Review of Chosen by Ginger Garrett

Review of Chosen:  The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther

by Ginger Garrett

Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him a queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther’s mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of an entire nation.

My Review:  I opened the cover of Chosen:  The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther

and I was drawn into the story.  I love journaling and so the style of the text was very appealing to me.   I could feel Esther's emotions and thought of the the fear she experienced as well as anger.  She was torn from her home and all that she loved and forced to go to the palace and become one of many wives of King Xerxes.   There was naturally jealousy and competition among the women who were vying for the crown.  Esther had a choice to make:  stay and work to win the king's heart and become the queen or be dumped into a harem and serve as a breeder for the king. 

The story of Queen Esther has always been a favorite Bible story of  mine. My daughters named three kittens after Queen Esther when they were young!   I have pulled my Bible out and compared the story in the Bible to Ginger Garrett's version.  Of course, she has taken license to add details that may or may not be entirely accurate, but she has obviously researched very well.  She is bringing the Bible to life for readers in a sensitive and intelligent way.   

I was given a free copy of this book from bookfun.org (The Book Club Network) in exchange for my honest review.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ginger Garrett is the author of the Chronicles of the Scribes series (In the Shadow of Lions, In the Arms of Immortals, In the Eyes of Eternity), Wolves Among Us, Chosen, Desired, Dark Hour, and Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther was recognized as one of the top five novels of 2006 by the ECPA.

Focusing on ancient women's history, Ginger creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women. A frequent media guest and television host, Ginger has been interviewed by Fox News, Billy Graham's The Hour of Decision, The Harvest Show, 104.7 The Fish Atlanta, and many other outlets.

A graduate of Southern Methodist University with a degree in Theater, she is passionate about creating art from history. Ginger resides in Georgia with her husband and three children.http://www.gingergarrett.com