Dawn of Grace

Author: Jill Eileen Smith
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Pages: 368
Release Date: February 18, 2025
Publisher: Revell

From her earliest days, Mary Magdalene has known fear and loss at a level so deep she has no hope of surfacing. Bound to the demons within her and incapable of freeing herself, Mary walks in shadow--until one day she encounters a healer, a rabbi who is radically different from the religious leaders and family members who could do nothing to help her. One touch from Jesus and Mary is never the same.

Now Mary's one mission in life is to serve the one who freed her. She is determined never to leave his side, fearing that if she loses him, she'll return to her former bondage. Even when the unthinkable happens and her savior is arrested and sentenced to execution, she cannot abandon him as so many others did. Let her be buried in his tomb, for she cannot live without him.

On the brink of despair, Mary is about to discover that while the life of faith is never perfect, perfect love casts out fear--and Jesus makes all things new.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

Dawn of Grace by Jill Eileen Smith is a moving biblical novel that follows Mary Magdalene’s journey from a demon-possessed woman to a follower of Jesus Christ. Through Mary’s eyes, we get a probable backstory on how she came to be possessed and what happened after Jesus healed her. 

Mary was presented as a character who felt unloved throughout her life and was easily led astray by others. Her gullibility and desire for more control over her own life seemed to be the catalyst for her possession. I felt the author did a marvellous job portraying a dutiful yet innocent girl, who regretted asking evil spirits into her life. In fact, the author did such a good job of this that I found I had to put the book down several times as it disturbed me. 

Smith did a remarkable job of bringing the Scriptures to life. However, I felt like I was reading the Bible. This is not a bad thing, but I was expecting a side-story of some sort where the author didn’t feel the need to be constrained by the Scriptures. While she did this with Mary and her friend Susanna, once that part of the story was over, it lacked any further excitement.

Mary’s possession and healing were over faster than I would have liked. It would have been nice to see a bit more adventure in the story along with more character growth in Mary. Her inner thoughts were the same in almost every chapter after she was healed, and the story seemed to stall as she and the disciples followed Jesus around the country. 

I loved the way the author portrayed Jesus and her inclusion of other women who followed Him. I appreciated the faith message in this book and how Jesus redeems us. I realize, too, that telling a story from the Scriptures is difficult, especially where Jesus is involved. The author did a great job of imagining what Jesus would say while combining that with what He actually said. 

Her depiction of Mary at the garden tomb with Jesus was memorable and gave me chills. In fact, Mary’s devotion to the Lord and her love of Him is something I wish more Christians (myself included) aspired to.

Dawn of Grace is ultimately a story of love, discipleship, and self-discovery that will stir the flames of your faith. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley for my honest review.

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