The Bandit King Paperback – May 28, 2016

This was an interesting read but it just didn’t grab me and make me hang on. I struggled to get through in places. It is well written and I know there are others who will really enjoy it.Many thanks to Troubadour Publishing Ltd. and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The novel seems based off a single verse from the Bible “And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon, son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer, king of Zobah.”1 Kings 11:23.The author has chosen to create a backstory for Rezon. How did he come to be a foe to humble King Solomon? I was initially interested because of the reference to Biblical history but I was hoping for more points to reference myself in scripture. The story was mostly engaging while occasionally dragging in points. Topics dwell on the sexual and some horrific treatment to slaves a little more often than I would care for. I understand that some mention was necessary for both plot and a well developed description of the society Rezon grew up in but it was brought up more often than I thought truly necessary.I like that Rezon is not the perfect hero that so many novels portray. He has flaws, makes mistakes, and even causes a few problems of his own. There are times you want to smack him upside the head for being an idiot and others where you would follow him into battle.While I don't think I'll need to read this one again, I do not regret reading it once.