YA Fiction Review: The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
The Healer's Apprenticeby Melanie Dickerson
Copyright 2010
Zondervan
272 pages
ISBN: 978-0310721437
Historical fiction/romance/teen fiction
From the publisher:
Two Hearts. One Hope.
Rose has been appointed as a healer’s apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter’s daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.
When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she’s never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose’s life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.
My Review:
I am a huge fan of fairy tales and I really enjoyed this story that is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty. It has all the elements I look for in a story, not only is there a great plot, a swoonworthy hero, and an intelligent heroine there's a great message for girls everywhere about waiting for the right guy to come along. Rose, the heroine, not only has to deal with learning that her parent's aren't who she believed them to be but also deal with a very handsome young man who isn't who he seems to be. I'm sure that even though this story takes place centuries ago girls will be able to relate to the pressures that Rose faces in her life.
A lot of stories can get boring or tedious to read if they come across as too preachy but this is definitely not one of those books. Ms. Dickerson does such a wonderful job making the story romantic and entertaining while still maintaining a Christian theme. I know as a reader I like all kinds of books both general market and Christian fiction so it's great to see this book which kind of mixes the two. There's an evil sorcerer and black magic but also characters who rely on their faith in God to get them through rough spots and protect them from harm. The Healer's Apprentice is a great book for readers both young and old who love a good fairy tale! I would love to see the author do more stories along this maybe something like Snow White or Cinderella! Here's to hoping! ;-)
To learn more about the author visit:
Her WEBSITE
Her BLOG
* I received my influencer copy from the publisher in exchange for posting my thoughts on the book.*
This book sounds really good! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful cover, too!
~Amber
Personally, after reading this novel, I don't see how it's based on Sleeping Beauty. The curse wasn't cast until the very end, and it made her stay awake rather than die or fall asleep. However, it was an enjoyable story. :)
ReplyDelete@ Genre Reviewer- Yeah the author said that i was loosely based on Sleeping Beauty so there were a lot of elements that were new and a few that reminded me a lot of the classic tale.
ReplyDelete@ Amber- The cover is great and so is the story ;-)
XOXO~ Renee
It is KILLING me that I don't have a copy of this book yet...Amazon finally shipped my preorder on Friday. The post office needs to hurry up and deliver!
ReplyDeleteI was online a few days ago and Amazon said something like may take 2-3 days to ship so it must have been on backorder or something. I hope you get it soon!!!!
ReplyDeleteXOXO~ Renee
I, like you, adore a book that can appeal to both markets. This sounds great. You've totally convinced me to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteI guess the story makes allusion to the fairy tale. That's always good and there is a long tradition of doing that with fairy tales. Ah, the Middle Ages. They founded our civilization and, now that the modern world view has played out, we long for the more human and spiritual dimension the modern world (1450-1920 more or less) scorned.
ReplyDeletePlease visit my blog and leave a comment. Thanks!
Oh my, am reading Melanie's book right now and LOVING IT!!! But then I love Mel, too, so no surprise there!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Julie