A review by abby_punches
Hadassah: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney

1.0

Honestly? This book manages to achieve comical levels of poor writing, weak plot, and unbelievable characters on a level I've only encountered in Wattpad "Your Name" fics.

I've read a lot of biblical novels of varying qualities and I can think of at least two other Biblical novels based on the story of Esther that beat this one to shreds in every aspect. Please, I beg of you, go read one of them. Only read this book if you want to encounter A) a version of ancient Persia that is disappointingly lacking in fact, B) the perpetuation of harmful gender stereotypes, C) an interpretation of the historical King Xerxes that hand-waves his true nature, D) interpersonal relationships and plot points that flat out couldn't have existed in Persian court culture, and E) the transformation of Haman the Agagite into the first person to appropriate the swastika as a hate symbol.

Read Trudy J. Morgan-Cole's "Esther: A Story of Courage" or "Esther: A Novel" by Gini Andrews. Leave this one alone.