This was a very interesting book! Based on the life of the apostle Paul and his sister. ( )

(3.5 / 5)

Though Aya, daughter of Zebulon of Tarsus, is only marrying the man chosen by her parents out of duty, she enjoys being a wife, and later, a mother, more than she expected. Though she'd like to use the talent for singing given to her by God in some way, she's contented herself with following His will, however he chooses to use her. But when her brother, a Pharisee and member of the powerful Sanhedrin, surprises everyone by converting to following the Nazarene who was crucified a few years past, Aya and her family face some persecution from their fellow Jews in Jerusalem, and Aya is not sure how to reconcile her love for her brilliant brother with her family's long-time religious traditions.

I think I'll be in the minority with this book, like I was with the previous in the series. Not that I didn't like it, but I didn't like it as much as most seem to. Aya frustrated me early on, as I think she lets her desire to sing for people define her too much. I also don't think there needed to be such a focus on the newlywed activities. It felt like the story didn't really get going until both siblings were married, like it was something we had to get through first, but I didn't really understand why it was all so important.

I think the other reason that the story didn't work as well for me is that I couldn't really connect very well to one of the two main characters. The perspective alternates between Aya and her older brother, Sha'ul (the apostle Paul). But once Sha'ul had converted to Christianity, his perspective is barely shown. When it is, it's mostly just to tell us about events that we can read about in the book of Acts. Overall, it seemed shallow to me. Not much happened that I couldn't have predicted, and I didn't connect to the characters much as we sped through months and years of time.

The idea of what the family of the man who wrote many books of the Bible went through when he went against the tradition of the day to follow Jesus is an interesting premise. I felt it could have been explored more deeply, but I do think that many other fans of Biblical fiction will enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

“When HaShem bestows a gift, does He not expect us to use it?”

I really enjoyed my first Biblical fiction novel by Angels Hunt. While The Apostle’s Sister is #4 in the Jerusalem Road Series, I never once felt at a loss for knowledge of what may have transpired in previous books.

Shaul ( eventually Paul) and Aya, his independent sister who longs to be free to use her voice in public, alternate narrating chapters. We meet the Jewish family who in this novel, have great social Greek connections. Yet, some facets of their lives are very restricted by the law. Shaul studies in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, constantly debating the finer points of the law with other students and teachers. “In this city, perhaps in homes not far from me, other young men were debating similar questions, focusing their energy on minuscule points of the Law while they missed the miracle of what HaShem had done through Yeshua.”

We get great insight into the workings of the Jewish high court and hierarchy system therein. We also see the intense pressure and persecution that comes as followers of the Way are discovered and weeded out. I may have needed Kleenex in several places, so I obviously connected to the characters closely.

Aya especially struggles with a sense of significance under the Jewish laws and customs. How does she ““Honor the gift HaShem gave you,” when her culture and life circumstances prohibit it?
“I enjoy singing because when I sing, people see who I am.” Can HaShem help her find the sense of significance we all strive for?

Hunt includes an abundance of Scripture references, which is good thing in this book. I was amazed Hunt could skillfully tie so many in, without info dumping or preaching. Obviously, Hunt has done her Biblical scholar work!

I highly recommend The Apostle’s Sister along with a reading pet companion and plenty of Kleenex.

I received a copy of the book from Bethany House and NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own. ( )

Although this book is part of a series, it stands alone as a complete story. This well-researched and well-written book is the story of a Jewish woman, Aya, who lives in the time of Jesus and the birth of Christianity. Her brother, Sha’ul later becomes the Apostle Paul, and Aya comes later to believe as her brother and son believe. The book accurately depicts the life of a Jewish family from Tarsus, who later move to Jerusalem for further Torah and Midrash studies. It discusses the divide between the Jewish families who wished to remain true to their teachings versus those who accepted Yeshuah as the son of HaShem (God) and as the Messiah.

Author Angela Hunt obviously feels her subjects passionately and longs for all the Jews and the Gentiles as well to accept Yeshuah as the Messiah. The reader can feel the author’s delight as she writes about successful conversions of her main characters, especially at the book’s end, when Aya discovers that her late husband had become a believer, and that they would be reunited someday.

I recommend this book to the serious Christian reader. It makes the time and place extremely accessible to the casual researcher. ( )

This book was a slow start for me. I did keep reading and I'm glad I did. The story goes back and forth between Saul's/Paul's sister and Saul/Paul.
The characters are fairly well defined but not great. The story was on the slow side. It picked up some but was not a "can't put down" kind of read.
I chose to read and review this book through Netgalley based on the author, Angela Hunt. In general, I like her books but this was not her best.
I give this book a 3 out of 5 star review. This review is freely given and the book was given free through Netgalley. ( )