The Peasant’s Dream Book Review

I’m excited to be part of the Fantastic Flying Book Club’s blog tour for Melanie Dickerson’s new novel The Peasant’s Dream.  I’ve read several of Melanie’s book and love that many of them are fairytale retellings. So when I saw that the FFBC was doing a book tour for her new book, I knew I wanted to be part of it.

 

About the Book

The Peasant’s Dream (Hagenheim #11)

by Melanie Dickerson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: July 7th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fairy Tale, Retellings

Synopsis:

In this reverse Cinderella story, a poor farmer’s son, who dreams of using his talent as a woodcarver to make a better life for himself, falls in love with a duke’s daughter and must fight for a chance to win her heart.

Adela is the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim and is never allowed outside of the castle walls. She loves her family, but she sneaks away one day to the market in the town center. There she meets a handsome young man and wonders what it might be like to fall in love with a poor farmer with a kind heart instead of marrying the man her family is suggesting for her.

Frederick earns the income for his family and defends his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He also uses his talent and creativity to carve figures, animals, and scenes into wood, and he’s asked to carve these scenes into cathedral doors when his talent is noticed. Frederick is inspired by the sweet and beautiful Adela, but he has no knowledge of her true identity. When he gets swept up into a plan to kidnap the duke’s daughter, both are shaken by what they learn about the other.

With the heartbroken Adela resigned to an arranged marriage with her noble suitor, Frederick must decide what he’s willing to risk for love.

My Review

First off, I like the characters. I connected with Adela on a couple of levels. Like her, I grew up in a big family (though I was the oldest rather than the youngest), my parents were fairly strict so I was somewhat sheltered,  and I always had to urge to go off on my own to do things. I connected with Frederick, because growing up, my family was also poor. I appreciated all the good qualities Frederick had – he was loyal, dependable, and trustworthy, and this is not always the case for YA heroes.

There was a little bit of insta-love or at least insta-attraction, as both Adela and Frederick couldn’t stop thinking about one another after having only met once, and with hardly any conversation between them.

I enjoyed the way Melanie seamlessly weaves her faith into this story, as she is able to do with all of her stories. I liked the gender reverse fairytale spin, and of course, I’m always  a sucker for happy endings! This is a clean YA, so it’s suitable for younger teens and even pre-teens. Fans of Jessica Day George’s books and of the movie Ever After will enjoy this book (there’s no magic, but there’s a lot of interesting historical tidbits included).

About the Author

Melanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author who combines her love for history, adventure, and romance. Her books have won a Christy Award, two Maggie Awards, The National Reader’s Choice Award, the Christian Retailing’s Best Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award, the Golden Quill, and the Carol Award. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children and adults in the U.S., Germany, and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing stories of love and adventure near Huntsville, Alabama.

SIDENOTE: If you’re interested, several years ago I did an interview with Melanie along with a review of The Captive Maiden.

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Kingdom Above the Cloud Book Review (Part of the FFBC Book Tour)

I’m excited to be part of the Fantastic Flying Book Club’s tour for Kingdom Above the Cloud.  You can follow along with the tour here. I’ve shared the book info, synopsis, and author’s mood boards. Below that you’ll find my review of the book. There’s also a link to enter the giveaway for the book!

BOOK INFORMATION:

Kingdom Above the Cloud (Tales from Adia, #1)                       by Maggie Platt
Publisher: Ambassador International
Release Date: April 17th 2020                                               

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Allegory

Synopsis:

What if the nine Fruit of the Spirit and the Seven Deadly Sins were locked in a battle for control?

Abandoned as infants, Tovi and her twin brother were raised by an eclectic tribe of warm, kind people in a treehouse village in the valley. After her brother’s sudden disappearance Tovi questions her life and her faith in an invisible King. Ignoring her best friend Silas’ advice, she decides to search for her brother in the kingdom on top of the mountain.

Above the cloud, the Council of Masters receives their orders. Tovi and her brother are the objectives. King Damien has a plan and Tovi is the key. The Council of Masters want her, but will she remain unscathed?

Amidst the glamour of the kingdom above the cloud Tovi is torn between her own dark desires and unanswered questions. It starts with a snake and a crown. When the ring is complete, will her life be over?

Goodreads         Amazon         Barnes & Noble          Book Depository     Google Books

 

Check out the author’s mood boards for the novel:

 

My Review: 3.5 Stars

It took me a little bit to get into the book, and I think that was because there were so many characters to keep track of from the start. Once I got into the book, I enjoyed it.

The whole concept is unique. It’s not the same old thing you see in every YA book, and I liked that. I also liked the symbolic way the author used hair/eye coloring. You can see Tovi’s growth throughout the story which I think helps the reader connect with her. There’s a whole cast of unique characters, but there were so many, it sometimes was hard to keep straight who was who.

The worldbuilding for the treehouse valley was great. I could immediately picture it in my mind, and I wanted to go there.

The whole allegory aspect of the story was intriguing and not something you see much in YA. Fans of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would enjoy the book.

 

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

 Maggie Platt is a writer, traveler, cancer survivor, and dreamer. Her greatest joys are being Auntie M to her amazing nieces and nephew and sitting with students and friends over cups of coffee and deep conversations. She works at her alma mater, Anderson University in Indiana, and she lives in a

cozy little cottage nearby where students come to sit on her couch just to laugh, cry, and talk about life.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Twitter   Instagram     Facebook     Pinterest    Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway: Win a signed copy of Kingdom Above the Cloud and some swag here. (US only)