Reviews

DNF at 19%.

I do not know how to rate this book because while I believe it was a well-written story, the type of storytelling would better serve someone who was not a mass murderer and who didn't commit many egregious acts of horror and violence against both God and numerous innocent people. And with the reviews of others talking about how supposedly evil Elijah is portrayed to be in this story, I feel like as a Christian that I do not want to continue reading this book.

This book seems to be written with a classic feminist formula, one that I usually enjoy. The protagonist is presented as a girl with a strong personality and a desire to make a positive difference in the world around her. Slowly but surely, the men (and sometimes women) in her life repeatedly remind her of her patriarchal place in the societal order, namely that she is to be lesser than the men around her. This girl grows into a woman over the course of the story, and she fights the injustice of her circumstances by taking one of two paths: either she becomes a rebel leader and totally rejects patriarchal norms in the process, or she plays by patriarchal rules and eventually loses herself in the desire to find her own way. This story seems to choose the latter path, and I am assuming that the true and gory end of Jezebel's life remains the end of her story here (view spoiler)

Now, while I said that I usually enjoy stories that play on these themes, I do not believe this story is a good utilization of this way of storytelling. By making Jezebel its protagonist, this book makes for a poor story in bad taste by glorifying this Hitler-like woman as someone who is simply misunderstood and should be sympathized with.

Again, I am not bashing the feminist formula. This same formula works brilliantly in other stories and in mythologies like the beloved Greek, Norse and African stories I was raised on, for one key reason: the gods and men in these stories are jealous and petty, with the men freely oppressing the women and acting like patriarchal dictators.

In contrast, from the reliable sources we have accounting for Jezebel, Ahab, and Elijah's characters, it seems as if the only ones upholding oppressive patriarchal narratives in this case are, in fact, Ahab and Jezebel. In reality, Elijah is a social rebel, helping many in his quest to follow the will of God. In fact, a part of his story is actually feeding and protecting both orphans and widows, something that book!Jezebel claims is a motive for her upon her move to Israel. Sadly, unlike the narrative presented here, there is no factual evidence that real!Jezebel ever wanted to help the people of Israel.

To sum up, Elijah is motivated by the divine and healing power of God to liberate oppressed people under the tyrannical rule of this despicable husband and wife duo. To twist his character and turn a rebel leader and prophet of God into a kind of jealous ex-lover (there is no factual evidence of any romantic connection between Jezebel and Elijah) is not only erroneous, it is wildly disrespectful to the reputation and character of a real man who had a heart for God and a desire to help those around him.

In the end, what I read so far was well-written, and I wish the author the best if she continues her writing career. However, the choice of subject was unworthy of the feminist genre as it glorified the sadistic and horrific actions of a Hitler-like figure well-known for her cruelty and evil.

TL;DR: Keep up the feminist retellings! But don't glorify horrific mass murderers and tarnish the reputations of truly good people in the process. And if you write about religious figures, please be respectful of the faith, culture, and people you write about, regardless of your own personal beliefs. Obviously writers have the free will to do what they want, but showing massive disrespect to important religious figures in multiple religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Mormonism to name a few) just paints the one spewing hatred in a bad light. Do better.