First Line Fridays: Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews

Happy Friday! 

First Line Fridays is hosted by Hoarding Books and participants share the first line from a nearby book.

Today, I'm sharing the first line from Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews:

"I am Shebna. Small in stature, weak in body, strong of mind. A Levite."

Isaiah's Legacy released earlier this month. Do you have a copy or have you read this book? I read it last month and you can read my thoughts on it here.

What are you reading this weekend? I'd love for you to share your book's first line!

Happy reading!


About the Book:

At eight years old, Shulle has known only life in a small village with her loving but peculiar father. When Uncle Shebna offers shelter in Jerusalem in exchange for Shulle's help tutoring King Manasseh, Judah's five-year-old co-regent who displays the same peculiarities as her father, she's eager to experience the royal court. But Shulle soon realizes the limits of her father's strict adherence to Yahweh's Law when Uncle Shebna teaches her of the starry hosts and their power.

Convinced Judah must be freed from Yahweh's chains, she begins the subtle swaying of young Manasseh, using her charm and skills on the boy no one else understands. When King Hezekiah dies, twelve-year-old Manasseh is thrust onto Judah's throne, bitter at Yahweh and eager to marry the girl he adores. Assyria's crown prince favors Manasseh and twists his brilliant mind toward cruelty, beginning Shulle's long and harrowing journey to discover the Yahweh she'd never known, guided with loving wisdom by Manasseh's mother: Isaiah's daughter, the heartbroken Hephzibah. Amid Judah's dark days, a desperate remnant emerges, claiming the Lord's promise, "Though we're helpless now, we're never hopeless--because we serve El Shaddai." Shulle is among them, a girl who becomes a queen through Isaiah's legacy.

Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

Ishma, a name meaning desolation, proves sadly appropriate for a five-year-old, traumatized orphan. With only herself and her friend, Yaira, Ishma arrives in the prophet Isaiah's home so deeply wounded that she has lost her words. It is there she meets the young prince Hezekiah, whose own wounds have paralyzed his mind and body. Almost immediately, Prince Hezekiah and Ishma bond on a deep level. In each other, they find restoration and confidence. As they grow older, they challenge each other, play together, and fall in love. However, Ishma's status as an orphan makes her an unsuitable match for Hezekiah until Isaiah adopts her and renames her Hephzibah, meaning delight of the Lord. But the friendship is only the beginning of a lifelong relationship that will be challenged by war, disease, and infertility. As Zibah's future unfolds, she struggles between the prophetic meanings of her names: desolate and delight of the Lord. Will she be able to trust in the One who holds life, death, kings, nations, and her own heart? Read more in Isaiah's Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings by Mesu Andrews.

I started reading the Biblical book of Isaiah about the same time I started reading Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews. As far as I can tell, Isaiah's Daughter is well-researched and lines up with the Scripture. Both books contain times of great beauty and dark desolation. Throughout Isaiah's Daughter, the author addresses prophecy versus opinion. Characters grapple with discerning the line where prophetic truth ends and opinion begins. They struggled, they prayed, they questioned, even doubted. Just as we do in our lives today.

Likewise, I found a beautiful parallel for the lives we desire to live today in Hezekiah and Zibiah's relationship. The reader observes Hezekiah and Ishma/Zibah grow from wounded children into full-grown adults dealing with the issues of ruling a kingdom. Their relationship is based on solid friendship and respect. Therefore, when romantic love grows, it is infused with loyalty, devotion, and mutual admiration. Through the hard times they remain true to each other, and true to Yahweh.

Isaiah's Daughter is the fourth book I've read by Mesu Andrews and it is my favorite. I recommend this back to all fans Christian fiction. It is a beautiful, moving read that will not only entertain, but draw the reader closer to God.

Read an excerpt from Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."