This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Aimee Carol Dixon for Readers' Favorite
As daughter of the mukarrib of Maryaba, Makeda's life could only ever be atypical. Her mother's status as a slave diluted the prestige Makeda's birthright possessed, but even that is irrevocably changed when raiders sweep through the fields of Maryaba, their presence and the destruction they sow laying the foundation for the legendary Queen of Sheba to rise. Through loss, environmental strain, and social upheaval she is encouraged to use her voice and develop her own wisdom. Meanwhile, Bilkis, favored daughter and half-sister to Makeda, through her beauty, cunning, and ferocity earns favor among the royalty of Yisrael. While Makeda and Bilkis mature and their independent plans come to fruition, another thread is plucked. Yetzer's path is one of transcendence. Son of the Overseer of Pharaoh's Works at the quarry of Bakhu, his origins are humble. Yet when a devastating accident robs him of the life he knew, Yetzer is given a choice, and the repercussions ripple throughout time. Song of Songs is a series unto itself, but the ending begs for more. With any luck, Marc Graham will soon deliver.
Marc Graham takes great pains to portray some of the more vicious yet then-ordinary practices in an effort to make Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba a more authentic piece. He does not shy away from the darker side of things, instead holding them up just as clearly as the lighter, more pleasant aspects. He draws upon the things we as humans cling to in an attempt to make sense of our lives, ably pouring more life into the characters that populate Song of Songs and tugging you deeper into the world he's recreated. Religion, family, responsibility and more play a key role in humanizing an unforgiving world and determining the parts we play in it. Song of Songs is a masterpiece of orchestration and concept. Separated into four parts, or songs, and divided equally among three character-driven paths that each twine and shape the others, what Graham has created underscores the beautiful and the horrifying by turn and reveals the way people face, circumvent, and overcome the forces larger than themselves. A deeply compelling tale of a people and period in history that few know well.
