Tag Archives: Melanie Dickerson

Review: Veil of Winter by Melanie Dickerson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,
Veil of Winter by Melanie Dickerson

Veil of Winter (Dericott Tales #3)
Melanie Dickerson
Thomas Nelson
Published June 14, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Veil of Winter

Princess Elyce is on the verge of marrying the nephew of the unscrupulous King Conrad of a neighboring kingdom when she discovers that Conrad will use her marriage to force her people to work in his mines. In order to fake her own death and escape him, she takes a sleeping potion, planning to awaken on the third day and then travel to Prague to seek help from King Wenceslaus, who rules the Holy Roman Empire. But her plan goes awry: the third day comes without her waking up.

Sir Gerard is convinced by Delia, his sister and Elyce’s best friend, to go help the sleeping princess, still slumbering and held captive by King Conrad’s guards. He manages to wake her with a kiss, but the princess is not pleased at this rude awakening. Still, he is her only hope of escape. Thus begins their journey to Prague in the dead of winter, hounded on all sides by elements and enemies. The greatest threat may come from within, though, as they desperately fight against their growing feelings for one another.

My Review

My daughter loves another series by this author, so I often try to check out her latest books with my girl in mind. I think the sweetness of the romance and the Christian storytelling both appeal to her. She likes lots of different kinds of books, but the Hagenheim series hold a special place in her heart.

VEIL OF WINTER is the third book in the Dericott Tales, which is a new series for me. It took me a while to get into the story. I think I expected the story to be about Elyce’s taking the sleeping potion and for the story to be more centered around that. But all that happens in the first few chapters of the story. There was also a big deal about Sir Gerard “kissing” the princess to wake her up, when actually he’d been about to perform CPR for her, thinking she needed to be revived.

Once the story got going and Elyce and her allies were on their way, I felt like I invested more in the characters. I felt like Elyce’s struggle to understand whether it was bad to have emotions or better to stifle them was an internal conflict that I could really identify with. I think I would have liked to see her grow more in self-confidence through the story. She stays pretty passive and sweet, which make her an unusual heroine. I liked that she’s different, but I think I still wanted to see her have the confidence to make her own decisions in a few situations.

On the whole, I think fans of Dickerson’s stories will love this addition to their shelves. It’s a very sweet historical romance with lots of emphasis on prayer.

Content Notes

Elyce’s father is emotionally and physically abusive.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Both main characters (and others) are Christians and pray to God throughout the story, especially anytime they need to make a decision.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some battle scenes (not graphically described). Elyce’s father is emotionally and physically abusive.

Drug Content
Wine served with dinners.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of VEIL OF WINTER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Historical, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

The Silent Songbird (Hagenheim #7)
Melanie Dickerson
Thomas Nelson
Published on November 8, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Silent Songbird
Evangeline is the ward and cousin of King Richard II, and yet she dreams of a life outside of Berkhamsted Castle, where she might be free to marry for love and not politics. But the young king betroths her to his closest advisor, Lord Shiveley, a man twice as old as Evangeline. Desperate to escape a life married to a man she finds revolting, Evangeline runs away from the king and joins a small band of servants on their way back to their home village.

To keep her identity a secret, Evangeline pretends to be mute. Evangeline soon regrets the charade as she gets to know Westley, the handsome young leader of the servants, whom she later discovers is the son of a wealthy lord. But she cannot reveal her true identity for fear she will be forced to return to King Richard and her arranged marriage.

My Review
This is off the usual path of books I tend to read, but it’s a series my daughter absolutely adores. The Hagenheim series loosely retells fairytales (minus the magical elements) as light medieval romance novels. This one is a loose retelling of the Little Mermaid, with Eva pretending to be mute as she pursues Westley, which prevents him from realizing she’s the maid with the lovely voice he felt so drawn to.

The romance elements definitely kept me turning pages. I liked Westley’s character and his sense of honor and curiosity about Eva a lot.

I felt like Eva was much shallower than other heroines in this series. She felt bad about lying, but didn’t really take a lot of responsibility for it. She sort of had tunnel-vision on things she wanted, which blinds her to some of the hurts she causes in people around her, especially her friend who escapes with her.

Eva definitely grows as the story progresses, and I liked that she does eventually come clean about her past. I wanted the backstory or conflict between her and Lord Shively to develop more—like maybe for her to find actual evidence that he’d murdered his wife and flee because she feared he would kill her to silence her. But that’s probably because I’m addicted to angsty stories. Ha!

The Silent Songbird is a great pick especially for younger readers looking for light romance. It has all the tension and satisfaction of romance without being sexual or graphic. My daughter is twelve, and this is probably her favorite series.

Recommended for Ages 10 up.

Cultural Elements
All the characters appear to be Western European.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a man and woman.

Spiritual Content
References to prayer.

Violent Content
A woman accidentally injures a man with a scythe. A woman sustains injury to her hands from her work as a servant. A man tries to kill another man by pushing him into a river.

Drug Content
References to drinking ale.

 

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Review: The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Princess Spy
Melanie Dickerson
Zonderkids
Published November 4, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Despite her romantic dreams and wishes, Margaretha is determined to wed a man who will secure her family’s future as well as her own. When a handsome though bedraggled stranger warns her that Lord Claybrook, her latest beau, is a fraud, Margaretha at first thinks him delusioned by fever.

Gradually she comes to accept and respect Colin, the English stranger and even volunteers to spy on Lord Claybrook for him. When Claybrook’s men seize her castle at Hagenheim and threaten the lives of her family members, it’s up to Margaretha and Colin to stop the evil plot.

Hagenheim castle is a familiar setting to fans of Dickerson’s novels. Some of the characters in The Princess Spy will be known to her readers as well. The connection to the other novels is nice and adds kind of a consistent story-world background without being necessary for understanding this novel on its own. In this loose retelling of The Princess and the Frog, the hero is dressed in an ugly green outfit and referred to by other castle servants as “frog boy.”

The writing is simple and a bit stilted, but the plot is pretty solid and moves forward at a steady pace. Romantic tension is expertly built and definitely scratches that fairytale-love-story itch. It wasn’t until the romance really started to take off that I felt myself really lost in the story. It’s a light, easy read and a great option for families looking for that fairytale type of story without the magic elements and with chaste but fervent romance.

Language Content
No profanity or crude language.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing. Margaretha and Colin travel alone and spend several nights together in traveling. Colin is conscious of Lady Margaretha’s station and virtue and protects both as a gentleman.

Spiritual Content
The hero is a Christian but wants revenge on his enemies. He learns that he must trust God to punish evil men in His own time.

Violence
Brief descriptions of violence and reference to a woman’s murder (she is pregnant and unmarried, and the father of her unborn child apparently strangles her.)

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Ten Books I Can’t Wait to Read

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Historical, Lists, Middle Grade 8-12, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,

Outcasts by Jill Williamson

Release date: 1/7/14

Three brothers and a young girl fight for survival within the towering walls of the Safe Lands. Despite its name, the city is ravaged with disease and infested with corruption. Each brother follows a mission: to find a cure for the sick; to free the captives; to take down the Safe Lands in a rebellion.

The second in her Safe Lands series, Outcasts is quickly earning a reputation as an intense story set in a captivating world. As a fan of Williamson’s fantasy series, Blood of Kings, I’ve been eager to get lost in another story by this worthy author.

The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

Release date: 11/9/13

Lonely Gisela spends her days serving her stepmother and grasping at memories of a happier childhood. When a handsome Duke throw a grand ball, Gisela is determined to attend and to have one last glimpse of the beauty of her past.

Dickerson won my heart as a reader with her debut novel The Healer’s Apprentice, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The beautiful simplicity of the story and the lovely characters she creates are difficult to resist. I am eager to get my eyes on her latest happily ever after story, inspired by the familiar tale of Cinderella in The Captive Maiden.

 

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

Expected release date: 2/4/14

The third novel in the Lunar Chronicles series, Cress follows the story of a girl briefly mentioned in the series’ acclaimed story, Cinder. The story features unforgettable cast members, including Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, Wolf and the dreadful Queen Levana.

With Meyer’s gift for a perfect meld of sci-fi and fairy tales retold, this series is one not to miss. Cinder was a fabulous story and very clean content-wise. I’m very hopeful to find Cress to be another gem.

 

Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Expected release date: 2/25/14

The day of Lady Daylily’s wedding draws near. Unlike the princesses of fairy tales, she will wed not her true love, but his awkward and foolish cousin. Daylily has always been the dutiful daughter. This time, however, she rebels, disappearing into the legendary Wilderlands and the land of Faerie. Though not her true love, her betrothed pursues her into peril, determined to rescue her.

If you’ve followed my blog long, you’ll be familiar with this name. Stengl continually amazes me with her brilliant characters and sharp dialogue. She possesses an elusive ability to seamlessly draw symbolism into her stories without distracting from the tales. Shadow Hand revisits a fascinating character from an earlier novel in the Tales of Goldstone Wood called Veiled Rose. I can hardly wait until this one hits the shelves.

 

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

Release date: 2/1/11

A young Japanese boy dreams of one day being a Samurai warrior It seems impossible, since he is the son of a fisherman. When he is stranded and then rescued by sailors on an American vessel, Manjiro begins a grand journey that will take him across the globe.

I stumbled upon this inspired-by-history novel on a rack of books for sale at the public library last summer and was immediately intrigued. My mother recently added it to her library, and has raved about the craftsmanship of the story and the power in its telling. I may have to snag this one as soon as she finishes the last page.

 

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne

Release date: 3/25/14

From the author who penned The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, an unforgettable tale of two boys who become unlikely friends during World War II comes an intriguing story about the son of a World War I soldier. His father promises not to go away, but then he leaves on a secret mission. Four years later, the boy discovers that his father is being treated in a local hospital. He vows to find his father and bring him home. I’m hopeful to find this novel every bit as engrossing and moving as Boyne’s WW II story.

 

 

Interrupted by Rachel Coker

Release date: 3/27/12

In the midst of the Great Depression, Allie’s whole life implodes. Her mother succumbs to illness and Allie is sent to a new family far away. Still lost in her grief, Allie isolates herself from the new family faces around her. The last person she hopes to see is the one she blames for her mother’s death, but her former best friend isn’t going to let Allie off so easily. Interrupted landed on my reading list when it was nominated as a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award.

 

 

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

Release date: 9/17/13

Henkes captured my household with his delightful children’s stories about two charming mice in Chrysanthemum and Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse. The quirky characters and layers of humor meant for adult and child alike made these oft-repeated bed-time tales. I was thrilled to see this book announced and can’t wait to see what glories he brings to middle grade fiction.

 

 

The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson

Expected release date: 3/25/14

Piper scrapes out a meager existence by finding and selling scraps on Meteor Fields. When she finds a strange girl amidst the flotsam, she immediately recognizes the mark that changes everything. The girl’s arm bears the Mark of the Dragonfly, an emblem which means her return home will mean a payday to trump paydays for Piper, if she can just get there. Thus begins a grand adventure.

Something about the description of this book reminds me of the magical world created by Marissa Meyer in the Lunar Chronicles. Without having read the book, it’s difficult to say whether this is an accurate hunch. But two girls on a dangerous journey, one returning to the past and the other grasping at the only hope for her future… what’s not to like? I’m intrigued.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Release date: 5/20/09

This book may well turn out to be one of those good ones that somehow slipped past unnoticed. I’ve heard some buzz about it lately, and since it was first recommended to me by a friend, I’m more curious than ever to get into this story set in a world in which parents of a child who reaches the age of thirteen have the ability to choose whether to keep the child or to have them “unwound,” and essentially destroyed.

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