Name: The Prophetess
ISBN: 9781410488428

Jill Eileen Smith

Chosen by God to judge her people, Deborah must find the courage to save her nation from the armies of Canaan without destroying her family.

Deborah's Story

The Prophetess

Outspoken and fearless, Deborah has faith in God but struggles to see the potential her own life holds. As an Israelite woman, she'll marry, have a family, and seek to teach her children about Adonai--and those tasks seem to be more than enough to occupy her time. But God has another plan for her. Israel has been under the near constant terror of Canaan's armies for twenty years, and now God has called Deborah to deliver her people from this oppression. Will her family understand? Will her people even believe God's calling on her life? And can the menace of Canaan be stopped? With her trademark impeccable research and her imaginative storytelling, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the story of Israel's most powerful woman in a novel that is both intriguing and inspiring.

Jeni Enjaian

Once again I wish that goodreads offered half stars with the rating system. (Do you think if we mention it often enough, they might get the hint?) If they did, I would rate this book 3.5 because it is a step above average but not quite good enough for 4 stars.

Good Biblical fiction is difficult to find. More often than not there is either an issue with theology or an issue with writing skill. The act of artistic license also must form a tricky line for these authors to walk.

Smith has so far done a good job with her novels. Some I have found more compelling than others. This one is very middle of the line for me. She definitely stepped up her game a bit compared to "Rebekah." That one was very nearly a disaster. She did not quite step it up to the level of her "wives of David" series.

One of the biggest issues that I had with this novel was the seemingly distracted focus from Deborah. The title tells us that this is Deborah's story. However, Smith tells many chapters from the point of view from other characters including Barak, Jael and Deborah's daughter Talya.

Smith also stays mostly on the surface of the various issues. A few times the narrative looks like it is about to take an interesting turn and dig deep but then it swims back up to the surface.

Overall this is a decent book. I would not, however, add it to my personal library.

The Prophetess Deborah's Story

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