The Golden Braid (Hagenheim, #6)
by Melanie Dickerson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Genres: YA, Christian, Historical, Romance
Pages: 320
Buy at: Amazon, B&N, CBD
Add on: Goodreads
Find the author at: website, Facebook, Twitter
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 this knight 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 is about to be revealed after seventeen years of lies. 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?
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5 stars)
My Review:
An expert at inventive fairytale reimaginings, Melanie Dickerson has done it again with this beautiful book! From the very first chapter to the last page, I couldn’t pull myself away. It was sweetly romantic, breathtakingly beautiful, and a nail-biter! Everything and more than I could ask for in a story.
Rapunzel and Gerek… *swoon* What a perfect book couple! I immediately fell in love with both characters – Rapunzel’s sweet disposition along with her kick-butt knife skills made her the perfect heroine to root for. And Sir Gerek’s dark past with his family had me eagerly awaiting his happy ending. The author interwove ageless themes in the story – I could relate and sympathize with Rapunzel’s journey to find where she belongs and sympathize with her fears and struggles. The message that even though we might not see the big picture, God is in control and always has our best interests at heart was beautifully insightful and well done. And of course, it was so fun to “see” old characters again like Lady Rose and Lord Wilhelm!
Ever since the first Hagenheim story I read years ago, I fell in love with the beautiful way Melanie Dickerson can transport her readers in a way that feels real and hopeful and downright magical. If you are a fan of her work or just enjoy fairytale retellings, The Golden Braid is not to be missed!
{Content: Clean read. Would recommend for ages 12 and up.}
*I received this book free from BookLook in exchange for my honest review. My apologies for this tardy response!
GIF THE FEELING:
|| I’m trying out something new on my book reviews, where I find a GIF to share that explains my overall feelings for the book. Hope you like! ||
If you’ve read it, what were your thoughts on this book? Growing up, Rapunzel wasn’t my favorite princess. Now Tangled and this book have me re-thinking that! What about you? What is your favorite fairytale princess? Thanks for visiting Will Bake for Books! ♥
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this one! I haven’t read it yet, but I plan to. 😉
Oo I hope you like it as much as I did, Sarah! It seems like we have pretty similar tastes in books, so I think you might. 😉 Thanks for your recent visit to my blog!