Happy Book Birthday, Fortress of Snow by Melanie Dickerson!

I should be singing ''Happy Birthday", but I'm sliding into the "Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!" I know very well that it'd take a minor miracle to have white here on Christmas Day, but one should never give up hope. To keep my mind in the chilly mood (and not rainy like it is this week), I'm diving into a historical, Christian romance for young adults. This is the 4th book in a series, and I haven't read any of the first books, yet, but when has that stopped me from heading right in? 

FORTRESS OF SNOW

The Dericott Tales, Book 4

by Melanie Dickerson

Thomas Nelson

Young Adult Historical, Christian Fiction

352 pages

When her father dies and her brother, Warin, abandons her, Mazy is forced to seek help from her beloved older brother Sir John, who is training knights at the great estate of Strachleigh. While there, she becomes friends with the kind and loyal Sir Berenger. Circumstances then force them apart: Berenger goes to Prague, while Mazy and her brother move to London. There, Mazy puts her knife-throwing skills to excellent use as she defends herself, and she learns to make breads to sell in the market to earn money. Her business is expanding when Berenger returns to London and they are reunited.

Romance is just beginning to bloom when the king offers Berenger a new mission that also serves as a chance for a title: Berenger is to marry the recently widowed Lady Bristow and take over her estate. To Mazy’s dismay, Berenger agrees to go to Bristow Castle to visit her and make his decision.

But Bristow Castle is hiding secrets, and the only person who might be able to save the knight in distress is the damsel Mazy herself.

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60693373-fortress-of-snow

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fortress-of-snow-melanie-dickerson/1141293061

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B14KYYYT

MY TIDBITS

The historical world of knights and kings comes to life in a book, which concentrates on the life of a pretty normal girl and her journey of finding a family to call her own.

Mazy had a wonderful life as the daughter of a Baron, but when her father passes away, and the title and estate is completely passed on to her cold, oldest brother, her world collapses. In an attempt to escape a horrible, arranged marriage, she seeks the help of her other brother, who has become a  knight, but he isn't anything like she remembered him to be. While he doesn't completely disown her as her oldest brother does, she ends up fending for herself in a huge town of London. While she does meet kind souls and gains a special interest in particular knight, even the dreams of finally finding someone to depend on a little disappear as the king requests him to marry another. But heart-break is the least of the problems with the arrangement.

I did not read the first three books of this series, but that didn't cause any problems when diving into this one, since it seems that each book carries its own twists and plots. 

The world building is very well done. Historical England not only comes to life, but it does so in a natural way, which makes the world and characters familiar enough to easily identify with. Mazy starts as a naive girl, who has enough with and independence with her to known when it's better to head out and not fall victim to circumstances. She carries strength, and while displaying a few more physical talents (knives, etc), she never allows these to be more than a side aspect and still stays pretty close to the female role at that time. 

The story is grabbing, and Mazy has more than a few situations to conquer...many of which have nothing to do with the romance. This tale centers more on her struggles with life and learning to deal with things as possible. The Christian aspect glides in smoothly and as natural as a prayer, and never becomes preachy or takes over any levels of plot lines. There are a few action scenes, and these also were exciting while staying mostly realistic. The rest is really accompanying Mazy on her journey. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style (a little more telling than I prefer), but I still had to read this one until the end just to find out how everything turns out for Mazy. 

Review: Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson

A blessed Sunday! Normally, I don't post here on this day of the week, but this tale, as a Christian read, does slide right in....plus, I have such a tight schedule! Why are there so many great books out there....and why don't I have more time to get to every single one? 

So today, I'm making one of my exceptions and have a lovely, historical based, fairy tale retelling for you. It just came out this last week, too. 

COURT OF SWANS

The Dericott Tales, #1

by Melanie Dickerson

Thomas Nelson

YA Historical Fiction / Religious

336 pages

From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a reimagining of the Wild Swans—the first book in a new series of fairy-tale retellings set in medieval England!

Delia lives a quiet life as the daughter of an earl in late 14th-century England, but that peace is shattered when her seven brothers are betrayed by their father and falsely arrested. Meanwhile, with the Peasants’ Revolt threatening the peace of the kingdom, the king is executing anyone who had anything to do with the uprising. Delia is terrified her brothers will be next, the youngest of whom is only ten years old.

Delia infiltrates the palace as a lady-in-waiting for the new queen so she can be near her brothers in the Tower of London and help them escape. When she runs into Sir Henry, the guard captain who arrested her brothers, she hates him—until she discovers he has been secretly carrying food to her brothers in their prison cell.

Trapped into obeying the orders of his king, Sir Henry is the oldest son of an earl whose estate has been seized by the king and his treacherous advisers. His first mission as captain was to arrest seven brothers for treason, but he had no idea that the brothers were so young or that their sister would be so feisty and beautiful.

In a court where everyone is eager to backstab anyone else to get what they want, how will Henry right this wrong and help Delia and her brothers—especially when Delia hates him? And how will he keep them both from losing their heads to this execution-prone king?

BOOK DEPOSITORY / GOODREADS / AMAZON / B&N / KOBO

BOOK BLINK

 

                                                   *  Fairy Tale retelling - but not overly obvious

                                                   *  Rich, historical world with mention of historical figures

                                                   *  fast-paced plot

                                                   *  realistic settings 

                                                   *  religious references/attitudes woven in

                                                   * royalty

MY TIDBITS

Set between earls, ladies, kings and knights, this is a fairy tale retelling which snuggles in to a more realistic, historical world while plunging into a world of royal intrigue.

Delia is the only daughter in a household with seven brothers, all who are in various levels of training to be knights. Her step-mother is a difficult person but not impossible to deal with until their father dies. Not long after his grave has been covered, the king's knights arrive and arrest all seven brothers for treason, although the youngest is only ten years old. Knowing they are innocent of all charges and determined to save them from being executed, Delia sneaks away from her home and hides as a maid in the king's court. But helping her brothers is even more difficult than she ever imagined as she slowly uncovers more secrets and discovers that more than one person is weaving their own plans to gain money and power.

This is a very interesting tale, which weaves in wonderful ways, promising tension, emotions and a quick-pacing all the way through. I suspected that this one might slightly turn in a fantasy direction as a fairy tale retelling...but it remains solid in the historical fiction genre. And that's a good thing. The world is rich, the characters layered, and there's even a touch of true moments from history. On that end, it's a real treat.

There is a lot going on in these pages, and Delia has quite the adventure waiting for her. While I did read this one all the way through, however, I found myself skipping through paragraphs every now and then. I wanted to know what happened to Delia and her brothers (and her romantic interest), so for me, the tale is worth a read. But it also kept the characters and events an arm's length away thanks to the fact that most of the story came across as a telling and didn't allow the reader to really experience or see everything happen. The dialogue and a few scenes play out, but many others are treated as quick information with a glimpse into Delia's thoughts of what happens. There was so much that could have (and I think, should have) been built out, which would have made this a book impossible to lay down. Of course, that also would have meant two or three novels, but there is so much going on, that it would have been worth the exploration.

This is a religious read, and I enjoyed how the author wove this naturally into the tale. Delia prays and declares her trust to God without ever coming across as forcing it. It flows right in with her character and also fits the time period nicely. Even her brothers, when they are facing horrible prospects, mention their faith and prayer, but never dwell on it excessively or make it stick out. It's simply a part of who they are and, as said, actually slides right in with how people of that time might have thought.

Fans of historical fiction, royal intrigue, tension, and building romance, who also appreciate the Christian lean will enjoy this one.