To Hold the Throne

A Novel of the Last Maccabee Princess and King Herod the Great

By: Joni Okun

Narrated by: Kelly Morris Rowan, Arthur Rowan

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Amazon best seller

Historical figures and events meet fiction in Joni Okun's compelling debut novel. To Hold the Throne breathes life into the extraordinary story of King Herod the Great and Mariamne, the last Maccabee Princess, told in alternating points of view.

Fueled by shifting political tides in Rome, the Triumvir Marc Antony disrupts the longstanding Maccabee Dynasty of Judea when he crowns Mariamne's new husband, Herod the Great, as King, setting off a firestorm of power-grabbing, betrayal, and tragedy in the quest for the ultimate prize: the throne.

Mariamne never surrenders her belief that her brother Aris, scion of the royal line descending from King David, is the rightful King of Judea. She wrestles with her conscience and with family expectations about how far she is willing to go to oust her husband the king, who loves her with great passion even as he grows increasingly paranoid about her fidelity and suspicious of her disloyalty.

When a Maccabee family member is found murdered, Mariamne is thrown into a whirlwind of accusations and terror.

©2019 Palace Publishing LLC (P)2020 Joan Okun

Fantastic Historical Novel & Excellent Narration

Joni Okun's debut novel, To Hold the Throne, is a wonderful work of historical fiction, and the voice actors who narrate this tale are engaging and fun to listen to. It is great entertainment, as well as an easy way to learn some fascinating ancient history.

The listener is transported to an exciting and turbulent time in Judea. The Maccabee (Hasmonean) dynasty has been torn apart, both from an internal struggle for power and from the foreign influence of Rome. A new king has been crowned, Herod the Great, counselor to former King Hyrcanus and married to the old ruler's granddaughter, Mariamne, the last Maccabee princess. The listener comes to know Mariamne and Herod, their complicated relationship, and their inner thoughts and fears. Other characters include luminaries of the time, among them Marc Antony, Augustus Caesar, and Cleopatra.

There is something for everyone in this story, which has elements of suspense, intrigue, romance, treachery, murder and warfare. The characters are well developed, and the listener comes to care about them, even while questioning their motives and their sanity. This is a work of fiction, however it is clear that a lot of research went into bringing this ancient world back to life.

Those who are familiar with Herod as a master builder and as the architect of the Slaughter of the Innocents may be unaware of the events which unfolded decades before, when his scheming first brought him to power. And Mariamne, the tortured link between the Maccabee and Herodian dynasties, is a worthy foil to her ambitious husband.

If you enjoy historical fiction, or actually any form of fiction, you really should not miss this audiobook.

Interesting Historical Take

To Hold the Throne is the story of King Herod and the Maccabee Princess Mariamme. Okun's novel covers a time in history not often covered and is very clearly well researched. However, the fact that it was so well researched made me feel as if the novel was bogged down in detail and I found myself zoning out and drowning in the details.

I received this audiobook in exchange in exchange for my honest review.