When she was a tiny child, Delilah was given to the temple of Atargatis by her mother. She grows up in the temple, training to be a priestess of the goddess. Her best friend is a pretty girl named Aylah, a former slave, remarkable for her brilliant golden hair. As the two grow older, they become renowned as the twin dancers of the temple nicknamed “Night and Day”, and fame and honor shower down upon them.

Meanwhile, in the hills outside the cities unrest boils amongst the Israelites. A hero is needed to rise up and lead their warriors to overthrow the leaders of the Philistines. Samson is known by his people to be strong, kind and clever, and the rebellious agitators wish him to lead them. Although the handsome young man desires neither power nor war, he is thrust into the spotlight again and again by the viscous rumor-mongering of the Foxes, the anti-Philistine faction of the Israelites.

From the moment Samson and Delilah see each other, at a busy festival in the city of her temple, they are madly in love with each other. Unfortunately for young love, Derceto, the high priestess of Atargatis, wants Samson dead. Her machinations keep Delilah and Samson apart until great tragedy gives Derceto the perfect chance to convince that Samson's death will right the great wrong, and the events of one of the Bible's most famous stories are set in motion...

This isn't exactly a retelling of the Biblical account of Samson and Delilah; it is more of a reinvention of the story. Obviously, the biggest change is the focus on Delilah as main character. Instead of appearing as a vampy seductress who nags the secret of Samson's strength out of him, Delilah is fleshed out. We learn about her childhood and adolescence in the temple of Atargatis, and it's a very rich and lavish world that Edgehill has developed. Now, my knowledge of the historical Philistines is virtually nonexistent, so I can't say how accurate this depiction of their world is. They refer to themselves in the book as the Five Cities, and that seems to be an accurate depiction of their worldview. Certainly, they never use the term 'Philistine' and why would they? Their culture is cosmopolitan and sophisticated, while the Israelites seem crude and violent by comparison.

Samson, too, is radically altered from his Biblical self. I mean, Bible Samson is violent and angry, ready to lash out at the slightest insult, it seems; Edgehill's Samson is practically a hippy, he's so peaceful and laid-back. Instead of killing a lion he encounters on the road, Samson tames it for a pet. Rather than pulling down a pagan temple through pure brute strength, he uses his knowledge of the temple's poor design to bring it crashing down. He's a much more sympathetic and romantic hero than normal, which makes him far more pleasant to read about, but anyone looking to find insight into the Samson of the Bible will be sorely disappointed. ( )

This book was amazing. India Edghill is brilliant. She took a familiar Old Testament story and wove a delightful tale of the other side of the story. Maybe wasn't as ruthless as she is portrayed or maybe there was another side to the story in Judges. She is a character in which we get just a glimpse of in the Bible but there could have been much more to her. I really enjoyed this and will definitely be looking into Edghill's other books. Nicely written!!!! ( )

Edghill has re-written the Samson and Delilah story, and brings life to the story in the bible. The author takes a historical perspective rather than a biblical one. And, this is what truly saves the book. Although the story is filled with imagery, and written beautifully, I struggled with lack of depth of the characters. As a result, this book is not one that I would recommend for historical fiction readers. ( )

This book was a pleasant read, but nothing stellar. The characters were shallow and, despite their fame, not well drawn. The plot was shallow, and most of the story was spent on Delilah's relationship with her fellow priestess Aylah, rather than her famous love for Samson. I cannot recommend this title to historical fiction fans. ( )

This novel is not a re-telling of the story of Samson, but a complete overhaul of the familiar story – a re-imagining if you will. The bible doesn’t tell us much about Samson’s wife, or even Delilah (except that she was beautiful, Samson’s love, of the Valley of Sorek and one heck of a nag), so a lot is left to the imagination.

Even though she is barely mentioned in the bible, Delilah is almost synonymous with the ultimate vixen but in this book she is re-imagined as a priestess who loves to dance.
Samson, the biblical superman, is re-imagined as a kind hearted man whose feats are only attributed to him by the Israelites, yet he wants no part in their war or their cause.

Along the way we are introduced to several others fascinating characters Alyah – Delilah’s best friend and “heart sister and polar opposite in looks, as well as Orev – Samson’s best friend, companion and Harper extraordinaire.

The author, just like the bible, plays a lot with names and their meanings – Delilah – the dark-as-night haired beauty, Samson – Son of the Sun, Orev – the crow (messenger of death) and Alyah – which in Hebrew means “rising” and it seemed fitting in the story the author tells.
(Note: that is how I chose to interpret the names.)

The book is broken up into parts which correspond, and bare the title, of Delilah’s stages in becoming a Priestess (New Moon, Rising Moon, Full Moon etc.) since that is a big part of the story, as well as the social and political structure of the culture (I don’t know if they were accurate, but nonetheless fascinating). There are many underlying themes in the book of cultural, class and personal clashes which I thought were very clever.

I have enjoyed this book very much – it is a fantastical re-imagining of a familiar story. Once you get through the first several pages the story becomes engrossing and the author weaves the story in a clear manner, even though there are many events which take place. This is a big story, love and love lost, betrayal and faith, friendship, greed, honor and cunning.

The book is written in the historical-fiction style of one chapter told from a perspective of one characters (Delilah, Samson, Alyah, etc.) even though some of the chapters about Samson are told through the eyes of Orev.

If you are not familiar with the biblical story of Samson, I recommend reading it before you read this book just to be familiar with the references the author makes, and then you’ll be the Judge (pun intended). ( )