Book Review | Shelter of the Most High
Sunday, September 23, 2018 Guess what, I'm finally back! With a book review.
'Shelter of the Most High' by Connilyn Cossette follows the story of the daughter of a pagan priest, who is captured by marauders. Sofea finds refuge in Canaan, in a city with a foreign language, foreign culture, and foreign God. She must decide whether those around her are trustworthy - and everything she has ever known is a lie, or whether they are just the same as the people in the village she has come from.
It was fascinating to be immersed in the historical culture of Ancient Israel. To see the difference in the cultures from the eyes of those who lived in those days was really interesting, and really impacted me with just how much God is different from false gods. Although people nowadays look at the rules of ancient Israel as confining, this book really shows just how protecting they were, and how contrasting they were from the cultures surrounding them!
But now - a closer look at the story.
It was so sweet to read about Moriyah again, and Derek. I was looking forward to reading about Eitan as well, as I loved him in 'A Light on the Hill' - the first book in this series.
Sofea was a really well-written character. I loved how she was small, yet so fierce. Her character development throughout the story was beautiful. Her protectiveness over Prezi and the way that the two eventually switched places was so interesting. The way that she slowly began to understand the concepts of forgiveness, mercy, and grace was my favourite aspect of the story.
Eitan was such a complex character. To be completely honest, I found him frustrating for the first half of the book. He misunderstood his father so much, even though I found his motives so easy to understand! It seemed like he was purposely oblivious and clueless, and also a bit selfish. But the second half of the book explained some of that. His character development was rewarding.
The plot didn't lag, although I did find I didn't fully get into the story until the second half of the book. At certain points of the story I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next.
I would recommend 'Shelter of the Most High' for readers 16+. There is a bit of violence, nothing graphic. The romance was a bit too much for my tastes.
Overall, I did enjoy this story. Connilyn is a talented writer, and the way she describes things is beautiful. She never fails to really open my eyes to the world of Moses & Joshua, a give me a better understanding of ancient Israel.
I hope you all enjoyed this review. Soon I will be back with another one - of 'Phantom's Daughter'. It has been long put off, but I can't wait to share it!
Sincerely,
Rachel
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