Connilyn Cossette books are such a treat and Voice of the Ancient was a good one! Looking forward to her next book.

Another beautiful story from a powerhouse in the biblical fiction genre!! Firstly, I want to commend Mrs. Cossette for continuing to persevere and finish this story while she was battling breast cancer. The grace of God on this woman's life is amazing!

Now onto the book- After binging the previous series (The Covenant House duology) the past few months, it was finally time to read VOTA. I highly reccomend reading her books chronologically by pub date because there are characters connected through the timeline. This new series focuses on the next generation of a family we met in the duology. I LOVE how this one started with Saul's naming as the first King of Israel, it really set the tone for the story. And although we didn't get as much focus on Israelite history as her previous stories, we still saw the human experience during the first year of Saul's anointing. This is definitely an action-packed adventure story with moments of sweet character dynamics. THE SWIMMING SCENE WAS SO GOOD.

Avidan was such a refreshing male character, different from her normal strong-warrior-type MMC. His father is a musician and so learns his fathers storytelling craft, much less how to fight in a battle. He is selfish and envious of who he is not but with Keziah, learns to appreciate what he already has. Keziah, on the other hand, is the daughter of a tribal chief who has been sold in marriage to a brutal man twice her age. She is kind and clever, courageous and curious. I loved watching their relationship grow (albeit very fast) and Avi's respect for her, even from the beginning.

What really sppoke to me in this one was how the less oral history was shared, the less the people knew of their heritage, their people, and teven their God. Keziah's family was across the river and their view of God had twisted so much from the truth. Many of the people Avi and Kez met along the way had never heard of the greats like Jacob or Samson. A good reminder that history is a legacy that needs to be passed down or it will be forgotten or twisted.

I received this book from the publisher through the NetGalley review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Thank you to Connilyn Cossette, NetGalley, and Bethany House for this #gifted book!*
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Title: Voice of the Ancient
Author: Connilyn Cossette
Genre: Biblical Fiction
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Synopsis: “Besides, no matter what I said or did, I could not escape who I was destined to become: a Levitical musician and instrument maker, just like Ronan ben Abidjan and his father before him.” When Avidan and his cousins witness the choosing of Israel’s first king, something stirs in their hearts as teenagers: the longing to be soldiers in the king’s army. But Avidan is bound by a mandate to become a priest due to his Levite heritage. Despite his God-given responsibility, Avidan chooses to run away and join the king’s army alongside his cousins, but what he finds on the battlefield is not what he expected. There is no glory for him in war. After the battle, his journey collides with that of Keziah, a young girl disguised and escaping a forced marriage. Avi is drawn to Kez in helping her seek safety as he battles the after-effects of war. As the two travel together, their bond deepens, and they must learn to rely on the voice of the true Ancient One.

Analysis: Biblical fiction has taken a special place in my heart these last few months, and this book holds its spot right alongside the others I’ve read this year. I absolutely loved diving deep into the beginning of Israel’s history as a nation. Connilyn’s writing pulls you into ancient history with beautiful writing, relatable characters, and a gripping plot. I learned much about the cultural history explored in the different tribes of Israel and the customs of their day. Avidan and Keziah also fought through deep struggles of belief that may look a little different for us, but we can still relate to them today. This book held my attention from page one! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see how the other cousins’ stories play out.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Keziah is being forced to marry a brutal man. Awful. The worst man you can picture, that's him. Her father is clueless, but her servant helps her escape. She disguises herself as a man and runs into a man Avidan. He is on a search for his cousin.
Follow their adventures along the backdrop of King Saul from the Bible in Ancient times to see where the journey takes them.
This one is adventurous and suspenseful. I loved Keziah and am so happy to have read another Connilyn Cossette novel.

Coming of Age meets Biblical historical fiction in Voice of the Ancient.

It did take me a little while to get wrapped up in the story, but then I was eager to see what would become of Avidan and Keziah.

Now I am curious about previous titles by this author and to dig more into the time of Saul;s kingship.

This is a wonderful Biblical fiction by Connilyn Cossette. I love how she brings history to life with characters that seem so real. I also love how her stories help increase my faith as I walk with her characters. This is a great start to a new series.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

4.5 ⭐️ Well, this book certainly took me by surprise, and in the best way. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it, but once the story took off, I found it hard to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in ancient Israel during the time of King Saul. My knowledge of that time period is only minimal, so I loved the aspect of learning more about what was happening to the tribes and the biblical history.

But not only that, I fell in love with the love story. It was sweet and beautifully written.

The story follows Avidan, a Levite boy who is frustrated by the restraints of his heritage and decides to run off with his friend to fight for King Saul. He quickly learns that war is not all the glory that he was hoping it would be.

Along the way he meets Keziah, a girl, hiding as a boy, who is running away from a forced marriage to an absolute brute of a man.

A tentative friendship is forged, as they both struggle to survive in a country torn by war, and seeking unification of the tribes.

Their journey is fraught with all kinds of horrific and scary moments, but also with many moments of faith, strength, love, and hope. The way Avi tells his stories and teaches Keziah inspired my own faith.

For anybody interested in biblical or even just history of ancient Israel, I highly recommend this book! I am now eagerly anticipating, book 2!

This was a great story and very well told. I enjoyed the plot and characters. The author did a great job!

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette is such a great story. As mostly always, her books are based in biblical times. It is a treat to read of bible characters as they are brought to life on the written pages. Cossette is a master in this art. Written during the time of king Saul's reign. King Saul summons all able-bodied men, twenty and older, to fight against the Ammonites. Although not twenty years of age,18-year-old Avidan sneaks off to join King Saul’s army. Full of arrogance and the assuredness he plans to be a fierce soldier until.....thus begins this great story full of action and danger also humility, truth, relationships, and responsibility. Also romance and love and learning to lean on the true God for help and decisions as Avidan matures mentally, physically and emotionaly. What a wonderful read.....Thanks to the author and Bethany House Publishers for a digital copy of this book. It is my pleasure to leave this review..

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette
The author continues her series of Biblical fiction The King’s Men with a coming-of-age novel revolving around Avidan and Keziah. Avidan is a Levite who is trying to break free from the constraints of his life by running away to join the army raised by the new king Saul. Keziah is running away from an arranged marriage to a wicked man.
As usual, the author creates characters that seem to step off the pages into the reader’s heart. In addition to wonderful characters, this book gives the reader a clearer understanding of the heartbeat of the times when the Israelites were a collection of disjointed tribes, some of whom had forgotten who Yahweh was.
One of the things I like best about Cossette’s writing is that it is redemptive. Avi comes to understand and trust His God in a clearer way and the reader leaves the book with a greater understanding of the trustworthiness of God.
The ending was satisfying but still left some questions unanswered and room for a sequel. If readers haven’t yet read a book by Connilyn Cossette, consider this your encouragement to do so! I am grateful to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for this, my honest review.

5 stars.
Connilyn Cossette is quickly becoming my favourite biblical fiction author. Her storyteller abilities are next level. My only regret is that I did not wait to read this book until the rest of the series is complete. And now I have to wait to see what happens next. Wah!
Now, of note, this series does spin off another series by Cossette - which I have not read. And in the beginning of this story there were times I was missing something. It probably would have been helpful to read that series first. But after the first few chapters, these characters are developed enough to carry their own story.
I found myself missing the characters in between my reading sessions. Eager to get back to spending time with Avi and Keziah. Which is my favourite way to read a book.
Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more Connily Cossette and the rest of "The King's Men" series.

Voice of the Ancient is the first book in Connilyn Cossette’s new series, The King’s Men. It follows Avidan, a Levite (the priestly class of the twelve tribes of Israel), who desperately wants to fight in King Saul’s army with his cousins. He ends up leaving with his cousins in secret to do this, but on the journey, his youngest cousin goes missing. He travels on his own to find his missing cousin and bring him home. Meanwhile, Keziah is the daughter of an important man in the tribe of Manasseh. To escape an arranged marriage with an older, dangerous man, she flees and goes into hiding. Her’s and Avidan’s paths cross on their respective journeys, and they help each other in their missions and learn the importance of God’s sovereignty and wonderfulness.

This is the second book of Cossette’s that I have read – the first I read from her was Counted with the Stars – and adored! I love how she dives deeper into the culture of the Israelites through fiction. From what I have been able to tell, her biblical accuracy is on point. I’ve even learned new things I didn’t know before through her books, which has helped give me a new appreciation for Scripture and God’s kindness.

All of her characters felt real and relatable to me. Specifically, I could relate to Avidan and his rebellion against God’s will. I’m sure there are many other readers who can relate to this as well! I can also relate to Keziah on her journey to discovering how worthy she is. As a whole, both of these characters experience significant growth as the story progresses.

Another thing Cossette gets right with her books, especially this one, is her pacing. She does a great job of mixing up exciting, fast-paced scenes with slower, informational scenes. I don’t think there was ever a moment where I was bored reading this, which I find to be rare when reading books. This book was a page-turner!

Without a doubt, I would recommend this book to everyone. It has excitement, romance, grief, and biblical truth sprinkled throughout.

"Voice of the Ancient" is biblical fiction set during the first months of King Saul's reign (1 Samuel 10-12). The author added a lot about the battle and the aftermath that's not actually in the Bible. Her additions showed the people on the east side of the Jordan River as hardly knowing of God anymore and Saul as failing as a king right from the start. Keziah didn't worship God until Levite and storyteller Avi started telling her and other Hebrews about their history.

My main problem was that too many things were unrealistic. For example, a sword was coming at Avi and he was about to die, yet he had time to contemplate his life and wrong choices. I've taken fencing lessons, and you barely have time to recognize the danger before it hits; the contemplation comes afterward. The characters liked reminiscing in the middle of high danger when it'd be best to focus on getting out of the situation alive. Keziah's horse seemed to be permanently saddled and bridled with the only way to remove the saddle being to cut it off with a knife. Hm, you remove the saddle when not riding and cutting the saddle off in that situation probably would have injured the horse. I didn't understand why Avi didn't try to free the saddle first as that would have made more sense.

And Avi left a 15-year-old young man behind in a cave at the break of day only to come back and find him missing. His friends concluded that a huge pack of hyenas must have attacked, killed, and dragged the remains away. But hyenas are primarily nocturnal animals, and it's rare for them to prey on humans (especially adult humans). The only hyena that's maybe referred to one time in the Bible is the type that's primarily a scavenger, so they don't "hunt" in large packs. Why not pick a more believable animal? And Avi made a lot of assumptions about what happened to his missing cousin. He believed he'd found him every time someone said they had seen a boy about the right age, whether they saw any distinctive markings or not. I realize guilt was driving him, but that seemed a very futile method for finding him.

There was no sex or bad language.

"No longer did I fear the one who had crushed Egypt. I now understood how he offered mercy and protection to those who called on his name, guidance to those who sought his wisdom, and steadfast love to all of humankind from the very beginning. And if Yahweh heard the cries of Hagar the Egyptian, Rahab the Canaanite, and Eliora the Philistine, then surely he would hear me...wouldn’t he? "

This was the first of Connilyn's books that I've read, and I really enjoyed it. She's a great storyteller, and you can by the confident writing style that she did a lot of good research for this book.

The only thing I didn't care for was a word used near the end, but that was the only one and can be easily fixed with white-out.

My thanks to the author and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary
e-book I received to review. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

'Today the first king of Israel would be chosen. And I would see it happen with my own eyes.'

Avidan's thoughts set the stage for a sweeping story that takes us back to the beginning of Saul's reign as the first King of Israel. After a two-year absence from the publishing world, author Connilyn Cossette returns with a stunning tale filled with adventure, romance, and inspiration. She's a master at weaving biblical history into her stories and this is just one more example of her passion for sharing God's Word through fiction! Two amazing characters are at the center of this story and reading Avidan and Keziah's journey prompted me to return to the biblical account that's recorded in 1 Samuel 8: 10-22. I was totally caught up in Avi and Keziah's friendship, their budding romance, the dangers that they encounter, and the true faith that they find.

I'm thrilled to have a reunion with some of the characters from the Covenant House series but there's no problem if you haven't read these books. Voice of the Ancient can be enjoyed as a standalone and it's a wonderful introduction to a new series. I highly recommend Voice of the Ancient and I can't wait to read the next book of The King's Men series!

I received a complimentary copy from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review and I am voluntarily sharing my thoughts.

This book is an example of Biblical fiction at its finest. I really enjoyed spending time, deeply immersed in the Israel of the Old Testament. The beginning of King Saul’s reign was a turbulent time and reading this book brought the characters and their challenges to life for me.

I loved how the skill and the act of storytelling played such an important role. Through oral storytelling and song, the history of the Hebrews was taught, shared and preserved.

I loved the many storylines of loved ones being reunited and families being restored. Grace and forgiveness were generously extended and humbly received. I read about examples of sacrificial love that absolutely touched my heart and moved me to tears, more than once.

This beautifully written book is filled with history, adventure, danger, faith, restoration and, of course, some very satisfying romance. I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it!

I received complimentary copies of this book from NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

#BookRevew: VOICE OF THE ANCIENT by Connilyn Cossette

“He is just and powerful, but he is also a God of steadfast love. A God of mercy and kindness who has called our people to share in his goodness and be a light to the nations.”

Connilyn Cossette has done it again!Voice of the Ancient is the first book in The King’s Men series. It was nice to revisit some of the characters from The Covenant House series. Avidan is Eliora and Ronen’s son from To Dwell among Cedars.

This biblical fiction was well-executed. I liked how the biblical facts were carefully incorporated into the story. The book was full of tension from the very beginning. It even made me go back and read 1 Samuel to Saul's selection and coronation, since Avidan was one of the witnesses to those events. Avidan and Keziah's journey was full of excitement. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. It was also fascinating to learn about the people, geography, and life of biblical times. I was particularly interested in the impact of Saul's army on the different towns they passed through, and how people reacted to their presence.

I couldn't put this book down! The story was so engaging, and I loved seeing the characters grow and change. Avidan's new calling was inspiring, and Keziah's new faith was heartwarming. Biblical fiction fans will surely enjoy this book. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

Rating: 5 stars
Series: The King's Men Book 1
Pub date: 15 Aug 2023

Thank you Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Love was nothing without sacrifice"

Connilyn Cossette has done it again!
I was not bored til the end and kept me reading. The characters, their POVs are so interesting and made curious where the story will take them. The romance part was not forced and made me swoon!
I also loved how King Saul is a background character in this book (I am a bit cautious when a book is about a known Bible character).
If I am not mistaken, there will be a second book? I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Thank you Netgalley, Connilyn Cossette, Bethany House for the opportunity to read and review this amazing story!

I enjoyed this story set during the time of King Saul’s selection and coronation. It definitely sent me back to 1 Samuel to re-read parts that I had never fully considered. I had always thought that Saul was a young man and had never considered that he might have already had an adult son. It was also interesting to consider how geography and proximity to other people groups could impact the Jewish culture. I encourage you to step into this adventure. And, I hope there is a sequel answering the question that Avi tries to answer.

Voice of the Ancient follows Avidan and Keziah in a coming of age story during the reign of King Saul. Avidan and three of his cousins set off to fight under King Saul, which is an act of obedience against both Adivan’s parents and his role as a Levite (priest/worship minister in modern equivalent).

Keziah flees an arranged marriage and finds herself alone with her horse at the mercy of the unforgiving countryside. When she meets Avidan, her journey merges with his.

I found it to be a really good balance of action and character development. I did wish the characters were a bit older, but, given the time it was set in, it made sense for the book. There is a sweet romance woven into the plot alongside the action and faith threads.

Thank you to Bethany House for a gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.