romance between Avidan and Keziah added a layer of sweetness to the overlaying danger in Voice of the Ancient. Avi’s integrity and kind treatment of Keziah endeared him to me. Some of the situational juxtapositions and statements about how the Israelites valued their wives and daughters seemed to be a bit of a stretch to me. (I’m certain many of them did, but in the patriarchal society of the Old Testament females were often chattel.) The slow-burn romance created a relationship built on a communion of minds and hearts that made me smile.

Voice of the Ancient laid a foundation for The King’s Men series by Connilyn Cossette as Avidan and his cousins appear together in a way that we may not see again until the end of the series, if then. Mentions or cameos of characters from Cossette’s The Covenant House series appeared fairly often, and I found myself wanting to reread that duology, but Voice of the Ancient works fine as a standalone. I recommend Voice of the Ancient to readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories with danger and romance in a Biblical-era setting.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.