Title: The Sisters of Corinth
Author: Angela Hunt
Series: The Emissaries, book 2
Major Themes: Early Church, Greece, Corinth, Idolatry
Synopsis: Mariana simply wanted to serve God with all her heart, but her stepsister Prima was ambitious; which of them would end up married to the governor’s son?
I have enjoyed a number of Angela Hunt’s books, especially the biblical fiction series she did about various women who were in Jesus’ life. So when she began a new series, called The Emissaries, about people who had contact with the apostle Paul, I was eager to read these books, as well. I liked a lot of what I read in The Sisters of Corinth, the second book in the series, but I did come away with mixed feelings.
Publisher’s description:
When the new provincial governor arrives in Corinth, the esteemed Chief Magistrate Narkis Ligus, father to Mariana and Prima, is delighted. He sees a golden opportunity to propel himself to greater power and fortune by uniting his and the governor’s households through the marriage of one of his beautiful unwed daughters to the governor’s firstborn son.
Yet complications quickly arise in Narkis’s own family. Mariana, his stepdaughter, holds steadfast faith in Yeshua, rendering her hesitant to marry a man devoted to the Roman gods, despite Narkis’s urging. On the other hand, Prima, his daughter by birth, yearns for a life of wealth and status and is willing to go to great lengths to secure a marriage that fulfills her desires—even if it means betraying Mariana to do so.
My thoughts:
I can’t say very much about this book without giving spoilers. The plot has so many complications that I was drawn in and kept interested all the way through! I really liked Mariana. She lived by her convictions, and while she did compromise to a certain extent at the beginning of the book, she declared her faith firmly later, when she could do so without endangering her mother. I really appreciated a discussion two people had at one point in the book about grieving the loss of children, and where unborn babies’ souls end up.
There were two basic themes that I was somewhat uncomfortable with. One was that a character prostituted herself multiple times throughout the book in order to further her selfish goals. This was handled very discreetly, but it was there. What I did like about that was the clear picture of how our actions determine our destiny. The other thing that I questioned was whether Christian women would have spent so much time putting on makeup and jewelry to appear beautiful at banquets. In the situation in which Mariana and her mother found themselves, though, they may well have, and possibly Paul’s teachings about women adorning themselves with good works rather than gold and pearls (1 Tim 2:9) had not reached Corinth at this time. I liked the ending of The Sisters of Corinth—and it leaves me dangling. Now I need to read the next book so I know what happened to them!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 15: Several cats die. Chapter 17: Man assaults woman. Chapter 19: Sentence about temple prostitution. Chapter 20: Married couple in bed together. Chapter 21: Man killed by a gladiator in arena; woman prostitutes herself to a man (happens repeatedly through the rest of the book). Chapter 22: Aftermath of first prostitution. Chapter 24: More thoughts about committing “acts that would shame my father.” Chapter 25: Baby dies. Several more references to unwed pregnancy; worship of Aphrodite throughout the book.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Library Binding | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
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