Book Review: Mark of the Lion Trilogy (Books I and II)

After taking several weeks off I am linking up again with my girl Stephanie over at How Sweet This Is for a book review.

Mark of the Lion Trilogy

by Francine Rivers

Description from Francine Rivers' website:

A Voice in the Wind transports readers back to Jerusalem during the first Jewish-Roman War, some seventy years after the death of Christ. Following the prides and passions of a group of Jews, Romans and Barbarians living at the time of the siege, the narrative is centered on an ill-fated romance between a steadfast slave girl, Hadassah, and Marcus, the brother of her owner and a handsome aristocrat. After surviving the massacre of her family and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, Hadassah is captured and sold to a well-to-do merchant’s family. Brought to Rome, she is pressed into service as a personal slave to hedonistic Julia Valerian.  Hadassah struggles to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to treat her masters in a manner in keeping with His teachings, but she is forced to keep her religious identity a secret in order to survive.  Confused and alone, she has only her faith to cling to as she tries to subtly bring God into the lives of her captors.  Reckless, impulsive, and villainous, Julia tries to undermine Hadassah at every turn.  But Julia’s brother, Marcus, is a different sort altogether.  Is it possible for a love between Hadassah and Marcus to flourish considering not only their differing stations in life, but also the gap between Hadassah’s unrelenting faith and Marcus’ lack of belief in anything?  Simultaneously, Atretes, a captured soldier from Germania, is forced to become a gladiator. This is the time of Rome's decline and the decadence of a civilization on the verge of self-destruction serves as a powerful backdrop to the Barbarian’s struggle for survival in the arena.

My Review:

I cannot say enough about this trilogy! I first read through the series about five years ago and was immediately impressed with author Francine Rivers - enough that I have now read all but three or four of her novels. I have wanted to read this series again for some time and am so glad I did. The ladies in my book club are reading it with me (for their first time) and are thoroughly enjoying it as well.

Francine Rivers' impeccable descriptions of Jerusalem, Rome and Ephesus will have you wanting to visit these destinations in person - regardless of the fact that the Roman Empire is long gone. As she paints the portrait of Roman culture you will find yourself comparing many of Rome's immoral compromises to our own faltering value system of today. (If that doesn't trigger an in-depth conversation at your book club, I don't know what will.)

Rivers has amazing character development, not just in this series but in her other novels as well. The character of Hadassah will challenge any reader to take a closer look at their heart and their faith. Do I have the heart of a servant? Is my faith strong enough to uphold me when I'm surrounded by temptation?

Regardless of whether you're a believer or not, this series will leave an impression on you.

My only complaint: they haven't made a movie of this yet!  This story has it all - love, faith, gladiators, history, betrayal, politics and adventure.

Note: Although there are three books in this series and the individual stories are connected throughout, Books 1 and 2 center around Hadassah and the Valerian family, while Book 3 is about Atretes the gladiator.



Have you read anything good lately?
If so, please share!
I am always looking for books to add to my reading list.



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