I had a very good time reading this book. It’s a fictional account of the Book of Esther, a story I’m very familiar with from the Hebrew Bible. This version takes a lot of the information gathered from the text and presents it as an epic tale of political intrigue, betrayal, love, and heroism. The focal point of Esther’s story of saving the Jewish people from slaughter is maintained but gives the characters a lot of personality and weight. Although some liberties are taken, it’s only done so in a way to expand upon the original story to give it a well-rounded and complete narrative. The mannerisms of Mordecai, Haman, and King Ahasuerus work together to give them personalities beyond what we previously know about what has been told. I would say this book is an excellent companion to the Book of Esther but honestly could be preferred reading over it because of the accuracy of the story and how it’s much easier to ingest based on the style of which it was written. This was very good.