Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. But sadly this is not what I expected. Wanting to have a glimpse of what Torah is about, I requested for the book. This is definitely not a book for kids, although graces with pretty illustrations, and for me who don't have any notion of Hebrew, got lost in understanding the meaning of each pages.

This was an interesting read on multiple levels.

I recently returned from a trip to Israel (hence my interest in the read!). The trip enhanced my understanding of and experience with the text and its references to Hebrew, the Torah, Jewish history, history of the peoples the Hebrews encountered across the millennia (especially early on), and more. The book does encompass some Jewish mysticism as well as references to gods worshiped by said early peoples (Akkadians, Canaanites, etc.), which gave me pause--seeming elevation of polytheism.

The illustrations were the high point for me--absolutely brilliantly done! I also enjoyed Malkah's pursuit of truth, even if she and I would arrive at very different ends. The search for truth is a global one that each person must pursue for themselves.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, what I wanted to take out of this was not there, and I have to conclude it just is not suitable for a gentile like myself. It's about a girl beginning to explore the sacred words, and starting to peruse her old father's library, but it does so in a way that is quite awkward to people not cognisant with Hebrew letters and thought, meaning the girl in just her first steps is already so far advanced of us non-Jewish readers that not even the dynamism of the artworks on every recto page can help.