Review: Return to Me

I enjoy reading books and watching movies that attempt to fill in the gaps of Old Testament histories and give faces and personalities to the people therein. Lynn Austin's "Return to Me," the first book in her Restoration Chronicles series, follows the story of Zechariah and his family as they return to Jerusalem after King Cyrus' decree. But the road is full of trials, and they don't end when the group arrives in Jerusalem. The Samaritan locals have adapted to pagan cultures and practices, and they don't like their new neighbors taking what they consider their land. Young Zechariah's best friend finds herself attracted to sorcery and other practices outside the Jewish faith, leaving Zechariah torn between his increasing faith in God and his love for his friend.

The book covers a lot of time, and skips quite a few years as well, all leading up to the big moment when you know God will call Zechariah to be His prophet. That moment isn't that big in the book, and it comes at the tail end. It also comes after a series of occurrences where Zechariah finds himself quoting Scripture that doesn't exist, something I wasn't quite sure what to make of. But the only real flaw of the book that bothered me was the inserted of modern ideas and characteristics that didn't seem to fit. Still, I enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. And I definitely would enjoy reading the rest of the series when it comes out. The characters and stories ultimately won me over.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review of it.