Splendor of the Land by Connilyn Cossette

Splendor of the Land is the first book I have read by Connilyn Cossette, and I am so excited to read more. This book is book three in The King’s Men series, though it can be read as a standalone without feeling like you missed anything. I plan on reading the others in this series, and some more books by Connilyn Cossette. This was a true work of art. It swept me in wholeheartedly, and I could not put the book down. This truly brought the bible times to life for me.

The character development was great. I loved seeing all the different characters, as well as the side characters. Gavi's story was great. I loved seeing his transformation, battling with alcoholism at the beginning. As they return home, he is reunited with his family and is able to see clearly what his youthful eyes had twisted. I loved seeing the family restoration. Zahava was such a fun character. Her strength, resilience, and love for her family shone through; even while in the middle of captivity, she held fast. Even with her ‘disability’, she overcame so much.

The storyline was amazing. I was totally sucked into the book and in the scenes with the characters. From the opening scene of Gavi watching Saul become king and Zahava learning to work with red gold, to the closing scene in the book. It was great.

The romance element was great. I loved the forced marriage, which later came to light, and her father’s intentions. It would have been fitting of the time. I loved the romance that blossomed through their circumstance and throughout the book.

Connilyn Cossette did a great job staying true to the bible. Even though there is not much mentioned about the Kenite people in the bible, and the main characters are not mentioned in the bible, you can tell a lot of research went into this story. The balance of research and creativity was the perfect balance to bring the bible to life. This is the fifth bible retelling story that I have read this year that has immersed me so deeply into the bible and made me want to do a bible study. This was perfect.

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.