In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Jill Eileen Smith claims that she has been certain a couple of times before that she had just completed the hardest book she’d ever write… but now, without question, “Miriam’s Song” is her most challenging book to date. From the flip side, I keep thinking that Jill’s latest Biblical fiction story simply can’t be beat, but the next time I pick up a new story with her name on it, she has outdone herself once again! “Miriam’s Song” is a sweeping saga spanning decades of one of the most remarkable and well-known stories in the Old Testament, but is told through a different set of eyes than we normally view the book of Exodus – those belonging to Moses’ sister, Miriam.

Our story begins when Miriam is just a little girl whose mother is expecting a baby – but instead of this being a joyous occasion, it brings fear and heartache because Pharaoh has just announced that all Hebrew baby boys must be killed at birth. Of course you are familiar with what happens next, but this story brings the timeless tale to life as though we are actually in Egypt hiding behind the reeds, watching the princess as she orders her maids to draw a floating basket – with precious cargo inside – from the Nile. And so continues the story that takes us through years of hardship at the hands of the Egyptians, decades of despair after her beloved brother is forced to flee Egypt, and the hope mingled with fear when the time finally comes for God to deliver Miriam’s people from the hands of their captors. I adored Miriam as the primary character of this story, for with her imperfections combined with a hopeful and trusting heart, she helped me understand the feelings of God’s people before Jesus Christ came to give His life for us, bridging the gap between our sinfulness and God’s holiness.

“Miriam’s Song” came into my life at such an opportune time, right when I was studying the lives of the faithful ones in Hebrews 11, and specifically Moses and the Exodus story. This novel is so much more than just a work of fiction, because Jill Eileen Smith has clearly spent countless hours of research, prayer, and Bible study to capture the heart of Miriam’s story, and bring the emotions of the Hebrews and their slavery to life in such breathtaking and memorable ways. It makes us take time to ponder what the world was truly like before we had the forgiveness of our Savior, while at the same time reminding us that we are once again waiting for His return, now for the second time.

If you enjoy Biblical Fiction even a little, you simply cannot miss out on this incredibly intense, far-reaching, and profound story that is about a woman named Miriam – and yet it is also about so much more.

I received this book courtesy of Revell Publishing, in participation with a Revell Reads Blog Tour.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.