Happy Friday Friends :)
We're finally almost at the end of the week, and I have to say that this one has been a long one. While I am still working today and tomorrow, I have Sunday off. I'm looking forward to enjoying a quiet day at home, and hopefully having some time to dive into the many great titles currently sitting on my TBR list.
Today's review is a fun one, as it's a Christian fiction/fairytale retelling/young adult historical fiction title, and it's also the fifth book in a series I've been enjoying so far.
If you'd like to check out my reviews of the previous titles in the series, you can do so using the links below:
Otherwise, keep on reading down below for today's full review.
Cloak of Scarlet by Melanie Dickerson:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: August 15th, 2023
Genre: Christian Ficton/Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Fairytale Retelling
Series: The Dericott Tales
Synopsis:
She was an orphan of no importance . . .
Violet Lambton never imagined herself as anything but average. Adopted as a young child, she’s content with her comfortable life in her small medieval town with her faith, her books, and her baking . . . and the vivid red cloak her grandmother gifted her. Her one dream: to find a love that is pure and true. Then, her beloved grandmother is robbed by the villainous Baron Dunham. Outraged, Violet finds herself in the midst of the action and determines to put an end to the evil baron’s mistreatment of the hardworking people.
He was an ordinary knight serving the baron . . .
Sir Merek, a knight in the service of Baron Dunham, has pledged his life to fighting injustice and defending the weak. But when he encounters the spirited and beautiful Violet and discovers the depths of the baron’s treachery, he realizes that serving his employer is not serving the kingdom—and so he sets out on a daring journey to go behind the baron’s back to expose his deceitfulness to the king.
Suddenly the kingdom depends on both of them.
But before Merek and Violet can act to bring the corruption to light, Violet is captured and brought directly to Dunham—where she shockingly discovers a secret that shakes her entire world . . . and the future she dreams of. Thrown together in the baron’s quarters in a race against time to save the lives of their loved ones and themselves, Violet and Merek must learn to trust each other to expose Dunham’s treachery to the king—all while succumbing to their growing feelings for each other. Can the two find their happily ever after against all odds, or will the wolves amongst them drive them apart?
From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a thrilling retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood," where two hearts must learn to trust themselves and each other in order to save a kingdom.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
Cloak of Scarlet is the fifth installment in Melanie Dickerson's well loved The Dericott Tales, and it's a (loose) retelling of little red riding hood. I haven't read too many adaptations of this particular fairytale, and I was intrigued at the idea of how the author was going to work this story frame into the medieval time period, and into the Dericott world..
While I will say that this didn't end up being my favorite novel by this author, I did think it was a wonderful story that captured my interest fairly early on, and kept me guessing as to how the plot was going to weave together to answer all my questions.
Violet and Merek are probably my least favorite couple from this series so far, but each of them did still have their redeeming qualities. I did also enjoy how much growth each of their characters show by the conclusion of the story. The secondary characters on the other hand I adored, especially Grandma and Sir Willmer, and I would love to see him be given his own story someday.
All in all, a charming, medieval era fairytale that loosely follows the classic red riding hood tale, while still giving readers an original story that focuses around romance, faith and friendship, and what it truly means to be a hero when we face devastating circumstances outside our control
Final Rating: 4/5.
While not as good as the first four books in the series, still a lovely read and I appreciated that it was clean, sweet and swoon worthy.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via Netgalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.
Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)
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