This tale was inspired by the story of Sleeping Beauty. It asks the question, what if the prince fell in love with someone else while he was betrothed to the princess? It's a Bible story version of the story complete with demons and the purging of them in the name of Jesus.
Wilhelm has been chasing after a malicious sorcerer for years. The sorcerer has vowed to get revenge on a duke's family for having him banished from the land. He is trying to find the princess to curse her so that she will be tormented by demons and be driven mad. Wilhelm meets Rose, the healer's apprentice, after he has been gored by a wild boar. They instantly feel a connection, though both of them know that it is impossible for them to be together.
Rose is attracted to Wilhelm, but his brother, Rupert, comes to fall in "love" with her and both Wilhelm and Rose feel that it would be better for Rose to try to return Rupert's feelings. When Rupert shows himself for the truly selfish person that he is, Wilhelm has to rethink his plans.
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't see the connection to Sleeping Beauty until I read the little blurb at the end by the author. It was a medieval romance worthy of my time and I was glad that I read it. I was a little surprised that this was listed as a children's book, it is most likely meant as a teen book since it was just as long as most of the other books that I have read.
Melanie Dickerson has another book out, The Merchant's Daughter, that was released in November last year. It, as well as The Healer's Apprentice for those of you that missed it when it was free, is only $2.99. The Merchant's Daughter is a twist of Beauty and the Beast. I'm going to go ahead and pick it up.
The Healer's Apprentice is definitely going in my Good Book category.
Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, it's a great book. Thanks for stopping by!
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