Hadassah is the only survivor of her family when the Romans destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD. She is transported to Rome where she becomes a slave in the Valerian household. Her faith in God is strong even though her circumstances are hard and her desire is to share her faith and hope even though this may result in being put to death by being thrown to the lions. ( )

haven't read this yet

I loved, loved, loved this book. It was written beautifully. I love historical fiction, and this was an era I had never really read about that much, so I was really cool. My favorite character is Marcus, even though he has the Playboy vibe, I can't help but like him. Julia, on the other hand, is just a mess. I can't believe she **SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON** poisened Caius! I understand why but wow. Another thing, Julia is a complete ditz! How could she not understand about Octavia hating her? How can she not see Calabah is playing her? Ugh. Stupid, selfish girl. I am amazing at Hadassah's (and Marcus's as well) patience with her. I was bored with Atretes's chapters sometimes, though. I'm not great at comprehending action sequences. Overall, great! I can't wait to read the sequels!! ( )

very good character development, very long book( about 500 pages) ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel set in the first century AD. The story follows a Jewish girl (Hadassah) who is taken captive by the Romans when they sacked Jerusalem and a German tribal warrior (Atretes) captured in the forests. Hadassah, a Christian, is sold as a slave to a wealthy family in Rome. Atretes, a very large and attractive blond German, is sold to a Roman who supplies gladiators for the arena.

Although Roman is tolerant of many forms of religion, Christianity is illegal. Hadassah struggles to serve her mistress while obeying her own conscious. Hadassah's mistress is an insufferable hedonist who is a poor judge of character. Following her life has the makings of a Roman soap opera, amusing, sad and at times, annoying.

Atretes trains for the arena. He is strong-bodied and strong-willed. His exploits provide a sense of the minimum value Romans of that era placed on human life. The trappings and activities of the arena are described with sufficient detail to be rated PG-13 or even a light R.

At least one reviewer faults Hadassah's character as being too morally correct and unromantic. I disagree. I found Hadassah's character simple like her unencumbered and un-institutionalized Christian beliefs - simply refreshing.

This is a very entertaining historical novel written from the perspective of a Christian author. ( )