My review of Dark Hour by Ginger Garrett

Highlighting one of the bloodier stories in Biblical history, Dark Hour brings II Chronicles chapters 21-23 to life on the pages of this intense novel. A page-turner, Dark Hour is not typical Biblical fiction. Like much of the Old Testament, it doesn’t gloss over a thing. Before Christ, and following the downfall of David’s kingdom, the world was not a good place. Murder, intrigue, false religion, struggle for power, and unimaginable abuse are woven between the pages of Dark Hour, though not in such gory detail that I wouldn’t let my child read it. I literally felt sucked into that era with all of its’ struggles, passions, and culture.

I felt the heroine Jehoshebeth’s confusion and fear as she dealt with Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel, who was her alleged mother. When Athaliah slaughtered the royal children in Judah and Israel to make herself queen, she proved that like her mother, her evil had no limits. As a reader I entered the temple courts where sacrifices were offered, prophets were killed for their messages from the Lord, and being a follower of the God of Israel was not looked upon with favor unless you lived with the priests. Miraculously, an heir to the throne of David was preserved despite the enemy’s attempt to snuff out the lineage of Christ.

This wonderfully-written novel made me want to read through Chronicles again. This is the perfect novel for readers seeking an escape to a world without hope, yet where the triumph of God is clearly seen in the midst of the dark trials suffered by the characters. Dark Hour is published by NavPress and is being released this month.