A Light on the Hill by Connilyn Cossette | a Cities of Refuge review

Connilyn Cossette is an author whose writing is incredible. The creativity and attention to detail is stunning. A Light on the Hill is a Christian novel focusing on Biblical historical fiction taking place shortly after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. A Light on the Hill is also part of a series called Cities of Refuge.

First, let me say that I love a book with a map. A Light on the Hill has one! The map detailed all of the relevant towns and geographical features. A thoughtful touch!

Moriyah is a lovely Hebrew girl who was kidnapped and whose face was marred with a brand on the cheek by a pagan priest before the fall of Jericho. Her life among her Hebrew people is one of shame, attempting to hide her scar. The ridicule that she sustains at the hands of others is enough to keep her inside her home as much as possible. When her father presents a man to Moriyah for marriage, her attempt to win over the man and his sons backfires with a terrible cooking disaster, leaving Moriyah to flee to a city of refuge.

I love the fact that Connilyn is writing a series about the cities of refuge. I’ve often considered the individuals who would have inhabited those towns. They’d have given up their lives in their home towns, said goodbye to people they loved, and entered into a town that was unfamiliar but promised them shelter from retribution. The cities of refuge provided security, forgiveness, and encompassed mercy and grace. As an aside, this book continually reminded me of the song by 4Him called City of Refuge. Great song!

The connection between the two main characters was very moving. Connilyn assigned them just the right balance of strengths to weaknesses, and the result was continually marvelous interaction between them.

If you’re looking for stunning, fluid narrative in the Biblical historical genre, I highly recommend Connilyn Cossette’s books. She is a gifted writer, and I believe that you will be entertained and moved by her writing.