Title: The Fairest Beauty
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Series: Hagenheim/Fairy Tale Romance Series (3)
Published by Zondervan
Year: 2012
Pages: 336 (Paperback)
Format Read: Kindle
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-310-72440-7
I wanted to read a fairy tale retelling, and I decided to try out this book. The Fairest Beauty is a retelling of the fairy tale, Snow White. This version of the classic fairy tale does not contain common elements of magic and fantasy; however, it has a Christian-biblical worldview.The setting is Bavaria during the Holy Roman Empire; the scenes are written as realistic historical fiction. There are several devout and pious Christians, especially the main character, Sophie. She prays frequently, reads scriptures, and often recalls what the priest told her in the past. Characters discuss forgiveness and redemption and ponder the will of God. The duchess is the mean queen, and although nothing fantastical happens when she talks to her mirror, generally, her every thought and her every action is eccentric and malevolent. Some themes and takeaways from this book are Sophie’s abuse and her desire to be loved and cherished, Gabe’s sibling rivalry, the downfall of evil (Psalm 10), and God’s protection. Finally, a happy ending (or beginning of the next chapter in life). It was great to read this Christian retelling of a fairytale. I did not know what to expect, but the book was fine. It was very creative how the author reworked the reality of this classic story.
Dates Read January to February 2021
Title: The Piper’s Pursuit
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Series: Hagenheim/FairyTale Romance Series(10)
Published by Thomas Nelson
Year: 2019
Pages: 321
Format Read: Kindle
Language: English
Several fiction recommendations appeared on my Amazon account; this novel’s plot description seemed pretty interesting so I decided to read it. This is the second book by Melanie Dickerson that I have read. It’s a reimagining of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and it is another young adult medieval romance fairy tale with a Christian worldview. It’s around the 14th century in the Holy Roman Empire. The heroine, Katerina, is brave and strong with a disdain for arrogant men like her stepfather and the new guy in town, Steffan, who is the Duke’s “prodigal” son. They try to work together to figure out the mysteries in town: the children disappearing, the rat infestations, the beast attacks. They eventually uncover her stepfather Hennek’s wrongdoings and the story really takes off; it’s a suspenseful adventure. Steffan and Kat learn about each other and begin to trust each other and dismantle assumptions. Katerina has to be strong because her stepfather is abusive to her and her mother; she has to be the one to protect them and handle issues. Steffan felt wronged by his place in life such as being the younger son and not getting the inheritance. In the story, it’s revealed that disobeyed his father and he feels ashamed of this. The father is a Father God figure in that he forgives his son and shows him love and mercy.
Dates Read May to August 2021
A Love So Wordy 