by Valerie Z. Lewis on my Kindle. I really enjoyed it.Basically, I'd describe it as a feminist, agnostic re-telling of the Passover story. I might have this wrong, and my interpretation might upset the author (which I actually care about, since I consider her a friend), but this is my take. Musa is the Moses character, Meren is the real prince, and when their grandfather dies, Meren becomes Queen. She very quickly becomes the same sort of ruler he was, which pushes Musa to save "her" people from slavery in the kingdom. Musa doesn't necessarily believe in God (which is kind of a pity for me, because I love Old Testament God and all of his badassery), but she's a talented magician, and works demonic magic to force Meren to allow the Ebreo (Jews) to leave. The supporting cast of Aaron and Ivrit, the Ebreo who enlist Musa's help, are useful additions to the story. This is nice, because supporting cast in short stories can be really hit or miss.
I wasn't a big fan of the Musa/Meren love interest subplot, but that's a personal issue. (Incest isn't my thing, and though the girls weren't blood siblings, they were sisters as far as I was concerned.) It was handled beautifully and very believably, and while their ending wasn't happy, it was satisfying. Their shared pain over each of them doing what was best for them and for their people was heartbreaking.
My favorite part of the Passover story has always been when Moses parts the Red Sea, and it was no different here. I absolutely loved the way Musa called on the water demon, parted the sea, and let the Ebreo flee to safety.
If you're looking for a fairly quick read and you're interested in a retelling of the Passover story, or even just interested in reading about magic and love and one girl's fight for survival, then I highly recommend this novella. And at $0.99 for your Kindle (or Kindle app), it's a steal.
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