The Captive Maiden (Fairy Tale Romance Series) Paperback – November 23, 2013

Gisela meets the Duke's son, Valten, and they are drawn to each other; but her cruel stepmother and stepsisters join forces with Valten’s rival, Ruexner, to interfere.(Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.)Plot and Setting: 4 -- Plot has unique elements and no major holes, but a few shaky bits. Cinderella is a frequently adapted fairytale, but this version has an added focus on Valten's life and enemies (the tournament and Ruexner) in addition to the evil stepmother and ball. I liked these additions, but at the same time, it made it feel less of a fairytale adaptation. Also, Valten breaks his ribs, but after passing out from the pain, they oddly don't seem to bother him again--lucky for him! Setting is clear and believable. Timeline may be a bit hard to follow. It's a bit vague, but seems to cover just a few days. The time Gisela and Valten spend traveling while kidnapped/escaping is slightly unclear. How long/far did they travel?Characters: 4.5 -- Relatable, realistic, interesting, dynamic characters. One of my favorite things about this book is the contrast of how Valten is around Gisela and how he was around Sophie in the previous book. He's still shy around women, but he has a connection to Gisela. And Gisela finds him attractive for some of the same reasons Sophie found him intimidating. There's a lot of realism in their interactions and emotions, and I love it. Some minor characters have depth, while others may be slightly stereotyped or simplified. Evfemia, Irma, and Rainhilda are all pretty one-note mean girls. Definite strong points in the relationships between characters.Mechanics and Writing: 4 -- A handful of typos, punctuation issues, or word errors, but nothing that seriously hinders understanding. Loud for loudly, Jong for long, the bizarre 'mouthlips' that should've been one or the other, some trouble with compound/hyphenated words, and a few awkward phrases/word choices, including using glisten as a noun. One spot where the first word of a prayer was not italicized. Good use of POV (Gisela and Valten), with one spot where it switched from her to him without a section break. Though the section breaks in general were much clearer than the previous books! Yay! Generally skillful writing. An oddity in series continuity: In this book, we hear mention of Valten’s sister, Lindi, who apparently died in about 1403. This is weird only because she’s conspicuously NOT mentioned in three other books, when three separate characters have conversations where it would’ve made sense to mention her. It’s not crucial to any plots at all, just a bit mysterious and odd.Redeeming Value: 5 -- Well-developed, central, uplifting themes. Valten learns to rely on prayer and God's power rather than just his own strength. Gisela releases her pretence of not caring, works to forgive people who have wronged her, and discovers that God and Valten can truly love her. Sex, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified at all, though present. Quite a few fights, most in the context of the tournament and therefore governed by rules of chivalry, but more brutal fights involving Ruexner, both in the tournament and in the course of the kidnapping. Ruexner is ready to force Gisela into marriage, but even he has some scruples, and Valten and Friar Daniel are significantly more principled.Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 -- I loved it. Highly enjoyable and very entertaining, with perhaps an issue or two that tempered my pleasure. One I'll definitely read again.

I have read lots of books in the past and most of them were before I really got into any kind of relationship with Jesus and so after awhile of reading lots of different kinds of stories and when I started to get into a relationshipbwoth Him, I got a little sick of the darker books I was reading. They had adventure, a little humor but the violence got pretty bad and the romantic scenes were empty because most of the time I didn't know the characters very well to see of they were a good couple or they were still in their early teens. My brother introduced to me a book called the healers apprentice-I read it and I loved it. This book is also by Melanie Dickerson and I was in the mood for a romance. Melanie Dickerson for me write the books in a manner that I will feel like I either am one of the characters or I am really enjoying their story- because she writes from both point of views, I feel like I know each character. I am comforted when I read her books because I know that any romance in it will build up slowly in a lifelike manner and be very sweet and appropriate, the adventure will be very exciting, for a good and normally noble reason, and there will be little to no death. All her books end well and I feel so blessed when I am reading them because the characters find God's purpose for them in life-and it's exciting because you know in the story it will all turn out right because God has an amazing plan. I rated this book with a five star because of these things and also because she doesn't use magic in her books like the fairytale kind, her settings are accurate and non confusing, she is knowledgeable with what she writes and this book is just a wonderful, fun, noble, just and romantic story. I really liked it and I think that people who are looking for a good lifelike fairytale with virtues in it, no magic, lots of adventure and appropriate romance that sweet, this is a good book for that person to read.

I liked the idea of familiar fairy tales retold in a more realistic setting, so I've read several of Melanie Dickerson's books, with The Captive Maiden being the latest. I have to say though, these books are only enjoyable if you know what you're getting. Of course they're predictable - it's based on a familiar story everyone knows and it's a romance, so of course the guy is going to get the girl in the end (or rather, the girl is going to get her Prince Charming), so there's no sense criticizing it for that. Also, "realistic" is a relative term. While specific places and years are mentioned, and there are no magic or supernatural elements to these stories, you still must suspend your disbelief in the romance element, i.e.: historically, a prince or duke would be extremely unlikely to marry a poor, untitled woman. But hey, that's what fairy tales are for.So, once you've got your expectations in the right place, it's a quick and enjoyable story. Somewhat Disney-esque, but better than the Disney movies in that the hero is actually a developed character, and his thoughts and motivations were very clear and realistic. My only complaint really would be that the writing is somewhat unsophisticated. I found myself stopping multiple times thinking, "I would have phrased that differently," or "I would have used a different word there." Most of the scenes are very short, and POVs change constantly (albeit most with small breaks between paragraphs), making me feel like I hardly had a grasp on the setting before it changed. It also got a bit tedious toward the end, what with our hero and heroine escaping and being recaptured multiple times by the bad guy. Still, overall it's enjoyable, as long as you're expecting a sweet little story not requiring any deep thought and a happy, predictable ending. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with these kinds of stories. If I want something deep I'll pull out Lloyd C. Douglas. This is the kind of book you want when you're looking for light entertainment on a free afternoon.

Again I love how's these stories connect and we get a more in-depth story about a character previously introduced to us. Then plot and pacing of these books make them an utter joy to read.

Eu realmente gostei do início do livro, porque percebe-se rapidamente que apesar do livro tomar o conto da Cinderela como inspiração, a sua versão é definitivamente bem diferente. Não me interprete mal, você encontrará a madrasta megera e sua filhas más, o príncipe encantado, a fada madrinha e o sapato perdido – que não é de cristal! Contudo, tais elementos foram delineados de forma bem original – o que realmente me agradou. O problema do livro, ao meu ver, restou no desenvolvimento da estória.A narrativa, em geral, é bem escrita e cheia de ação. O que manterá vários leitores entretidos. No entanto, os contratempos encontrados por Valten e Gisela chegam a ser tantos que passam a ficar monótonos. Chegou uma hora que eu já estava pensando: não acredito, mais um problema, sério?Além disso, os diálogos são um pouco infantis, e olha que eu adoro ler livros infanto-juvenis! Não sei. Neste caso, os diálogos simplesmente não combinavam com seus personagens.Para completar o herói e a heroína são um pouco chatos e sem graça. Acho que eu teria gostado de uma Cinderela mais atrevida e de um príncipe encantado menos formal. Gisela é a típica garota bondosa e generosa, mas sinceramente sem sal. Já Valten é um herói implacável mas não muito ousado.Em suma, eu achei o livro morno. A história de amor não me prendeu, nem me fez suspirar e considerei a narrativa muitas vezes monótona.

Melanie never fails to disappoint with her books, she adds new dimensions and personalities to classic characters, including making "Cinderella" have a backbone and the "Prince Charming" with some trouble talking to women! The different ideas in the story are so much fun to read, and her faith shines through in each one of her books, this was no exception. I couldn't stop reading, it was finished in a matter of hours because of her clever additions while still staying true to the classic fairytale we all know and love. It's a perfect read for romance lovers, and it was well worth the wait!

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Melanie Dickerson did it again a great re telling of Cinderella

Fairytales for teens