Exodus (The Moses Chronicles #3) by H.B. Moore

Book 3 in The Moses Chronicles series.

Let my people go ...

A plea has been made in behalf of the children of Israel. Now comes the epic climax years in the making—the final showdown between two of the most powerful men in history—one fueled by pride, the other guided by the world of God. Moses has received an extraordinary call from the Lord: he is to lead the exodus of the Hebrew people out of Egypt, ending generations of bondage. And he must return to the land of his birth to boldly petition a man he does not want to challenge ... or lose to: Ramses—pharaoh of Egypt. Ramses, harboring years of feeling betrayed by his best friend, is determined to stop Moses no matter the cost. He will not yield, even as a dark veil of plaques and pestilence descends over the land of Egypt.

What follows is a powerful chronicle of the struggles of the children of Israel as they traverse uncharted territory, both physically and spiritually. Amid the horrific catastrophes devastating their land and through the dramatic evens that follow, the Hebrews must face their fears and their faltering faith. For even in the darkest of times, there are manifestations of the Lord's constant care to inspire their hope for a bright future.

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Exodus is a historical novel based on the story of Moses from the Bible.  It is most definitely religious in nature.  This is the third book in this series and you will want to read these books in order.

What I love about books like this is how the stories and people from the Bible are brought to life.  The people become more human, and their struggles and emotions become real.  Heather Moore does this so well.   It's sometimes hard for me to imagine such things when I am reading stories like this directly from the Bible.  I can appreciate the amount of time, thought and research a book like this involves.  

Through the course of this series, Moses has become familiar to me.  I feel like I know and understand him better.  This book is full of miracles but also such devastation.  It's hard for me to fathom how the Hebrews and Egyptians both could have seen so many wonders and miracles wrought by the hand of the Lord and still doubted.  I wonder what I would have done if I had been there?  I'm really glad I wasn't, but still.  This book makes you think.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, especially when it is well done.  I love books by H.B. Moore.  She is fantastic in this genre (and others too!).  I know what's coming for the Hebrew people and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Content:  Clean

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Moses Chronicles Volume 2: Deliverance by H.B. Moore + $25 and Book Giveaway

Experience the life of Moses as never before, following his journey from fugitive of Egypt to prophet of God. In this exhilarating follow-up to H.B. Moore’s biblical drama The Moses Chronicles: Bondage, the account of Moses’s flight from Egypt continues. Moses’s life as he knew it is over. He has chosen to stand for his beliefs at the cost of being cast out of his royal home and family. He is free of the wickedness of Egypt, but peace is not to be found, for Moses is as much an aimless wanderer as those in the nomadic tribe he encounters in the wilderness. Exhausted by long weeks of travel, he nevertheless jumps to action when he observes a group of young women accosted by a band of Bedrayan men at a communal well. These lovely daughters of Jethro are grateful for his help, and their Midianite tribe welcomes Moses with open arms. As he learns the ways of the Midianites, his kinship with Jethro grows—as does his admiration of one of Jethro’s daughters, Zipporah. But when Moses suddenly receives a burning call to free the very people he has long oppressed, will he have the courage to return to the land from which he has been exiled?

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I have been looking forward to this book since I finished the first book in this series.  The world that Heather Moore creates in these books are clear and rich and full of culture.  I can so easily picture the places, characters and events in this book.  I can feel the sun on my face and the dirt in my water.  My mind is playing it all like a movie.  I love that.

This book brings the story of Moses to life.  So often in biblical stories, the people become lessons I learn from and I forget that there was a real human side to them.  They were real people with real, every day struggles.  They lived and loved.  They laughed and cried.  Books like this help me to remember and imagine those very human qualities.  I know the author took many liberties in writing this book but the base of all the major events come right out of the bible.

This second book was different from the first in that the internal struggle for Moses was less.  He is less conflicted and he isn't fighting against his conscience. This book begins with Moses wandering in the desert after fleeing his home in Egypt.  He meets different people and eventually falls in love.  He works and builds a new life with the Midianite people.  This was more of a love story.  It was also the important part where Moses grows up and learns more about his God.  It lays a firm foundation for what is to come.

The next book though?  It's going to be intense!  I know what's coming and I can't wait to see how Heather Moore brings it to life for me.   

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The Moses Chronicles: Bondage by H.B. Moore + $25 and Book Giveaway

A gripping, historical fiction account of the events that lead to Moses’s flight into the wilderness, The Moses Chronicles: Bondage will take you back to a rich period of history replete with scandal, strife, love, and hope as God prepares a prophet to lead His chosen people.

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I always go into any book that fictionalizes scriptural events hesitant.  There are so many liberties that need to be taken to fill in the blanks and I hate confusing fact with fiction.  But, I usually just approach books like this as works of fiction and not fact or scripture and then I'm okay.

This book was so rich and full of life.  I could easily imagine the scenes and the people as I went through this book.  I loved the alternating points of view of Miriam and Moses.  It really helped me create a firm personal connection to them both.

Miriam is a character ruled by her heart.  She acts and speaks from her heart.  I love her devotion to Moses, even though he doesn't know who she is.  She has such faith in him.  Miriam gets into one scrape after another because she does allow her heart to lead her.  I loved her journey in this book, her adventures and her road to love.  She is a very satisfying character.

Even though I know the story of Moses, when I finished this book I was still a bit annoyed that it ended where it did.  I wanted to continue on with Moses.  It was a cliff hanger but not.  The real cliff hanger is me wanting to know how the author will weave her magic into this story and make it something that pulls me in and engages my mind and my heart.  I guess I'll just have to wait!

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