Miriam by Mesu Andrews (Treasures of the Nile series)

Biblical fiction can be a fun read if it is done well, and Mesu Andrews has done a fabulous job with her novel, Miriam.  Miriam is the second book in the Treasures of the Nile series.  I absolutely loved this book.  So, take some time to read below why I found this book fascinating.

From the Back Cover:

The Hebrews call me prophetess; the Egyptians, a seer. But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel and the messenger of El Shaddai.  When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret.  When He whispers a melody, I sing.

At eighty-six, Miriam has devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messanger.  Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name--Yahweh--and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.
Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of Pharoah?
Enter an exotic land where thousands of pagan deities are worshiped, Pharaohs rule, and the Israelites cry out to a God they only think they understand.

My Review:
When I saw this book, I thought it looked intriguing, and I decided to take a chance on this author I had not read before.  Wow, am I glad that I picked this book up!  It was amazing!  I loved how the author told the story of Miriam, Moses, and Aaron.  She did a great job being true to the Biblical account of the plagues in Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea.  This story made me once again desire to dig in and read the Biblical account of the Israelites.  This wonderful and familiar story now had different aspects I wanted to re-read carefully.  It's so easy to just read through a familiar story and overlook small details.  This story helped me to imagine what it must of been like to live under an Egyptian ruler as slaves.  And I what I really loved about this story was that it made me think about God and His work in the lives of His people. This book is right up there with Lynn Austin and will definitely be counted as one of my favorites.  I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

You can read the first chapter below:

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About Mesu Andrews

Mesu Andrews is the award-winning author of Love Amid the Ashes and numerous other novels including The Pharaoh’s Daughter. Her deep understanding of–and love for– God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for readers. Mesu lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Roy and enjoys traveling to visit her growing tribe of grandchildren.

***I received this free book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.