Friday, November 14, 2008

Abinadi by H.B. Moore


Abinadi by H.B. Moore

Each time Abinadi sees the beautiful Raquel he tells himself that he couldn’t tempt a beautiful woman like her. She is the daughter of Amulon, one of King Noah’s high priests, and yet he feels something towards her. Then King Noah asks for Raquel to be one of his many wives, and she decides to flee out of the city of Nephi. Abinadi convinces her to allow him to help her, though she is determined to take care of herself. They find that though they came from different background their desire to please God gives them something in common. When Abinadi is called to call the King Noah’s people to repentance they will be both asked to sacrifice much.

Alma finds that being a high priest in King Noah’s court has some perks, if only he could forget about the lessons his father taught him before he died. As he falls further into a life of sin he realizes how the wrath of King Noah affects those around him, including a woman he cares about, Maia. Then he hears Abinadi’s call to repentance and feels the power of God. Alma must look inside himself for the courage to escape from King Noah, and his former life.

This latest release from H.B. Moore tells the story of Abinadi’s life and death. She chose to portray Abinadi as a younger man with a wife and small child when he was killed. I really liked Raquel’s character, as a stubborn, determined woman, and really liked her conversion story. I also enjoyed how she portrayed Alma as a complex character, and related his change of heart realistically. She seemed to hit the balance between his evil choices and ultimate goodness of his heart and spirit very well. I found the portrayal of evil to be slightly uncomfortable, as is should be, but not offensive. King Noah really is evil in this book, and Amulon leaves his daughter in a compromising situation with him in which she has to escape in order to avoid getting hurt. So, if you are extra sensitive about that sort of thing be aware. There were a few scenes I felt were a bit melodramatic, but overall this book was really captivating, uplifting, and entertaining. I had a hard time putting it down when it was time to cook dinner, and it was well worth the read.




Moore's Website:http://www.hbmoore.com/

3 comments:

Heather Moore said...

Thanks so much for the review! I'll blame anything melodramatic on my critique group :)

Natalie said...

I designed the program for the Whitney Awards and as soon as I got the list of finalists, this book popped out to me. After reading your review, and the awards ceremony last night, I know this has GOT to be the next book I read. Thanks!

Gamila said...

Natalie-
I hope you like the book. It has a really unique view of Abinadi. Come back and let me know if you liked it.