Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar {Book Review}

Blessed morning Gems!!!

Today is a fantastic day! Why you may be thinking? Because I FINALLY finished all 7 of Tessa Afshar's books. Yes -- I read all 7 and patiently await the release of Daughter of Rome now. I must say, Tessa has become my favorite biblical fiction author and is now an auto-buy author for me.

Land of Silence was just as great as her other novels. Many questioned if it would replace my love for Pearl in the Sand and sadly it did not. Nonetheless, I LOVED the book!

Title: Land of Silence

Author: Tessa Afshar

Age: Adult

Genres: Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction

Publication Date: May 1, 2016

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Source: Paperback

Purchase: Paperback | Kindle | Audible | Hardcover | Christian Book

Synopsis:

Before Christ called her daughter . . . 

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . . 

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father's textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left. 

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body . . . and soul.

My Rating: 

I've done it! I finally completed all of Tessa Afshar's books...

It's such a bittersweet feeling. It's sweet because I just love her writing. It's bitter because I have to patiently wait for the release of Daughter of Rome Feb 2020.

What can I say about this glorious writing! This is the story of the woman with the issue of blood and my God was it GREAT! Heartbreaking, gut wrenching, teary eyes and pure laughter. Tessa has such a way of crafting a fictional story around scripture. She is gifted!!!

Elianna was such a strong woman. She dealt with many blows to her spirit and self-esteem. From being "involved" in her baby brother's death to "losing" her fathers love to more death and disappointments. She could have given up on life, but she kept holding on and pushing forward. Elianna's name means my God has favored me which I absolutely LOVE!!! Elianna can be overly pessimistic at times and she takes on the burden of so much. Elianna was a loving girl. She loved her hard despite the hurt. I adored her growth in her faith towards the end of the novel. She was comical in her retorts to people. I loved Elianna.

Ethan such an awesome guy. He was loving, hard-working, caring, protective, intelligent and knew how to handle his own in a fight. I loved his heart and how pure it was. I loved how he looked at life. I loved how much he cared for people -- especially when he saved Viriato!! Ethan rocks!

The romance was EVERYTHING to me! The romance between Elianna and Ethan was so heartbreaking and amazing. I loved seeing them grow and mature together. They played a bit of a cat and mouse chase because Elianna was so pessimistic. I loved how they both seemed to fit the other. Their love was true and even in dealing with hardships they pulled through.

Benjamin, Elianna's father, was an irritating man until death. I understood how he felt, but at the same time he should have at least said something to Elianna before leaving. Decimus, a Roman solider, was absolutely the MOST ANNOYING guy ever. He was a completely twisted man. I didn't care for all the issues he put Elianna through. He wasn't evil, but he wasn't good either. I especially hated him at the end when he tried to marry her --- UGH.

Poor Joseph didn't deserve that! I officially dislike bees even more and I think sheep are evil (LOL, insider once you read the book). Viriato is such a comical man! I loved him from beginning to end. He had such a way of lightening the mood and making people laugh. He was amazing and essential to both Elianna and Ethan. Claudia & Titus were awesome! I loved seeing them pop up around Elianna because they helped her in her times of struggle.

Jesus was amazing to see in this story. I haven't read many biblical fiction novels that include Him, so seeing Him speak the words from the Bible was awesome. I loved how Tessa made Him to be an ordinary man with a powerful voice. It was so amazing to see the stories of the paralyzed man, woman with the issue of blood and Jairus' daughter come to life.

Faith aspects of this book wrecked me! So many powerful quotes pulled from this book. I loved the way God was looked at more than just an angry judge, but a loving Father. I loved seeing Elianna grow a hunger and desire to know God for herself. I loved seeing the struggle with the faith of the characters because it's real in everyone's life. Seeing them push forward in the midst of their storms was so phenomenal.

Overall, I loved this novel and I can't wait to read the next release from Tessa! Highly recommend this novel and ALL her books!

Blessings,