The Hidden Prince by Tessa Afshar is a story of sacrifice, betrayal, and friendship, one that will remind you that God knows the future and is working everything out for your good.
The daughter of Jewish captives, Keren is more comfortable with the duties of a scribe than that of a typical female. When she is sold to Daniel, she becomes his trusted scribe and is trained alongside his sons, and their son’s best friend.
After a tragic accident, Keren must flee Babylon to save her life. Her journey takes her to Media where she is tasked with the training of a student who must remain secret. Her new student challenges and amazes her.
Readers will quickly fall in love with Artadates who is charming but also kind. His character shines on the page and you get a glimpse of the man he will grow up to be and will understand why sacrifices were made on his behalf.
I enjoyed Keren’s character. She approached every task she was given with determination and didn’t give up. After her actions injured her dearest friend, she had the choice to become bitter or sink into self-pity, but she didn’t. Instead, she accepted the next assignment
and did her best to be obedient to God. She is a reminder that though things may not go the way we anticipated, God has a purpose for every trial and we must trust Him.
Jared had to learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness. Being injured was hard, especially in a time when it meant he was considered worthless by some, but he had to learn that sometimes the thing we think is going to destroy us, is the thing God uses to fulfill our dreams.
Keren and Jared’s love story was a slow burn that began at their first meeting and simmered throughout the book. Their relationship was one story of friendship and hope.
Readers of The Hidden Prince will be reminded that God has a plan for us and is able to use the worse situations in our lives to give us a future and a hope. But we have a choice. We must choose to endure. Following God won’t be easy yet we must be willing to do so even if He doesn’t grant us all the desires of our hearts.
I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.
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About The Hidden Prince
The beloved daughter of Jewish captives in Babylon, Keren is sold into Daniel’s household to help her family survive. She becomes Daniel’s most trusted scribe, while taking lessons and swordsmanship training alongside Daniel’s sons and their best friend, Jared.
But after a tragic accident changes the course of her life, Keren finds herself in a foreign country, charged with a mysterious task: teaching a shepherd boy how to become a lord. When she overhears whispers that hint at his true identity, she realizes she must protect him from the schemes of a bloodthirsty king.
Jared cannot forgive Keren. Still, he finds himself traveling over mountains to fetch her back to the safety of home. When he discovers the secret identity of Keren’s pupil, Jared knows he must help protect him. Love battles bitterness as they flee from the king’s agents, trying to save the boy who could one day deliver their people from captivity.
About Tessa Afshar
Tessa was born in the Middle East and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever.
Tessa Afshar is a Christy and Christian Book Award winning author of historical and biblical fiction, and non-fiction. Her books have been on the Publishers Weekly, ECPA, and other bestseller lists, and translated into eleven languages.
Tessa holds a master of divinity from Yale University, where she served for one year as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She worked in women and prayer ministries for nearly twenty years before becoming a full-time writer. Tessa is a devoted wife, mediocre gardener, and chocolate enthusiast. Visit her online at Tessaafshar.com.