Title: The Crooked Daughter
Author: D. M. Griffin
Series: The Encounter, book 2
Major Themes: Jesus, Ancient Israel, Rome
Synopsis: When she was cast out because of physical problems, Priscilla had to choose how to react—and when Aquila was mistreated he, too, had to decide what circumstances would do to his character.
I enjoyed The Winds of Ruach so much when I read it a few months ago that when I was offered a review copy of The Crooked Daughter, I took it. I was glad that the author admitted that almost all of it was conjecture—because this book tells the story of three people who are mentioned in, at most, a couple of verses in the New Testament!
Publisher’s description:
Choices her father made before she was even born reached a bony finger into her life, clouding her future with hopelessness. Her father’s cold heart had no room for her. He easily cast her aside when the Law permitted it. Defined as an outcast because of a physical infirmity, Priscilla was told death was her destiny. Despite the limited perspective brought about by years of adversity, Priscilla fought to keep hope alive and wait for the Lord’s timing.
Aquila lost his father at the most critical time in his life. Battling against grief and bitterness, Aquila uncovers a secret about his father’s death that undermines his faith in a religious system that identified him. Driven from his homeland, Aquila becomes someone he no longer recognizes.
Two people whose perspectives are skewed by adversity become divinely intertwined in mysterious ways. As they wait upon the Lord for His timing, would Priscilla and Aquila ever find the truth that would lift their eyes to the hills so they could see the purpose of life, not only between a man and a woman but between God and His creation? A poignant story about how God uses adversity for good in the lives of those who truly love and trust Him.
My thoughts:
I found myself really enjoying The Crooked Daughter. Though Priscilla experienced so much rejection and hardship that she could easily have become bitter and angry, I liked the way her mother’s prayers and overheard wishes for her kept her from hardening. I appreciated the example of keeping her mind on the Lord and wanting to help others, even when she had very little for herself. In contrast, Aquila, when faced with adversity, mistreatment, and disillusionment, became hard, bitter, and angry. The consequences were dire—yet there was redemption and healing when he met Jesus.
I appreciated the vivid illustration of some of the things Jesus had to say against the Pharisees. It’s easy to read what He said about taking widows’ houses and just pass over it—but this book makes the reader feel the injustice of it. Also, the shock that people who met Jesus during his years of ministry would have experienced when they heard that He had been crucified—I felt that while reading The Crooked Daughter. So, while most of the story is conjecture, I really appreciated it and recommend it. If you like Biblical fiction, you will like this book. On the other hand, despite the good content and storyline, the book could use some editing. There are a lot of typos and grammatical/punctuation errors in the version I was given. I hope they have been cleaned up in the print version, but the digital one needs help.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 16: Fight between two men. Chapter 22: Man dreams of revenge. Chapter 24: Kiss.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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