Book Review: Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette

“My opponent wavered on his feet, catching his breath from the relentless attack I’d delivered to his torso, and in that brief moment, my attention flitted up to the balcony that surrounded this royal courtyard….Surely it was only a trick of the light that familiar hazel eyes gazed down at me…”

-Lukio, Between the Wild Branches

Between the Wild Branches by Connilyn Cossette is the continuation of the duology, The Covenant House series. In this story, we get to experience the continuation of the story of Lukio, and his closest childhood friend, Shoshanna.

At the beginning of Between the Wild Branches, Lukio is back in Ashdod, one of five cities occupied by the Philistines, as a successful fighter, and has achieved wealth and notoriety because of his skills in fighting. Shoshana has been brought to Ashdod as a slave after the Philistines raided the Hebrew land where she lived. They are reunited under some precarious circumstances, and the plot begins.

Between the Wild Branches was a great sequel and wrap up to the first book. It was great to see the characters again because I enjoyed their stories so much. I read it in about two days, and a lot of my time was spent fighting the urge to turn to the end and find out how the author resolved everything that was going on. It was that intense!

There was lots of action, unique surprises, and scenarios that I kept wondering how the author was going to work out. The characters got themselves into so many predicaments that you wondered how they would ever untangle themselves. The plot was brilliant!!!

There was some violence in this novel that was not for the faint of heart. The Philistines were brutal and had some horrible practices. I didn’t know a lot of details about them, other than what I have read in the Bible in relation to well known people like Samson and David.

The setting is during the time period of the Judges in the Old Testament. So if you like historical fiction set in Biblical eras, you will enjoy this novel. 

Many blessings as you read!

To learn more about Between the Wild Branches, please go here.

To learn more about the author, please go to her website at ConnilynCossette.com.

To read an author interview about Between the Wild Branches, go here.

To read my review for the first book in the series, To Dwell Among Cedars, go here.

Book Review: To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette

 

"Her gaze fluttered about the room, as if the answer were written somewhere on the walls. "The Ark," she said on a gasp, her eyes flaring. "It's just as in my dreams. You must follow the Ark."

-Azuvah, To Dwell Among Cedars

Publisher's Description:

Eight years ago, when the Philistines stole and then surrendered the ark of the covenant back to the Israelites, Eliora left her Philistine homeland to follow the ark to the community of Kiryat Yearim. There, the family she was adopted into has guarded the ark at the top of a mountain in seclusion.

Ronen is a Levite musician determined to return the ark to Shiloh, where his tribe believes it belongs. He never expected that the Philistine girl he rescued years ago would now be part of the very family he's tasked to deceive.

As Ronen's attempts to charm Eliora lead them in unexpected directions, betrayal leaves Eliora with strained family ties and Ronen questioning his own loyalties. Ultimately, Eliora and Ronen are caught up in the battle for the soul of Israel and its future under the leadership of Samuel, the last judge before the era of the kings begins.


My Review:

The story in To Dwell Among Cedars is based off a story in the Old Testament where the Ark is taken by the Philistines and the is returned to Israel, and settles in Kiryat-Yearim. It takes place during the time period in Israel's history when judges ruled, right before they get their first king, in 1 Samuel 4-7.  You can read about it here.

I was not really familiar with the Biblical account. It seems like I had heard about portions of it, but did not have knowledge of or understand it in great detail. It was good to refresh myself and go back and read the account in the Scriptures again.

At the beginning of the book, there is a map (which I love) that helps you become acquainted with locations in the story, since the setting for the book takes places in several places.

In To Dwell Among Cedars, Connilyn Cossette has built a beautiful story around the account in 1 Samuel.  It tells the story of a girl who goes from darkness to light, which I believe is the story of us all who have put our trust in Jesus.

The girl follows the Ark of the Covenant, and it leads her into peace and family, redeeming grace and hope.  

I loved this story.  I read it slowly this time.  Often when I am reading, I read quickly because I want to know what happens next!  But this time, I read the story slowly, and just rested in the peacefulness of the setting and the plot.

There is a clean romance as part of the plot, which would be encouraging to young women/men in your life who are looking for God's best.  Honesty, courage, love, service, and kindness are all interwoven in the story, as well as how to handle situations when these character qualities are not demonstrated.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and stories based on the Bible.  This would be a great book to include as part of a high school homeschool curriculum.  

Many blessings to you as you grow in grace and the knowledge of Him,

Beth

*Disclosure statement: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

To learn more about the author, visit her at her website at connilyncossette.com.

To learn more about the book, please visit Christianbook.com.

In honor of this book release, I would like to give away a copy of To Dwell Among Cedars!  Just leave a comment believe telling me whether or not you are familiar with any of the stories of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament and what you know about it.  I will randomly draw a winner on New Year's Eve!  (US Residents only will receive a paper copy.  If you are located somewhere besides the US,  I can give away an electronic copy for Kindle.)

And the winner is...Kaylee!  Kaylee, please message your address to bethlisteningtohim@gmail.com.  Happy New Year!

Note: This post contains affiliate links from Christianbook.com. This means if you purchase one of these books after clicking on the link, I will generate a commission from that purchase. This does not influence my recommendation of the books.