The Peasant King by Tessa Afshar

The Peasant King
by Tessa Afshar

ISBN-13: 9781496458261
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: November 7, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When her mother, the Persian king's famous senior scribe, is kidnapped, Jemmah and her sister must sneak undetected into enemy territory to rescue her. But infiltrating their adversary's lands proves easier than escaping them. Fleeing through dangerous mountain passes, their survival depends on the skills of a stranger they free from prison: a mysterious prince named Asher.

Asher is not who the world believes he is. Despite his royal blood, he has had to climb his way out of poverty to forge success from nothing. A manufacturer of some of the best weaponry in the East, Asher has only one goal: to destroy his father. But following his escape from prison, Asher is irresistibly drawn to Jemmah's willingness to face fear and discomfort for those she loves.

Jemmah must convince Asher to give up everything he has worked for, all for the sake of a higher purpose he's not sure he believes in. The fate of the Persian empire—and possibly the Judean people—hang in the balance.


My Review:
The Peasant King is biblical fiction set in the 8th year of Cyrus' reign over the Persians and is set in Persia, Media, and Babylon. It follows the events in "The Hidden Prince" but works as a standalone and doesn't spoil that book. There's suspense as they faced danger from traveling in hard terrain during bad weather, from a bunch of bad guys who want to harm them, and from war. Cyrus has skilled and loyal soldiers, but he's not rich enough to supply his army with good weapons and armor. When Jemmah travels to free her mother from the Medes, God leads them to help a skilled weapons-maker with a grudge against Cyrus' enemies. Asher wants his weapons to go to someone who'll win, though, not to mention someone who can pay.

Asher was never acknowledged by his royal father, and his mother remained a slave in a nomadic tribe. Though free, he never belonged. He's drawn to Jemmah's willingness to face fear and discomfort for those she loves. Asher helped Jemmah face a traumatic fear from her past and made her feel appreciated, and she helped him open up to love and faith. They worked well together.

Jemmah's learned through hard experience that God is in control even when it doesn't look like it. She can see God's hand in their encounter with Asher, but his heart must change to one of faith if he's ever going to help them. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.