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Daughters of the Wilderness
“Larsen Hill’s natural storytelling shines through in sweet family moments, and wise insights about holding onto faith when life is hard.” Tessa Afshar, Publishers Weekly Bestseller and Author of The Queen’s Cook.
A broken betrothal. A wounded sister. A patriarchal law they must challenge.
As Israel prepares to enter the promised land, five sisters face an uncertain future as their hopes for marriage begin to unravel. Their father, Zelophehad, has raised them to trust God, but his time is running out—and Noa knows it. Meanwhile, a bitter uncle schemes to marry them into different tribes, threatening to tear them apart.
Strong-willed and haunted by a past mistake, Noa is determined to honor her father’s charge to protect her sisters. As pressure mounts, she considers a bold step—but is it God’s leading, or her own desperate attempt to make things right?
Daughters of the Wilderness brings to life a little-known biblical story of courage, faith, and legacy—where emboldened sisters dare to trust God and change the course of history.
Perfect for fans of Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews, and Connilyn Cossette.
Discover a story of bold faith and redemption—start Daughters of the Wilderness today
A broken betrothal. A wounded sister. A patriarchal law they must challenge.
As Israel prepares to enter the promised land, five sisters face an uncertain future as their hopes for marriage begin to unravel. Their father, Zelophehad, has raised them to trust God, but his time is running out—and Noa knows it. Meanwhile, a bitter uncle schemes to marry them into different tribes, threatening to tear them apart.
Strong-willed and haunted by a past mistake, Noa is determined to honor her father’s charge to protect her sisters. As pressure mounts, she considers a bold step—but is it God’s leading, or her own desperate attempt to make things right?
Daughters of the Wilderness brings to life a little-known biblical story of courage, faith, and legacy—where emboldened sisters dare to trust God and change the course of history.
Perfect for fans of Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews, and Connilyn Cossette.
Discover a story of bold faith and redemption—start Daughters of the Wilderness today
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2026
About the author
Lisa Larsen Hill
1 book5 followersLisa Larsen Hill is a biblical storyteller, Certified Lay Speaker, and President of the Network of Biblical Storytellers International.
Lisa’s debut novel, Daughters of the Wilderness, brings to life a little-known Old Testament story of courage, faith, and legacy, in which five sisters dare to trust God and change the course of history.
Lisa spent her career as Senior Vice President of Marketing for a global Fortune 500 company, where compelling communication was central to her leadership, speaking, and organizational skills.
She is also the founder of Seeds of Faith For Women and co-founder of Daughters of Abraham, organizations devoted to faith-centered dialogue and learning.
Today, she is passionate about helping others encounter God through story. Lisa lives in New York with her husband, and together they’ve traveled to all seven continents.
Lisa’s debut novel, Daughters of the Wilderness, brings to life a little-known Old Testament story of courage, faith, and legacy, in which five sisters dare to trust God and change the course of history.
Lisa spent her career as Senior Vice President of Marketing for a global Fortune 500 company, where compelling communication was central to her leadership, speaking, and organizational skills.
She is also the founder of Seeds of Faith For Women and co-founder of Daughters of Abraham, organizations devoted to faith-centered dialogue and learning.
Today, she is passionate about helping others encounter God through story. Lisa lives in New York with her husband, and together they’ve traveled to all seven continents.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 18, 2026
Daughters of the Wilderness is kind of hard to pin down. By rights, it should probably be a 3.5-3.8, maybe a little lower. However, the heart of the story itself and the strength of the underpinnings are good enough that I rounded up. What do I mean by this? Well, let's dive in.
First, plenty of strong elements exist here. I've read one other book about Zelophehad's daughters, which I loved in large part because it gave each daughter a distinct personality and place in the story. Lisa Larsen Hill does this, too. Her versions are a bit more two-dimensional, but the complexities of the sisterhood are still there in spades. So too, are the distinct personalities of each daughter. Even when a personality "hinges" on something, like Milkah's "Queen Milkah" attitude or Tirzah being the baby of the family, each girl grows beyond that, or grows within it.
Milkah is probably the best and most unexpected example. I struggled to like her at first, and I understood exactly why Noa especially would be frustrated at constant urgings to make peace with this sister in particular. However, Milkah proves herself capable of showing up when she's needed, and when she feels appreciated and secure. It's clear throughout Daughters of the Wilderness that Milkah often feels overlooked, cheated, or as if she can do no right. So when she does display faith in Yahweh, even if it is backed by too much fire or her human selfishness, you can see how she's maturing.
Mahlah is another example. In fact, I'd like to give Lisa kudos because she gave Mahlah a disability, yet got it "right" in a way I rarely see. As in, Mahlah is not "representation." Her disability affects her life and in some ways, jeopardizes her future. But usually, Mahlah is just herself--the eldest daughter, the second ima, the one stepping up as leader--but also someone with her own talents, her own ambitions, and yes, her own faith. Her faith journey is possibly the most unique, as is her place among the sisters.
Hoglah, Noa, and Tirzah all have similar arcs and threads--I'd love to go into those but fear I'd spoil the whole book. Instead, I'll move on to the plot and spiritual threads, because as with many books like these, the two cannot be separated. Zelo's dedication to Yahweh in particular, when set against Korah's arrogance and combined with Zelo's complex and achingly human history, stands out. So too, does his determination to see his daughters married for love and cared for. I had a good dad, but wow, to have a father like Zelo--I was truly touched.
The actions and fate of Korah, Assir, Emet, and other antagonistic characters gives the book both darkness and depth. Lisa brings the incident to life in not graphic, but truly frightening detail. She also made it clear why God would react so harshly to Korah--it was never just about prayer shawls, or even arrogance. In fact, when Korah mocked Moses, I had an audible, disgusted reaction. Especially when juxtaposed with Assir's reaction and ensuing journey, this part will stick with me for a long time.
Okay, so with all that praise, why would I say this book is more a 3.5-3.8? A lot of it comes down to the pacing. As in, certain events like Korah's rebellion or the marriage of the daughters are set up like they're going to carry the book. So when they end fairly quickly, or when they're placed in certain orders or worded certain ways, the story seems thrown off to varying degrees. Also, the marriages in particular didn't carry as much weight as they should've for me because it seemed like the readers were being given too much information ahead of time about who would end up with whom.
That issue means the grooms in the story didn't have as much page time or personality as I'd have liked. They get some, and that's valuable. Jonathan's drawing talent, for instance, was a great detail that actually highlighted his masculinity and protectiveness in an environment where that talent wasn't always nurtured in males. But other threads like Simon's adoption and the controversy of who rejected him, who said what and when, popped in and out of the story too much for me to focus on them.
Finally, Daughters of the Wilderness does not lapse into telling over showing as such. But the writing style does kind of skirt the edges a lot, especially when someone's personality or motives are described. Additionally, characters tend to repeat the same things a few times. Or, as with threads like Simon's history, the conversation got a bit convoluted. I had to reorient myself some, saying, "Wait, why is this important again?"
Overall then, Daughters of the Wilderness isn't perfect. Yet it is an attention-grabbing debut novel. I hope Lisa can improve her craft and continue to give readers more like this, because I sense she could be a strong voice in Biblical fiction. If you haven't snagged this book, it's well worth a read.
First, plenty of strong elements exist here. I've read one other book about Zelophehad's daughters, which I loved in large part because it gave each daughter a distinct personality and place in the story. Lisa Larsen Hill does this, too. Her versions are a bit more two-dimensional, but the complexities of the sisterhood are still there in spades. So too, are the distinct personalities of each daughter. Even when a personality "hinges" on something, like Milkah's "Queen Milkah" attitude or Tirzah being the baby of the family, each girl grows beyond that, or grows within it.
Milkah is probably the best and most unexpected example. I struggled to like her at first, and I understood exactly why Noa especially would be frustrated at constant urgings to make peace with this sister in particular. However, Milkah proves herself capable of showing up when she's needed, and when she feels appreciated and secure. It's clear throughout Daughters of the Wilderness that Milkah often feels overlooked, cheated, or as if she can do no right. So when she does display faith in Yahweh, even if it is backed by too much fire or her human selfishness, you can see how she's maturing.
Mahlah is another example. In fact, I'd like to give Lisa kudos because she gave Mahlah a disability, yet got it "right" in a way I rarely see. As in, Mahlah is not "representation." Her disability affects her life and in some ways, jeopardizes her future. But usually, Mahlah is just herself--the eldest daughter, the second ima, the one stepping up as leader--but also someone with her own talents, her own ambitions, and yes, her own faith. Her faith journey is possibly the most unique, as is her place among the sisters.
Hoglah, Noa, and Tirzah all have similar arcs and threads--I'd love to go into those but fear I'd spoil the whole book. Instead, I'll move on to the plot and spiritual threads, because as with many books like these, the two cannot be separated. Zelo's dedication to Yahweh in particular, when set against Korah's arrogance and combined with Zelo's complex and achingly human history, stands out. So too, does his determination to see his daughters married for love and cared for. I had a good dad, but wow, to have a father like Zelo--I was truly touched.
The actions and fate of Korah, Assir, Emet, and other antagonistic characters gives the book both darkness and depth. Lisa brings the incident to life in not graphic, but truly frightening detail. She also made it clear why God would react so harshly to Korah--it was never just about prayer shawls, or even arrogance. In fact, when Korah mocked Moses, I had an audible, disgusted reaction. Especially when juxtaposed with Assir's reaction and ensuing journey, this part will stick with me for a long time.
Okay, so with all that praise, why would I say this book is more a 3.5-3.8? A lot of it comes down to the pacing. As in, certain events like Korah's rebellion or the marriage of the daughters are set up like they're going to carry the book. So when they end fairly quickly, or when they're placed in certain orders or worded certain ways, the story seems thrown off to varying degrees. Also, the marriages in particular didn't carry as much weight as they should've for me because it seemed like the readers were being given too much information ahead of time about who would end up with whom.
That issue means the grooms in the story didn't have as much page time or personality as I'd have liked. They get some, and that's valuable. Jonathan's drawing talent, for instance, was a great detail that actually highlighted his masculinity and protectiveness in an environment where that talent wasn't always nurtured in males. But other threads like Simon's adoption and the controversy of who rejected him, who said what and when, popped in and out of the story too much for me to focus on them.
Finally, Daughters of the Wilderness does not lapse into telling over showing as such. But the writing style does kind of skirt the edges a lot, especially when someone's personality or motives are described. Additionally, characters tend to repeat the same things a few times. Or, as with threads like Simon's history, the conversation got a bit convoluted. I had to reorient myself some, saying, "Wait, why is this important again?"
Overall then, Daughters of the Wilderness isn't perfect. Yet it is an attention-grabbing debut novel. I hope Lisa can improve her craft and continue to give readers more like this, because I sense she could be a strong voice in Biblical fiction. If you haven't snagged this book, it's well worth a read.
May 20, 2026
Daughters of the Wilderness: A Debut Novel
By Lisa Larsen Hill
A book review by Emily Shanahan
Daughters of the Wilderness is the debut novel by Lisa Larsen Hill, published by Redemption Press.
A warm, grateful shoutout to Redemption Press for bringing this thirty-five-year passion project of Lisa’s to life!
Lisa Larsen Hill, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting her in the digital world yet, is a debut author with a passion for God’s Word and inspiring her readers to approach The Holy Scriptures in new ways through the avenue of excellent, relatable, Biblical historical fiction.
As someone who adores reading Biblical historical fiction, I always encourage readers to first read the Biblical passages a novel was inspired by before reading the book itself. For Daughters of the Wilderness, the Biblical passages the book is centered on are: Numbers 16, Numbers 27:1-11, and Psalm 46.
My heart truly fell in love with this little-known story tucked away in the history books of the Bible. The story of the daughters of Zelophehad is a story of ancient Israeli tribal rights, social justice ordained by YHWH Himself, and thanks to Lisa’s retelling, empowered boss-girl sisterhood!
These eleven verses at the beginning of Numbers 27, show that God does care for the marginalized in society, and even cares about the day-to-day lives of His daughters.
At the beginning of Daughters of the Wilderness, one of the most touching family rituals Zelophehad walks his daughters through every night, is reciting one of the Ten Commandments. After the recitation of a particular Commandment, Zelophehad’s daughters would then be asked to explain and apply this Commandment to their lives using everyday words and scenarios.
Little did Zelophehad know (but YHWH knew) that the Decalogue* He instilled in His daughter’s hearts would imbue His daughters with the courage to approach Moses to ask God to maintain their father’s tribal legacy and inheritance by expanding the Mosaic Law at God’s Command.
*The term Decalogue is an English translation for עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים aseret hadevarim, meaning “ten words,” also known as The Ten Commandments.
Besides being inspired by the holy chutzpah of the daughters of Zelophehad, one important lesson Lisa drives home in her debut novel is the importance of hiding God’s Word in one’s heart and having the guts to live out God’s Word in daily life, especially when others think you are wrong. It’s not man’s opinion that matters, but the Lord’s.
Why were the daughters of Zelophehad’s actions so gutsy, you may ask? For starters, especially in the first century, women didn’t own property, men did. The daughters of Zelophehad were righteously asking to own property in order to honor their father, preserve his legacy, and keep lands within their own tribal boundaries.
Secondly, women did not appear at the Tent of Meeting and request a meeting with Moses, who spoke face-to-face with God as man speaks to a friend. To do so, was beyond brave and tested the limits of societal norms of first century Israel. Yet, God rewarded the moxie of these five sisters, opening the door for other future daughters of Israel to own property.
Truly, I couldn’t recommend Lisa’s debut novel Daughters of the Wilderness more highly to you! Her passion for the Word of God is palpable, and she presents God’s Truth in an engaging way, especially for someone who would read a novel, but might be hesitant to pick up a Bible.
It’s beautifully heartwarming how The Lord connected Lisa and I together. We share mutual Biblical historical author friends, namely Mesu Andrews and Conni Cossette. If you scroll or search through my blog, you will see that I’ve had the pleasure of being on launch teams for both Mesu and Conni. In addition to the professional connections, I’ve also been email buddies with Mesu and Conni for years.
When I saw on Mesu’s Instagram that Lisa Larsen Hill was a debut author looking for launch team members for her debut novel, I jumped at the chance to make a new author friend, and Praise The Lord, I’m so glad I did!
Lisa is a very warm, encouraging friend, who is also passionate about books and The Lord. I truly think we will be friends across the megabytes for years to come!
Congratulations and God Bless on the release of your debut novel, my dear, new, sweet friend Lisa!
Thanks to The Lord and His Grace, your first book baby gets to be enjoyed by others after a thirty-five-year labor of love!
Interested in reading The Daughters of the Wilderness for yourself? Order Lisa’s debut novel here.
My opinions are my own and I was not financially compensated in any way.
Book cover image of The Daughters of the Wilderness was provided by Lisa Larsen Hill and Redemption Press.
Huge, grateful shoutout to Alayna Allport for so capably and lovingly serving as my hands for this blog post.
By Lisa Larsen Hill
A book review by Emily Shanahan
Daughters of the Wilderness is the debut novel by Lisa Larsen Hill, published by Redemption Press.
A warm, grateful shoutout to Redemption Press for bringing this thirty-five-year passion project of Lisa’s to life!
Lisa Larsen Hill, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting her in the digital world yet, is a debut author with a passion for God’s Word and inspiring her readers to approach The Holy Scriptures in new ways through the avenue of excellent, relatable, Biblical historical fiction.
As someone who adores reading Biblical historical fiction, I always encourage readers to first read the Biblical passages a novel was inspired by before reading the book itself. For Daughters of the Wilderness, the Biblical passages the book is centered on are: Numbers 16, Numbers 27:1-11, and Psalm 46.
My heart truly fell in love with this little-known story tucked away in the history books of the Bible. The story of the daughters of Zelophehad is a story of ancient Israeli tribal rights, social justice ordained by YHWH Himself, and thanks to Lisa’s retelling, empowered boss-girl sisterhood!
These eleven verses at the beginning of Numbers 27, show that God does care for the marginalized in society, and even cares about the day-to-day lives of His daughters.
At the beginning of Daughters of the Wilderness, one of the most touching family rituals Zelophehad walks his daughters through every night, is reciting one of the Ten Commandments. After the recitation of a particular Commandment, Zelophehad’s daughters would then be asked to explain and apply this Commandment to their lives using everyday words and scenarios.
Little did Zelophehad know (but YHWH knew) that the Decalogue* He instilled in His daughter’s hearts would imbue His daughters with the courage to approach Moses to ask God to maintain their father’s tribal legacy and inheritance by expanding the Mosaic Law at God’s Command.
*The term Decalogue is an English translation for עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים aseret hadevarim, meaning “ten words,” also known as The Ten Commandments.
Besides being inspired by the holy chutzpah of the daughters of Zelophehad, one important lesson Lisa drives home in her debut novel is the importance of hiding God’s Word in one’s heart and having the guts to live out God’s Word in daily life, especially when others think you are wrong. It’s not man’s opinion that matters, but the Lord’s.
Why were the daughters of Zelophehad’s actions so gutsy, you may ask? For starters, especially in the first century, women didn’t own property, men did. The daughters of Zelophehad were righteously asking to own property in order to honor their father, preserve his legacy, and keep lands within their own tribal boundaries.
Secondly, women did not appear at the Tent of Meeting and request a meeting with Moses, who spoke face-to-face with God as man speaks to a friend. To do so, was beyond brave and tested the limits of societal norms of first century Israel. Yet, God rewarded the moxie of these five sisters, opening the door for other future daughters of Israel to own property.
Truly, I couldn’t recommend Lisa’s debut novel Daughters of the Wilderness more highly to you! Her passion for the Word of God is palpable, and she presents God’s Truth in an engaging way, especially for someone who would read a novel, but might be hesitant to pick up a Bible.
It’s beautifully heartwarming how The Lord connected Lisa and I together. We share mutual Biblical historical author friends, namely Mesu Andrews and Conni Cossette. If you scroll or search through my blog, you will see that I’ve had the pleasure of being on launch teams for both Mesu and Conni. In addition to the professional connections, I’ve also been email buddies with Mesu and Conni for years.
When I saw on Mesu’s Instagram that Lisa Larsen Hill was a debut author looking for launch team members for her debut novel, I jumped at the chance to make a new author friend, and Praise The Lord, I’m so glad I did!
Lisa is a very warm, encouraging friend, who is also passionate about books and The Lord. I truly think we will be friends across the megabytes for years to come!
Congratulations and God Bless on the release of your debut novel, my dear, new, sweet friend Lisa!
Thanks to The Lord and His Grace, your first book baby gets to be enjoyed by others after a thirty-five-year labor of love!
Interested in reading The Daughters of the Wilderness for yourself? Order Lisa’s debut novel here.
My opinions are my own and I was not financially compensated in any way.
Book cover image of The Daughters of the Wilderness was provided by Lisa Larsen Hill and Redemption Press.
Huge, grateful shoutout to Alayna Allport for so capably and lovingly serving as my hands for this blog post.
May 14, 2026
I simply loved the book, Daughters of the Wilderness by Lisa Larsen Hill. From the cover of the book, the list of the main characters, the story itself, the author's note, and the glossary; I devoured it.
The story centers on five daughters who are orphaned and seeks to claim their father's inheritance due to the fact there are no brothers. They go before Moses and place their request before him and God.
The story development was excellent as well as the characters. I appreciated their faith and many references in seeking God's wisdom and guidance. I kept wanting to go back and read more to find out what happens next.
I believe this is Ms. Hill's debut book and she did an excellent job. I cannot wait for her next book.
This book was provided by the author and these opinions are my own.
The story centers on five daughters who are orphaned and seeks to claim their father's inheritance due to the fact there are no brothers. They go before Moses and place their request before him and God.
The story development was excellent as well as the characters. I appreciated their faith and many references in seeking God's wisdom and guidance. I kept wanting to go back and read more to find out what happens next.
I believe this is Ms. Hill's debut book and she did an excellent job. I cannot wait for her next book.
This book was provided by the author and these opinions are my own.
May 9, 2026
Lisa Hill wrote a beautiful story in “Daughters of the Wilderness” showing the incredible faith and courage of Zelophehad’s five daughters. I felt both encouraged and convicted by each of their faith. Hill is a natural storyteller and every single page shows her God-given gift. I could not put this book down, I literally read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore every night. If you enjoy books by Mesu Andrew’s, Tessa Afshar, and Connilynn Cossette, then Hill will not disappoint you!
I received a complimentary copy of the book, and a positive review was not required
I received a complimentary copy of the book, and a positive review was not required
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews