"King's Shadow" by Angela Hunt was a well-written, biblical fiction based on the life of King Herod, his sister Salome, her handmaid Zara, and their families. The plot is full of twists and turns throughout, which makes for a very interesting and intriguing read. I read the entire novel in less than 24 hours. It was a definite "page turner" and held my interest from the first page to the last. If you enjoy historical fiction, this might be a novel you may want to consider adding to your tbr list. ( )

The fourth and final book of the Silent Years series looks at the reign of King Herod through the eyes of his sister, Salome.

Salome is clever, cunning, and fiercely loyal to her brother. Coming from a lineage that is not considered truly Jewish, Herod and his family are viewed as outsiders by the people they govern, and nothing Herod does is enough to win the people’s love. Salome must work carefully to protect her brother from his mother-in-law’s ambitions and schemes and, later in his reign, from his own paranoia. Her handmaid, a young Jewish girl named Zara, becomes her confidante and friend as they both navigate heartaches, marriages, and children. Their impact on each other’s lives becomes all the more apparent as rumours of a new king, prophesied in the Torah, begin to circulate in Judea.

This was an excellent close to the series! I found it a bit confusing at first as all the characters and political allegiances were introduced, and lot of them had duplicate names, but everything became clearer as it went on and then it started getting very interesting! Unlike in Jerusalem’s Queen, the secondary POV of the handmaid was actually significant to the story at the end, and also helped to humanize the historical characters, adding emotion and motivation. ( )

This is the 4th book in a series, The Silent Years. I did not read any of the previous books and that really didn't matter. It can be a standalone book very easily. It is a fictionalized history story, but quite true to actual events. It is also a Christian fiction but not overly "Christian" or preachy, less than most of Angela Hunt's books, but still, God is displayed in Zara's life. Zara is the handmaid to Salome.

The characters are very well written and quite believable. The story seems very true to history and at times is quite gruesome as Herod could be very cruel.

The story goes back and forth between Salome and Zara and tells the story from two different perspectives. One, Salome the princess/king's sister, the other, Zara a Jewish handmaid.

I enjoyed the book. Towards the end, I was afraid I would not want to read the ending but I was pleasantly surprised. If you enjoy Biblical or historical fiction you will enjoy this book. Angela Hunt is a gifted author and I enjoy reading her books. This is no exception. I give this 5 out of 5 stars.

I requested and was granted this book through Netgalley to read and review. I was not required to give the review and the review is totally my honest opinion. ( )

This story cover the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament. It focuses on King Herod and his family, especially his sister Salome.

Salome loves her brother, and I believe his power, so much, she just can't see any fault in him despite the fact that he does some really evil things and is mentally growing more mad. She hides these things in her brother and protects him no matter what.

Zara serves Salome and she's my favorite character in the book. I enjoyed seeing her grow in her faith and care for Salome despite the fact that sometimes she didn't deserve it. I would have enjoyed having a bit more focus on her in the story but I really enjoyed what we did learn about her.

I think the thing I enjoyed most about this story is how the author portrayed Herod and Salome in real terms. They weren't just evil but a combination of things like real humans are. They cared for their family yet could be quite ruthless to others. It was more realistic than just the portrayals of Herod I've read where he's evil and nothing else.

This is a long book and it takes us through Herod's and Salmone's entire life. We see them grow, mature, and change for good and bad. There is a lot of information in this book but the author does a wonderful job of research and you feel like you are right there during that time. I enjoyed this book and am giving it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Bethany House. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book. ( )

“King's Shadow" by Angela Hunt is the fourth book in the “Silent Years” series, but can certainly be read as a standalone. I was intrigued by the concept of this novel. It deals with a time period in history that is not often written about and focuses primarily on lesser known characters (especially in the arena of Christian and Biblical fiction).

This novel takes place during King Herod’s reign (the king who ordered the murder of all of the male babies in Bethlehem in the Christmas story). It is told through the eyes of Herod’s sister Salome and her maidservant Zara.

"King's Shadow" is not so much an inspirational novel, but more of a great story that takes place in the Biblical time period. It has some inspirational content, but not as much as I expected. Ms. Hunt is an amazing writer and I love this story about the political intrigue surrounding Herod and his family. I learned so much about this period in history and the characters that are a part of the drama of the time (Cleopatra and Marc Antony, to name a few). It is a tumultuous time. It is fascinating to see what the political climate was like leading up to the birth of Christ and what happened in Herod’s life to make him the man he was (one who would order the mass murder of infants). I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of history and Biblical fiction.

Content: I rate this book PG-13. Being in Herod’s court means there is a lot of corruption. Some examples of the content are: a man attempts to rape a woman; sexual innuendos; references to bedding women and going to their chambers; mistresses; sexual references.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Angela Hunt and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. ( )