I always enjoy a good retelling and this book is no exception!

Jezebel is determined to be remembered and leave her mark on the world at whatever cost. She embodies feminine rage and rules with a bloodthirsty iron fist. Despite the mounting accusations against her and her gods, she pushes forward to cement her place in history.

The writing read like a modern day classic and was a great retelling. While I would’ve liked a little more action as it was rather slow paced, it was full of political intrigue and determination that made for an interesting story. Jezebel stopped at nothing to get what she wanted and this story makes you more empathetic towards someone who culturally and historically is universally disliked across the globe. In this house, we support women’s rights AND wrongs!

Perfect for any Madeline Miller fan, this rather feminist retelling will leave you considering the story of Jezebel in a different light and I can’t wait to see what the author is working on next!

I don't know the Bible very well. Still, I feel like I got a taste for how offensively misogynistic its writers are based on my time experiencing and learning about Jezebel through the lens of Megan Barnard.

I am REALLY thankful to Penguin Books, our lovely author, NetGalley, and PRH Audio for sending me audiobook access and a physical copy before this baby hits shelves on August 1, 2023.

The term "Jezebel" has been phrased with a sexist incantation for as long as I can remember, referencing women as being salacious, whore-like, or even a harlot, and comparing those terms all in the same wheelhouse.

Our historically-accurate Jezebel just wanted to be King, and after learning that specific genders are placed into stereotypical placeholders, she gets cast aside. Throughout the course of the book, we hear from her struggles of gaining power and devotion from the Israelite people, and receiving hate from those who follow Yahweh, introducing a level of strife into a forever-struggling nation.

It's a history lesson and brief retelling detailing oppression and wisdom from a silenced gender that deserves way more.

An interesting retelling of this age old story. While I have enjoyed other adaptions of ancient tales, I needed more from this. Women have often been villainized in ancient literature for being strong, independent, and for following their aspirations. Although with this story by the end, I am still not sure if this book did Jezebel any justice.

This was an interesting story, especially since I didn't know the biblical story. Unlike others, I didn't know where the story was going or the relevance of Elijah. I found the story interesting. I liked the dual perspective of multiple faiths and how Jezebel pushed against, what she felt, was a jealous god. I also liked learning about the temples and places of worship. I found the droughts and plagues interesting to read about in the moment instead of in history. But, ultimately, I was let down by the story. The ending left me so sad.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Y'all. This is a historical re-telling of biblical proportions (see what I did there). Jezebel is the harlot queen in the bible whose wicked ways will bring ruin to Israel. Megan Barnard wants us to ask ourselves what if the story was more complicated than religion? What if the idea of who women were supposed to be and how they should act also played a big part of how we remember our dear Jezebel?

I mostly enjoyed this story because it puts a spin on history. Much of what we know from this age is written by men and stories by women were either oral or "rarely" written down. I say rarely because we will never know what's been destroyed over-time. My biggest gripe is that Jezebel is so self-centered. She wants these big things for herself that she can't see how it effects anyone around her and that almost never changes. It's just frustrating to see a character almost never act in the interest of someone else. I don't want to spoil the book, which is strange to say because most of the events have been spoiled by ya know the Bible, but there are just places where Jezebel could grow but she's just selfish.

I like that I'm in a complicated frame of mind trying to decide if the selfishness was truly an act of preservation or self-promotion. Books like this are good not because you love the main character, but because they make you question. I would definitely recommend this for fans of historical fiction.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

"Harlot. Witch. Or nothing."

You think you know her story. But do you know only what men have spoken of her? Who writes the histories? Whose name is given credit for the good and whose for the bad? Jezebel wants power and to be remembered, and what bigger sin could a woman commit? Any evil the men around her do, must have been under her influence. There is such a layered exploration of power, misogyny, feminine rage, religious fervor, and how they all come together in a devastating way. This plays out like a Greek tragedy, for which you already know the ending, and yet are still on the edge of your seat to see how it ends and how the characters' choices seal their fates.
This was such a powerful, compelling, and well-written book. I'd definitely recommend it.

4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read. I love a mythological retelling, especially from the perspective of the "villain." I enjoyed the titular character's steadiness--she is consistently self-interested, even as she changes and does more works of charity. It's refreshing to see this for a female character! That said, I have a couple of issues. One of them is that, especially in the first half of the novel, Jezebel feels very *not like the other girls* in a way that does not appeal to me. I also think that the author is pretty harsh with the Israelites and Jewish faith in a time where antisemitism is on the rise, which rubbed me the wrong way. Those issues aside, the book is enjoyable enough that I deeply hoped for a different ending, even though I know it's a tragedy.

I received this advanced reader copy and exchange for a fair review from NetGalley. I enjoyed the early story in this novel, and I think that the author really captures a special character in history and the parables of the Bible. I found our protagonist story captivating & interesting, and the writing was stellar. Focusing on a woman similar to Circe or Medusa, who has long been maligned in history, but instead in this novel The author has reimagined her story and given her a unique voice.

However the longer the story went on, the harder it was to see that the protagonist was achieving her goals. Perhaps this is because we know that Jezebel's story doesn't have a happy ending. It's possible that the author was trying to explain how exactly we end up at the conclusion we do with Jezebel, in a way that makes sense to the reader. Ultimately however the story takes place in a savage and difficult time in history, and I believe it would have been more useful for the author to rely on that instead of trying to justify or explain away some of the things Jezebel may have done.

#MeToo comes for the Bible and finally gives Queen Jezebel a voice. Jezebel refuses to be a "perfect" victim here. She rages and yells and demands and wants power and can be incredibly selfish - and that is OK. She wants the equality to act like a man and not be punished for it. But, alas, that is not to be, but she gives it her best shot to try for that.

Barnard makes the incredibly important point that if only men tells a woman's story than of course she is going to be the villain, daring here to give voice to the voiceless, names to the nameless.

After receiving an invitation to read an early copy of Jezebel, I can say that I was invested in the story before the first chapter ended (this surprised me a bit, as I ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen it for myself).

Jezebel is woman who refuses to be forgotten though the history recorded is solely about men.

This does rather read as more YA than adult fiction; this isn’t a negative, but it’s something I noticed during my reading and it did affect how I viewed the story overall.

I knew the story of Jezebel only in as far as someone men conveyed was an evil woman. Considering that men were also behind the millennia long oppression of women, a book that gives a fresh voice to one of the most reviled women of biblical history made it of interest to me.

Jezebel's retelling is a worthwhile story, and I'm glad I read it.

In the days of kings, there was Jezebel. So many of us have heard the name, but never a story.
The stories of the time are written from the male perspective, but as we often hear, "behind every great man is a greater woman". I love the take on her story and how she aspired to be something greater than those who came before her. I flew through the book and really enjoyed every minute of it. The author's description of Israel was on point that I could see and feel it as I read.
I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I did not read this book because it adds and invalidates the inerrant Word of God. I have problems with that, such as with a Book of Longings. I was really excited about this one too, it’s very unfortunate.

I can EASILY say this is one of my favorite books I've ever read. The story is about a woman who refuses to be forgotten. A daughter, a wife, a mother, a Queen. This book took a delicate story, and turned a misunderstood figure into a hero.

This is a wonderfully written story about what it truly means to be a woman. To constantly fight to defend your name, to honor your name, and to make sure your name is respected and remembered. You won't regret reading this book.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I felt immersed from start to finish - this was a compelling story of a power hungry woman driven by legacy that we don't see much in historical fiction or retellings. There were a few times towards the end of the book where I felt confused, like the story was being rushed - I could have also used more context as to how Jezebel's actions affected the society of Israel. Overall, however, I highly recommend this book!

If you have learned anything from the Old Testament, it's that Jezebel was, well, a Jezebel. Megan Barnard has taken a chance to allow Jezebel to have a more well-rounded story. Jezebel was born a princess and when she was told she would never be king, and therefore, her name would never be remembered, she decided she would be different and her name would be recorded and remembered. At fifteen, she is married to Prince Ahab of Israel. She does not like the match, but she decides to make the most of it. She tries to make Israel a country to be proud of by building schools, grain silos, and temples to the gods she worshipped in Tyre. Her projects brought prosperity to Israel and praise for Jezebel. She finds herself drawn to the king's scribe, Elijah, and has an affair with him. When the years pass and Elijah begins to speak out against her, Jezebel starts to see how women have been forgotten over the course of time. She continues to try to help Israel and her family, but in her efforts, the people start to turn against her. Jezebel still dies, as in the story recorded in the Old Testament, but in this story, she even does that on her own terms and her name lives on, as she would like it.

How often have we been told that the victors write history (and for how long have the people in people in power been men)? But what happens when a powerful but maligned women lets them? This is the story of Jezebel. And if you’ve ever used the term to mock another woman, you can probably guess what was said about Bel. Born a princess who didn’t understand her place in her Kingdom, Bel abruptly learned how women were viewed in her world. Married to a less prestigious prince in a less prestigious land, she is determined to have her name remembered. And with her only friend and scribe by her side she sets out to accomplish this.

With conversations around generosity, religion, war, love, friendship, misogyny, parenthood, and leadership, this story has a little bit of everything. The last section reminds me greatly of Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. Watching your legacy play out in your children. And seeing your mistakes take form in them as well. I laughed, I raged, I wanted to cry. But in the end, I left impressed.

I could see what the author was trying to do, but the writing fell flat for me here. It felt a bit too juvenile for an adult story. It also all felt a bit heavy-handed, and stories like KAIKEYI and CIRCE were able to manage the themes this book was trying to impart in a much better, smarter way. Overall, it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t stand out against other similar books.

I just finished this one and am still digesting it. My first thought after finishing it - that was a really good fucking book. Throughout my reading I found myself wanting to compare it to the Old Testament Christian Bible (OT) passages. This is a thoughtful, masterful, and just really fucking good story of Jezebel that turns the traditional version we know on its face.

Jezebel as told by Megan Barnard is humanizing and is reminiscent of Madeline Miller’s work, only I think I liked this more due to the history I have with the Christian faith. I’m so accustomed to the story of Jezebel the harlot, not Jezebel the woman, girl, baby, and every iteration those phases of life encompass. I appreciate the sensitivity of the author to the characters of the story - there was only one that I walked away from truly despising, and it wasn’t Jezebel or any of those expected to be evil from reading the OT.

At this point, I’m left with a deeper respect of notion that we are all the villain to someone, and hero to another. People can vacillate in their opinions and beliefs due to the most minute adjustment in their lives, for better or worse, and in very extreme measures. It is reminiscent of another passage from the OT - there is nothing new under the sun. This happens today, and Jezebel is a timely book in today’s social and political climate.

Mandatory disclaimer - I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. The opinions are entirely my own. I will be purchasing this title because it is that fucking good. I don’t even normally use profanity in public forums, but frankly, Jezebel deserves no less than the best and most impolite of adjectives.

I really loved this book. I may write more later.

Thank you Penguin Group Books, Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I was pre-approved for "Jezebel" and admittedly most likely wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I am so glad that I picked it up and read it when I did. I knew very little about the historical figure of Jezebel, other than the use of the name in its current usage. Megan Barnard's prose and descriptive language made me feel like I was alongside Jezebel for the entirety of the novel. Jezebel's strength and desire to be recognized for her accomplishments, power and ambition is something that any reader can relate to. I found it interesting to connect Biblical people and events to the events in the novel, they were deftly done and seamlessly included. Megan Barnard is an author to watch out for and I look forward to what she writes next. I would recommend this to anyone looking for novel with a strong female figure set in a stunning setting.

The premise of this book was promising enough that I downloaded it almost immediately. Another take on Jezebel, giving her more of a fair depiction than the one we're given through history is something I could only ever find interesting. The result, however, was incredibly lacking. Though this is supposedly an adult novel, the book itself felt as though it were meant for teenagers, not adults. The writing felt childish, with even Jezebel being given a nickname in what I can assume to be a take in humanizing her further. By stripping away her name, it seemed to do more harm than good, and created a story that felt unnaturally modern in ways that it shouldn't.

The worst offense is that I still never cared about Jezebel, despite wanting to. As a main character, she severely lacked in actual, real depth, and given the nature of what this book is trying to accomplish, that is something that is hard to swallow.