This was a retelling of Queen Esther told from her slave, Darya’s perspective. I thought it was a very faithful and clean retelling! This novel is perfect for middle school readers and it would help them understand the Biblical story!

What a wonderful story. Though I am not Jewish, I enjoyed learning about these characters and events. The author did a fabulous job of making the characters learn and grow, and I looked forward to seeing their story to the end. The details of the setting were enough to keep me grounded, but not so much that it overwhelmed me and took me away from the characters. An excellent book for older readers.

I have always loved the story of Queen Esther and while I read it as a Christian from the Old Testament it really is a Jewish story of persecution and providence. I loved the way Pransky tied in the culture and references to the handmaidens with a middle grade twist. Yes, as an adult reader I saw many of the plot points coming but a middle grade reader would not. It isn't often that I find a book that celebrates a Biblical/Jewish heroine and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book! I love how Pransky put lots of thought behind the historical aspects of the plot 😁 The storyline was really entertaining and the plot twist at the end I did not see coming! Although, thinking back on the plot there were many points that alluded to what happened at the end of the book. I also think that the time jumps were well done and helped the story move along at a good pace. The writing style was also very simplistic since this is intended to be a middle-grade book. Overall this was a great story 😊

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh. My. Gosh. I love this book so much. I felt as if it got a bit slow at times, and it was a bit predictable, like some of the other Middle Grade/YA historical fiction I've read in the past, but it was overall amazing because I'm kind of a sucker for those cliche books. I want to see where the story could go for here, and personally, fingers crossed for a sequel! Overall, I loved this book, and I recommend it if you're into historical fiction and ok with a slight cliche.

I grew up reading Ann Rinaldi, so YA historical fiction novels aren’t anything new to me. With that being said, the story of Esther was also familiar. Adding in the slave story of Darya made this a fun read, especially the plot twist between Jaleh and Parvenah. However, nothing too scandalous or salacious happens as this story is geared toward kids.