Edghill re-creates the story of Michal, David's wife. Through rich description and vivid detail, Edghill produces a believable world, in which her characters interact. The story, like many modern "mishnah" tales diverges from the biblical account on several issues, and is not, therefore, a true retelling of the Bible story. The results is enjoyable and engaging, though not without challenges. In contrast to the well developed world of the story, the characters tend to be two dimensional. Throughout, the reader knows which character will be "good" and which will be "bad". Given the rich truly three dimensional characters in the biblical account upon which this narrative is based, this is somewhat disappointing. I hope the author will explore the complexities of human nature in later studies. My second, somewhat minor complaint involves one of the sub-plots. Without "giving away" the plot, I would like to express concern with the treatment of the Amnon-Tamar story. In the Bible, Tamar was raped; in fact, the "patriarchal" text of the Bible specifically addresses very real pain of women, particularly women who are not supported by their families, after rape. Edghill has altered the account to reflect a love story. I can only say, that as a woman, I find this disturbing. Our society has difficulty with rape; not only in believing the victim's accounts but in understanding the act of rape itself. In the past, it was often assumed that "she asked for it" or that she "really wanted it". I am concerned that changing a well-known rape into a love story subtlety supports, or even legitimates, such thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in fact, I finished it in one reading as I was unable to put it down. Readers of fantasy (to whom the book seems to be marketed) will certainly enjoy the story. Biblical literalists may be uncomfortable with the story, particularly the entirely negative view of David. However, literalists may discover new insights into the biblical account through comparison and the authors insights.
