Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson Review

 Hello Friends :)

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! We actually had our dinner yesterday, so today I'm looking forward to deep cleaning my house, catching up on my blog, and curling up with some great reads. 

I've been growing more and more disheartened with how the faith element is starting to be almost non existent in quite a few titles being put out by Christian publishers. On top of this, I've started to notice an alarming trend of a lot of these titles starting to feature content that seems more fitting for the secular market than for the Christian one.

So when I find an author who continues to make Christ an important part of their stories, I appreciate it even more. I have yet to read a Melanie Dickerson title that doesn't put faith at the front and center, and I appreciate this more and more with each title she releases.

A little while ago, I had the chance to read and review the newly released second book in Melanie's The Dericott Tales series:

Castle of Refuge

Today I'm doing things the backwards sort of way and sharing my review of the first book in the series that I also really ended up enjoying.

Keep reading for my full review. 

Court of Swans by Melanie Dickerson:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: January 5th, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Young Adult Fiction/Historical Fiction

Series: The Dericott Tales

Synopsis:

Where there is wealth and power, there's always someone willing to do anything to take it.

England, 1381: Delia's idyllic life as daughter of an earl is shattered when her father dies and his wife accuses Delia's seven brothers of treason and murder. The youngest is only ten years old, but this doesn't stop the guards from hauling them off to the Tower of London. There they await a grim fate, as child-king Richard II is executing anyone who poses a threat to his throne. Delia is their only hope for pardon and freedom.

Sir Geoffrey did not expect his first assignment as captain of the guard to be the arrest of boys so young. He dutifully imprisons the brothers, but he can't ignore the sense, rooted in personal experience, that injustice and treachery are at work.

Determined to rescue her brothers, Delia secures a position as a seamstress for the queen. Her quest is all but impossible as the executions continue. Sir Geoffrey offers to be her ally, but should she trust him in a court where everyone has an agenda?

From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a tender retelling of The Wild Swans, where the virtues of loyalty and love face a harrowing showdown with power and fear.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I know to expect great things whenever I choose to pick up a novel by Melanie Dickerson, and Court of Swans was everything I was hoping for and more.

So many things happen on Delia and Geoffrey's journey, and I honestly enjoyed every single twist and turn. When the two meet under the most unfortunate of circumstances, when he arrives along with other guards to arrest her seven brothers for treason, I wasn't sure that I'd ever be able to enjoy them together as a couple. However, as their feelings for each other grow stronger and stronger despite their circumstances, I really found myself rooting for them, and I loved how the reader also gets to see each of them grow stronger in their faith along the way.

I truly believe this author is one of the very best at crafting settings that come alive to the reader, and I literally felt like I was right there experiencing everything along with the characters. Unfortunately, these type of stories usually include some dastardly, evil villains and Parnella and Geoffrey's uncle were definitely hard to read about, but I enjoyed the journey to see truth come to light, and justice finally served where it was deserved.

All in all, I really enjoyed this beautiful start to The Dericott Tales series, and I look forward to reading more of these books in the future.

Final Rating: 4/5.

I'd highly recommend checking this one out, and I think Melanie Dickerson is one of the best voices in young adult fiction today.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.