Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews – Review

If you want well-researched and engaging Biblical fiction, you cannot go wrong with choosing a Mesu Andrews book.

About the Book

The Old Testament book of Daniel comes to life in this novel for readers of Lynn Austin’s Chronicles of the Kings series or Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion series.

Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she’d perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Now, as Daniel’s wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she’s safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear–until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar’s palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and Bellili’s tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?
Ultimately, Yahweh’s sovereign hand guides Jerusalem’s captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions.

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In My Opinion

I love how Mesu Andrews can take stories that some of us learned in Sunday school and children’s church like Daniel and the lion’s den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and make me see them with brand new eyes.

Of Fire and Lions is the story of Daniel’s life as mostly told through the eyes of Abigail/Belili (his second wife). Daniel does get a voice within the book as well, but it’s through her eyes readers experience the exile to Babylon—the fears and doubts mingling with small moments of happiness and comfort. And let’s not forget some pretty amazing miracles. Who but God could closes the mouths of hungry lions or protect three men from death in a fiery furnace stoked seven times hotter than normal?

The amount of research Andrews pours into her books is so evident in this story, making it fresh, informative, and thoroughly engaging as if you’ve stepped back in time and are living alongside Belili and Daniel.

If you’re looking for a fiction read that will bring life to some beloved Bible stories while driving you to scripture for further study, you should add Mesu Andrews to the top of your reading list.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.