BOOK REVIEW: Garden of Madness

Published by:  Thomas Nelson, 2012

Have you ever wondered what it would be like living in the times of the kings of the Bible?  What if you were of the house of Nebuchadnezzar?  Say, the daughter of the great king himself?  I love history, the actual life of history.  I always want to know more.  And Tracy L. Higley has certainly satisfied my curiosity and held my attention with this new book, Garden of Madness. 

Garden of Madness is set at the end of the seven years of Nebuchadnezzar's banishment, when he roamed as a madman, as a beast, until he submitted to the one true God, the God of the Jews, Yahweh.  Nebuchadnezzar's youngest daughter Tiamat has just lost her husband (whom she was forced to marry to form a political alliance), the son of the imprisoned Jewish king Jehoichan.  Now she is faced with another impending forced marriage alliance to one of her mother's cousins, a prince of the Medes.  Unbeknownst to Tiamat, the mage Shadir is plotting his own takeover of the throne through marriage to Tia by a man of his choosing.  A third possible contender for Tia's hand in marriage is the unwilling Pedaiah, the brother of Tia's deceased husband.

With so many unwanted marriage options, along with ferreting out the reason for the death of Tia's husband and two murders in the palace, Tia seeks solace in the presence of her father Nebuchadnezzar, to whom she remains loyal even through his madness.  She tries to find answers through the ways of her people using the magic of the powerful mage Shadir and through sacrifice to the gods.  When she finds herself in impossible, terrifying circumstances she begins to believes she is going mad.  After all, isn't madness hereditary?

In her search for answers, Tia has to decide if she is willing to follow where truth leads, and if she is willing to make choices based on that truth.  Following truth leads to surprising personal decisions and outcomes for Tia and her family.

Tracy Higley does a wonderful job answering the question of what might have happened to Nebuchadnezzar during his seven year absence, who might have reigned in his stead, how a takeover of the kingdom may have been presented, and a look into the life of the beloved Daniel.  To find out more about this book visit Tracy's website.  By the way, I'm going to the website myself to check out all of her other books!

In order to comply with new Federal Trade Commission regulations, please note that this book was provided compliments of  the Booksneeze program.