Reign by Ginger Garrett

I think that, apart from Jesus, there hasn't been such a polarising character in the Bible such as Jezebel. Actually, scratch that, everyone agrees that Jesus is good, the argument is whether He's God. Jezebel though, there are two camps - she's the first feminist, or she's pure evil.

So naturally, I'd find a book that tries to imagine her life (I'm not sure what this is called, creative biography? Slight fiction? Bible-based fiction?) quite interesting. I was also really curious as to how her character would be portrayed.

And you know what? I'm really impressed with this book. It somehow manages to be sympathetic to Jezebel without downplaying the magnitude of the sins she committed.

In Reign, Jezebel is a reluctant bride to Ahab. She was never loved in her family, and she decides to leave her mark on the world by killing the God of Israel. While she gives others the illusion of freedom of choice, her real motive is to drive all of Israel to her gods.

Opposing her is Obadiah, the palace administrator. He's an example of how one can be afraid yet still serve God. I wish he was braver in speaking out, but in this book, he's human - the same flawed beings that God works through.

The only character that gave me pause was King Ahab. In Reign, he's portrayed as (in the end), believing in the God, only that he was too weak to stand up to Jezebel. Personally, I don't think Ahab ever repented - but I could be wrong.

All in all, I think this is a good re-telling of the life of Jezebel.

Disclaimer: I got this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.