Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette is such a good story. I was captivated by the end of the first chapter and did not want to put this book down. I have been a high school teacher for 18 years. I know teens. I love how Cossette perfectly captures the bravery, honesty, and immaturity of her main characters. This story begins with teen boys being teen boys: wrestling, playfighting, and goading each other. Then a real-world, adult thing happens — King Saul summons all able-bodied men, 20 and older, to fight against the Ammonites. Disregarding the advice and wisdom of his father, Ronen, 18-year-old Avidan sneaks off to join King Saul’s army. Full of arrogance and the assuredness that comes with being 18, Avidan thrusts himself into his first military skirmish…and things don’t go as he had planned. Every adult reading this story will shake their head and say, “Yep. Should have listened to your dad.” Being a teacher to teens, I knew Avidan was heading into trouble, but I also knew he had to experience and live through the consequences of his actions and choices. Adults can give all sorts of well-meaning advice and wisdom. Some kids genuinely take it to heart, but most kids have to live life and learn the hard way. Avidan, it turns out, has a lot to learn and what ensues is a beautiful and adventurous coming-of-age story about humility, truth, relationships, and responsibility.

Keziah is a quiet, unassuming 16-year-old who blossoms into a strong and courageous woman of action. I love how brave she becomes. I don’t know if I could do half of what she does throughout this story. I also appreciate that she is willing to listen, learn, and adjust. At the start of her story, Keziah has long-standing, but incorrect, beliefs. But as she listens to Avidan, as she allows him to be her teacher, she understands that her long-held ideas are grossly incorrect and she needs to ask forgiveness, denounce her incorrect views, and move forward in truth. Her journey to this understanding is fraught with all the things women fear most (seriously, as a woman, I was so tense for most of this story), but she picks herself up by her bootstraps and does what needs doing regardless of how scary a situation might be. She really is quite the tough cookie! It does help that she has her life-long companion — an amazing war horse named Sarru — and Avidan to help her through this arduous journey. The relationship between Avidan and Keziah, from strangers who help each other out, to trusted friends, to lovers, is fantastic. The chemistry is there from the beginning, but the pacing and timing of their budding relationship is realistic. I was initially worried at the start of this story that I would struggle with Keziah’s pretending to be a boy because I hate what I call the Victor/Victoria trope. You know, where one character lies about who they actually are for most of a story, falls for the hero (or heroine) while they are smack dab in the middle of the lie, and then reveals their story in a way that makes the lie OK? I hate this trope because it means the relationship’s foundation is a lie. But Cossette is a master of her craft. I had nothing to worry about. She navigates the situation in a way where there really is no lie, making Avidan and Keziah’s relationship real and based on a strong foundation. So good!

As with all my reviews for a Cossette novel, this one does not do Voice of the Ancient justice. The book is just too good and too full of amazing truths and adventurous moments for me to adequately cover in a single review. I loved every second of this story and highly, highly recommend it. If you are a fan of Biblical literature, if you love solid, well-researched Historical Romances, and if you love masterful storytelling, then I recommend you get a copy of this novel ASAP. Voice of the Ancient is a 2023 #MustRead you do not want to miss!

I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Bethany House Publishers, via NetGalley in order to review. I also purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on July 5, 2023. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.