My daughter declared it her favourite book of the year! "The Golden Braid" by Melanie Dickerson

about the book...

The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower...

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery are about to be revealed after seventeen years. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

my review...

When it comes to books aimed particularly at female readers teen ages and up, then I better let my daughter do all the talking. The moment "The Golden Braid" hit our doorstep, she snatched it up and huddled in her room and we scarcely heard from her until she'd ravenously made her way through the novel. She emerged, somewhat dreamy eyed, declaring that "The Golden Braid" was her favourite book of the year, perhaps her favourite book ever! Now, if that isn't an endorsement, I don't know what is!

Having read through the story soon afterwards, I can see why she loved it so much. The story brims with action and adventure, with life-changing secrets and courageous characters who grow and change in marvellous ways over the course of the story, until you just want to cheer out loud. Both Rapunzel and Sir Gerek have been well-crafted, and their story will surely captivate you from start to finish. The romance is wholesome and will no doubt have young hearts going pitter-patter as they imagine a knight of their own stumbling their way into their life. And Dickerson has done a masterful job at weaving real faith into this story in a way that isn't at all preachy, and will no doubt intrigue readers with the hint of the supernatural that appears. I love Rapunzel's hunger to read the Scriptures, and the way that God's Word speaks into her life.

My daughter insisted that I award this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars, so I dare not argue with her in any way. Readers of all ages will no doubt enjoy this clever take on the story of Rapunzel, from the great characterization to the action-packed plot to the interesting details that bring the story to life.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and the Litfuse Publicity Group, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

about the author...

Melanie Dickerson is an award-winning author who earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama. 

She has taught in Georgia, Tennessee, Germany and the Eastern European country of Ukraine. 

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA), she now spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.

Connect with Melanie: website, Twitter,Facebook, YouTube  

 

Check out what other people are saying as part of the Litfuse tour at:
 http://litfusegroup.com/author/mdickerson

Buy the book from Amazon


The Golden Braid