Happy Friday Friends :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you've taken the time to drop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.
Can I be honest and start off today's review by saying that 2023 was an exceptionally hard year for me? I've dealt with a lot of harsh circumstances over the past seven years or so, and the majority of it I haven't ever talked about on my blog.
However, 2023 really took things to a new level, and sometimes it was hard to put on a brave face and come on here and do book reviews while I was going through so much that I couldn't talk to that many people about.
If I learned anything from last year, it's the fact that life is tough, especially if you're trying to live your faith in this broken world, and one thing I'd like to try my best to do differently this year is to try and learn true contentment, and to find joy in the little things.
I've already been tested on this ideal as 2024 has started off with way more challenges than I ever could have expected, but there's also many things in my life that Jesus has blessed me with, and I want to try and focus on those.
One of the little things I want to take more joy in this year is the simple act of reading books that give honor to our Lord and Savior.
I know I can always count on Melanie Dickerson to deliver these type of stories for her readers, and I was very much looking forward to diving into her upcoming release.
Today I'm looking forward to reviewing it for you all, but first, 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.
Lady of Disguise by Melanie Dickerson:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: February 13th, 2024
Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/Fairytale Retelling
Series: The Dericott Tales
Synopsis:
Only the hidden treasure will allow Louisa and her sister to gain their freedom. England, 1388. All her life, Louisa’s dreamed of finding the rumored “Giant’s Treasure,” a collection of ancient, lost riches said to be hidden on a mountaintop in Scotland, guarded by a fierce monster. It’s a story her father used to tell her, and when he dies and she and her younger sister have to go live with their shiftless, greedy uncle, Louisa is determined to find that treasure. It’s the hope that has kept her defying her uncle’s efforts to marry her off to the highest bidder. After her uncle starts to parade Louisa’s twelve-year-old sister Margaret in front of potential husbands, Louisa realizes she has no time to waste. She disguises herself as a boy and takes off for Scotland.
But the road is a harsher place than she’d imagined, and she is relieved to find a friend in the knight, Sir Charles, who goes along with her on her journey. Charles is intrigued by this young woman who claims her name is “Jack” and is set on going to Scotland. He goes along, pretending to believe she is a boy, in order to make sure nothing bad happens to her. As they meet new friends along the road, and as Louisa comes clean about her identity, the pair find themselves falling in love. But what will happen when they reach Scotland? Will they find their independence and the freedom to marry in the form of a buried treasure, or will the monster from Louisa’s own past keep the young couple apart?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I always look forward to Melanie Dickerson's new books, as it's always exciting to discover what fairytale she's going to adapt next
I've never personally read a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk before, so I was eagerly anticipating this one, as I couldn't wait to discover how the author was going to tackle this slightly more obscure fairytale. While I will say I enjoyed how she wove elements of the original into her own story, it did feel pretty "lightly" inspired by, and I would have loved it to have been adapted on a bit more.
Lady of Disguise carries on the stories of the Dericott siblings we were introduced to back in Court of Swans, and this time one of the younger brothers, Charles, is stepping up to the plate as the main male protagonist. Our female protagonist is a a young woman named Louisa, who has run away from her Uncle's strict household to try and find the treasure she's grown up believing in, in order to create a better future for her and her younger sister than marrying one of the many old, rich men her uncle keeps forcing their way. She decides to disguise herself as a boy to try and go unnoticed, and soon stumbles upon Sir Charles along the way. He feels drawn to help her with her quest, and soon the two set out together to try and prove or disprove the treasure's existence once and for all, picking up a band of merry misfit characters to join them along the way.
In true Melanie Dickerson fashion, the Medieval period was fun to read about, and the writing style keeps the reader engaged in the story from start to finish. Unfortunately, however, I didn't end up feeling that this was one of the author's better stories as I didn't end up enjoying either main character, some of the liberties she took with the time period to make the plotline work, and I thought the romance seemed a lot more insta lovey/insta lusty than has been the case with any of the other novels I've read by her.
That being said, I did wholeheartedly end up enjoying the last few chapters of the book, and without spoiling anything, the emphasis on things not always being what they seem and how no one is ever too far gone to be covered by the never ending grace of our Heavenly Father.
Final Rating: 3/5.
I'd recommend this one to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings with a heavy faith presence, but I would personally recommend many of Melanie's other retellings over this one.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this title!
I voluntary 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 rest of your weekend :)
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