The Healer's Apprentice
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- USD 7.99
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- USD 7.99
Publisher Description
A realistic, fast-paced reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale full of royalty, romance, and danger. This masterful combination of love and heartbreak—combined with the novel’s surprise ending—is everything fans of fantasy, historical, and medieval fiction yearn for.
Rose has been appointed as a healer’s apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter’s daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.
When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she’s never felt before and wonders if he feels the same.
But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose’s life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.
The Healer's Apprentice:
An award-winning historical romance—a creative retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale—by author Melanie DickersonPerfect for readers ages 13-18 and adults who enjoy historical romances similar to Eva Ibbotson’sA romantic, fast-paced read—sure to entrance fans of fairytale retellings
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the fictional medieval German town of Hagenheim, this historical romance covers the eight-month period before Lord Hamlin, the duke's eldest son, weds his betrothed, Lady Salomea, who's being kept in hiding from the evil Moncore, a conjurer determined to control her with demonic possession. But Hamlin's first meeting with the young beauty, Rose (supposedly the woodcutter's daughter, training with the castle healer), reveals that they are a match made in heaven; their shared moral rectitude and devotion to duty place many obstacles in their path before Rose's true identity can be revealed. Alternating between the two protagonists' viewpoints, the plot unfolds at a satisfying clip with zesty supporting characters (the healer, the duke's younger son), which add intrigue. A light-handed Christian subtext weaves seamlessly through the novel: illness, injury, and malevolence are all combated "in the name of Jesus." Dickerson combines fairy tale ambience (an unkind stepmother, a rat-filled dungeon, a caricature of a bad guy) with historical touches like herbal remedies, musical instruments, and architectural details to create a colorful and convincing atmosphere in this strong debut. Ages 15 up.
