I found this book in the article "Christian Fiction Books That Everyone Should Read" or something like that. When I saw that it was a part of the four-book series called The Cities of Refuge, I ordered two first books. Long story short, I read the first one and returned both. It's not my type of book, to be honest. Read further to know why!
About the Book
If you're familiar with biblical history at all, you might have heard about the cities of refuge. They're described in Joshua 20, which says that these cities are supposed to become a shelter for those who murdered someone with no intention of doing so. Since the law allowed blood revenge, such people needed a hiding place to escape the upset relatives of the dead. A needed measure, but a pretty sad concept.
However, you probably won't be able to remember any specific bible stories related to the cities of refuge because there aren't any. At some point in her life (after writing her best-selling series called Out of Egypt), the author was interested in the concept, so she decided to write another book series. This is how The Cities of Refuge was born.
I am not sure about the rest of the books, but the first one tells the readers the story of Moriyah, a young woman who is forced to flee to one of the cities. Actions take place under the reign of Joshua (Yehoshua in the book), and the author paints a nice picture of how Israelites lived in those times. From what I understand, the rest of the series is talking about members of Moriah's family and their stories.
Pros and Cons
As I've already mentioned, the book allows us to take a better look at everyday life in Israel and see the big picture that we know from the Bible through the eyes of the simple people. From cooking meals to exploring new territories - the author describes many things that help us understand what was happening in the country and people's hearts.
The main idea of the book is built around justice and mercy, which reminds the readers of what Jesus did for us. I like that in books because I believe that everything that Christians do should point to Christ. Another good thing about A Light on the Hill is the happy ending - it was very unexpected but very satisfying since, throughout the story, the main characters had to go through a lot.
Speaking of a lot, I would honestly call this the biggest disadvantage. The story was filled with drama, every chapter brought new troubles and unexpected turns. I don't know, maybe some people like a dynamic story like this one. But as I saw it, in Moriyah's life everything was bad and getting worse and worse. I probably should have expected something like this in the series called Cities of Refuge.
Another thing that I didn't appreciate was the romantic part. Don't get me wrong, I love romance, and sometimes it's nice to see a twist to it as the book offered. But the main romantic storyline was built around two people who were neither married nor engaged - moreover, for the most part, they were sure they will never be together. I understand that forbidden love must be exciting, but not to the point of kissing and sleeping in each other's arms. Though I have a feeling that, in American culture, this kind of behavior is not considered wrong and sinful.
My Rating - 6
Even though the ending was very satisfying, and I was excited to know how the book ended, I didn't enjoy reading it for the most part and didn't decide to continue with the series. There are certainly some good sides to it, and I do not doubt that many people like it. But for me, it's a six.
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