The Captive Maiden

My daughter’s thoughts: Melanie Dickerson has truly captured my attention with this outstanding story. Cinderella has always been one of my favorite princesses, but Melanie’s book proves fairy tales aren’t just for children anymore. Even grown-ups can enjoy these books. Much like her other book, The Captive Maiden, it was very intriguing, and I found it near to impossible to put down. I loved how the story plot led up to the ending, keeping me thrilled to the very last page. The ending itself was amazing and I loved every single word of it. But what really drew my attention was the beautiful cover. It is absolutely stunning! The girl who posed for the cover is beautiful and so is the magnificent dress she’s wearing. I feel both teenagers and adults would like this book as much as I did. Both this one and The Fairest Beauty were excellent books and I loved reading them. Having read them both, I must say that I cannot pick a favorite! My thoughts: I would have to say, I agree with my daughter on this one. When you have a cover that beautiful, the story had better live up to it and thankfully, this one does. The author captures the heart of Cinderella without overdoing it and making it cliche. I am also thrilled that we were able to see the older brother finally get his happily-ever-after too. This book does touch on sibling rivalry and jealousy which I think is normal for these circumstances and a lot of the time this can lead to insecurities. I love the emphasis that each of us needs to find our own way and make our own name in this world. What each of us determines to do, can make a difference in the entire world or even to one special person. I think Gisela’s story resonated in me with her decision to shut off her emotions and compartmentalize her hurtful past and present circumstances. Sometimes it’s easier to just tune out, but that never, ever solves anything. Melanie’s writing is one of my favorites and this would make a wonderful gift for the pre-teen/teen in your life. (Or ok, let’s be honest here, even the 42 year old in your life…) The author provided me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the books. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Melanie Dickerson.

Melanie has fashioned yet another beautiful, fresh fairy tale story in her newest novel. However, this reader began with a skeptical attitude about the worthiness of Gisela’s prince charming but not for long. Valten, who grudgingly stepped aside in the last story for true love, came to handsome, valiant, truly heroic life as he looked past Gisela’s circumstances & straight into her oh-so-lovely heart. Yet, the possibility of a happily-ever-after seems doomed at every turn. Melanie’s creative spin includes the essentials of any Cinderella story, an evil stepmother, spiteful stepsisters, a ball & beautiful gown, then adds a gold digger, an old enemy bent on revenge, as well as, a lovely peek into the kind of family Gisela’s father would have wanted her to have all along. There are no lack of enemies out to destroy their chance of building a future together, & Gisela fears she’ll end up spending her adult life dreaming of what might’ve been while she’s imprisoned by a different but no less evil monster for the sake of sparing her beloved’s life. Yet even if they overcome the impossible odds & both survive, the taunts reverberating through Gisela’s head from those wretched, loveless years threaten to destroy them from the inside out. When coupled with Valten’s less than poetic ability to communicate his feelings & stubborn unwillingness to depend on God, hope begins to slip away. Then they stumble upon an unlikely champion, but can he save them from the internal & external darkness before they’re crushed? I read this enthralling tale in one day because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. An extra delight came through the reappearance of familiar characters & getting a closer glimpse of Valten’s family, Margaretha in particular with her kind & generous spirit so like her mother’s. Another bonus – you can fearlessly share Melanie’s wholesome, God-honoring books with your teenage daughter while actually enjoying the stories yourself!

So I have owned this book for five years now, but I have just now read it. I think I got it on a Kindle Daily Deal as it sounded interesting, but when I had started it, apparently I wasn't interested or something. But now I have read it, and overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love fairy tale retellings and it is always nice to find clean romances. This book was a good take on the Cinderella tale, and it was interesting as it was purely historical without any elements of fantasy/magic. A lot of the similar elements were there, but I enjoyed the fresh twist on the tale. I am equal parts torn by the romance between the hero and heroine. Half of me absolutely loved the romance as it was adorable and you could believe the romance between them. But the other part of me questioned why they loved each other. They fell for each other very quickly (which is typical for fairy tale romances), but part of me wished that it had been more. It seemed like they just loved each other because of their physical appearances and the fact that they loved each other (and possibly their interest in horses). I wanted more out of it. I don't feel like their love really grew over the book, more like they fell in love and were in love. I know I am babbling, and probably not making sense. The main point is that I loved their romance, but I wanted more from it. One little thing that really got to me was that the spelling of the names changed throughout the book. An example of this was that sometimes her horse was Kaleb and sometimes it was Kaeleb. It was hard to keep track of and annoying. Not a big deal, but it kept drawing me out of the story whenever it happened. I only gave the book four stars rather than five, because while I enjoyed it, I felt that it lacked some depth and that the story dragged a bit needlessly. I would have liked it better if it was shorter or if the conflict was more complex so it did not feel dumb when it was drawn out (like seriously, she gets kidnapped by the same person and rescued by the same person like three or four times in the last 50% of the book). So it was good, but I wish it was better. I will probably check out more books by Melanie Dickerson, but they probably won't be very high up on my list. But if you liked this book and/or clean fairy tale romances, I would recommend that you also check out books by K.M. Shea.

Gisela meets the Duke's son, Valten, and they are drawn to each other; but her cruel stepmother and stepsisters join forces with Valten’s rival, Ruexner, to interfere. (Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.) Plot and Setting: 4 -- Plot has unique elements and no major holes, but a few shaky bits. Cinderella is a frequently adapted fairytale, but this version has an added focus on Valten's life and enemies (the tournament and Ruexner) in addition to the evil stepmother and ball. I liked these additions, but at the same time, it made it feel less of a fairytale adaptation. Also, Valten breaks his ribs, but after passing out from the pain, they oddly don't seem to bother him again--lucky for him! Setting is clear and believable. Timeline may be a bit hard to follow. It's a bit vague, but seems to cover just a few days. The time Gisela and Valten spend traveling while kidnapped/escaping is slightly unclear. How long/far did they travel? Characters: 4.5 -- Relatable, realistic, interesting, dynamic characters. One of my favorite things about this book is the contrast of how Valten is around Gisela and how he was around Sophie in the previous book. He's still shy around women, but he has a connection to Gisela. And Gisela finds him attractive for some of the same reasons Sophie found him intimidating. There's a lot of realism in their interactions and emotions, and I love it. Some minor characters have depth, while others may be slightly stereotyped or simplified. Evfemia, Irma, and Rainhilda are all pretty one-note mean girls. Definite strong points in the relationships between characters. Mechanics and Writing: 4 -- A handful of typos, punctuation issues, or word errors, but nothing that seriously hinders understanding. Loud for loudly, Jong for long, the bizarre 'mouthlips' that should've been one or the other, some trouble with compound/hyphenated words, and a few awkward phrases/word choices, including using glisten as a noun. One spot where the first word of a prayer was not italicized. Good use of POV (Gisela and Valten), with one spot where it switched from her to him without a section break. Though the section breaks in general were much clearer than the previous books! Yay! Generally skillful writing. An oddity in series continuity: In this book, we hear mention of Valten’s sister, Lindi, who apparently died in about 1403. This is weird only because she’s conspicuously NOT mentioned in three other books, when three separate characters have conversations where it would’ve made sense to mention her. It’s not crucial to any plots at all, just a bit mysterious and odd. Redeeming Value: 5 -- Well-developed, central, uplifting themes. Valten learns to rely on prayer and God's power rather than just his own strength. Gisela releases her pretence of not caring, works to forgive people who have wronged her, and discovers that God and Valten can truly love her. Sex, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified at all, though present. Quite a few fights, most in the context of the tournament and therefore governed by rules of chivalry, but more brutal fights involving Ruexner, both in the tournament and in the course of the kidnapping. Ruexner is ready to force Gisela into marriage, but even he has some scruples, and Valten and Friar Daniel are significantly more principled. Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 -- I loved it. Highly enjoyable and very entertaining, with perhaps an issue or two that tempered my pleasure. One I'll definitely read again.

Cinderella is by far my favourite of all the fairy tales and I have been dying for Ms. Dickerson to write her story. I really enjoyed the Snow White, Beast and Sleeping Beauty re-writes and hoped this latest in her series would be as good. She didn't disappoint me. At first I wasn't sure I liked the heroine's name since I was used to Cinderella, but then, I have watched the movie Ever After and Cinderella's name was Danielle De Barbarac. So, there's no reason Cinderella couldn't be Gisella. At first, I wasn't sure I would like the hero, as he had been described in the previous book in the series as rather arrogant and determined to be the best at everything. But in this book, I got to see him 'up close' so to speak and see his motivations behind all the tournament winning etc and soon discovered he was a flawed character that I could relate to. Gisella was also not your typical damsel in distress. At one point in the story she proves that she can take care of herself very well and I found myself applauding her bravery. This story is smooth except for the odd (as in weird) typo that made me think the author hadn't decided upon what she wanted to say in a given instance. I have been to blame for doing this in my own writings, but my editors usually catch the errors, thus avoiding embarrassment. Sadly, Ms. Dickerson's editor did not catch it and I found myself doing a double take. It didn't detract from the overall story, but it did make me wonder why non traditionally published authors get picked on so much for not having perfectly edited manuscripts. Anyway, aside from that, the story was enjoyable. There were enough twists and turns to keep the book moving along at a decent pace, and a couple revelations I didn't see coming. All in all, a good book. I look forward to her next one. Amy McGuire Author of The Hope Valley Saga

Review: I’m forever in love with the fairy tale of Cinderella, so I didn’t need much convincing to pick up this book. What I got, however, left me confused: have I simply read too many books with this theme that they’ve kind of lost their spark or, excluding the theme, it wasn’t really what I prefer and find enjoyable in romance and so the Cinderella element couldn’t hold it afloat? Well, let’s start with the positive: It did its own thing, Cinderella was the inspiration, but overall, it was a distinct book with its own take on the fairy tale equipped with a solid and familiar yet new storyline, characters and various other details. It had the fairy godmother (in a very loose sense of the word, applicable to multiple characters), the evil stepfamily, the daring prince, some extra friends and foe, the shoe (no pumpkin though, bummer), but all of them were not replicas from the original, instead, they were their own characters with loose ties to the initial fairy tale counterparts. I have to compliment the author with creating something different from the overused source material. Despite my biggest con, which I will explain later, this story was quite mature with many of its story elements and overall tone, more so than I would have expected from it. There was also plenty of action to keep the reader busy, again more than I thought to find. I also the setting, no imaginary kingdom here, thus it felt more realistic and genuine. And now to the cons: The actions of the characters and the most of all the dialogue just felt too juvenile to me. Yes, I understand that this is a book for younger audiences than me, but I read children and teen books all the time and I don’t have this issue with dialogue too often, but have noticed this problem with specific other authors as well. I was bothered by how simplistic, somewhat naïve and just too nice it was, the historic timeframe, what the characters were saying and how didn’t blend well with me. The overall fast pace didn’t let off steam, but the constant setbacks in Valten and Gisela’s “adventure” were getting slightly annoying soon. Will they manage? Not again! They will manage this time? Bummer, stopped again! And so on. The main couple were very endearing in their awkwardness, but, unfortunately, also somewhat boring, I would have liked a more sassy Cinderella. But they were really sweet and cute together, so I’m more or less satisfied with that. Characters: Gisela – She was a kindhearted and generous girl. Overall, all you would expect from the classic Cinderella, but I also give props to her for being extra brave and I liked her light “I don’t care what others say or think attitude,” especially with her stepmother and sisters. As I mentioned, I would have loved to read about a more “spicy” version of Cinderella, but Gisela was a decent heroine – she fit perfectly for this take of the fairy tale. Valten – A really relentless and daring hero, that’s for sure! The perfect knight, but what made him more charming were his insecurities. Again, slightly dull, but I think all his suffering and pain made up for what he lacked in having a colorful character. Overall: I think teenagers would like really like this, especially if they’re fond of fairy tales in general. It was a memorable take on Cinderella, but some aspects of the execution were lacking for me. But, since I’ve read a lot of praise for this book, I’m the minority and don’t mind that at all.

I have read lots of books in the past and most of them were before I really got into any kind of relationship with Jesus and so after awhile of reading lots of different kinds of stories and when I started to get into a relationshipbwoth Him, I got a little sick of the darker books I was reading. They had adventure, a little humor but the violence got pretty bad and the romantic scenes were empty because most of the time I didn't know the characters very well to see of they were a good couple or they were still in their early teens. My brother introduced to me a book called the healers apprentice-I read it and I loved it. This book is also by Melanie Dickerson and I was in the mood for a romance. Melanie Dickerson for me write the books in a manner that I will feel like I either am one of the characters or I am really enjoying their story- because she writes from both point of views, I feel like I know each character. I am comforted when I read her books because I know that any romance in it will build up slowly in a lifelike manner and be very sweet and appropriate, the adventure will be very exciting, for a good and normally noble reason, and there will be little to no death. All her books end well and I feel so blessed when I am reading them because the characters find God's purpose for them in life-and it's exciting because you know in the story it will all turn out right because God has an amazing plan. I rated this book with a five star because of these things and also because she doesn't use magic in her books like the fairytale kind, her settings are accurate and non confusing, she is knowledgeable with what she writes and this book is just a wonderful, fun, noble, just and romantic story. I really liked it and I think that people who are looking for a good lifelike fairytale with virtues in it, no magic, lots of adventure and appropriate romance that sweet, this is a good book for that person to read.

Over all, I enjoyed Melanie Dickerson's "The Captive Maiden." I liked both the hero and heroine. Gisela is probably my favorite heroine of Dickerson's. She's got a bit more spunk in her than the heroines in Dickerson's other books- at least, that I remember. Valten, the hero, is also a pretty awesome hero. If I had to choose who I liked best between him and Gabe(Valten's brother and hero in "The Fairest Beauty), Valten is the winner. He's not a charmer, but, in his own way, he's sweet. As Valten is a tournament champion(ex: jousting), there was some jousting action that added some suspense, as well as some other action. I actually enjoyed reading the jousting parts. It might sound boring to some ladies, but I liked it. This also isn't the typical Disney "Cinderella." Gisela's stepmother isn't the only bad guy, and the story has a bit of a twist at the ball that I've never seen in a "Cinderella" story before I read this book. As this is a Christian fiction story, the hero has to learn the lesson of not using his own strength, but God's. All of these things add a bit of uniqueness to this retelling- at least, from my own experiences with "Cinderella" tales that I have read/watched. In conclusion, I say that if you like "Cinderella" stories, or just Christian historical fiction, then you might want to give this book a try. It's not a grand story, or an epic, but it was a nice read, and I think it has a sweet ending. Though not my favorite "Cinderella" tale, it's now one of my favorites from Dickerson. I recommend and give "The Captive Maiden" by Melanie Dickerson a rating of four. You may want to know- There is kissing, alcoholic beverages, and some violence. There's also some content not suitable for young readers. With thanks to the author and publisher for a free advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.