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A review by narniaxisxhome
The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
5.0
Honestly, I had no idea this was a rewritten tale of Beauty and the Beast until I read other reviews of it. However, it was pulled off almost flawlessly as a more real-life (as opposed to magic, witches, etc.) version. This book is very well written, the style, the description, and the author also did a great job of explaining things about the way of life in those days.
Although it is set in Medieval days, Annabel is completely relatable as a main character; I felt her pain when her family didn't care, understood her confusion over Lord Ranulf, and sympathized with her doubts over God. I also liked the fact that Dickerson made Lord Ranulf beastly-looking on the outside--which most of the people would not look past--but very god-fearing on the inside; his past is what torments him, but he was never really a beast on the inside.
I also think the Christian aspect was a very nice touch in making this a more believable love story and also a nice twist on Beauty and the Beast: what if Belle had wanted to be a nun in the original tale? The Merchant's Daughter explores this aspect and many more, and it honestly kept me on the edge of my seat. Not just the romance, but the other happenings to Annabel, Ranulf, and her friends that could have destroyed--or not destroyed--everything. I couldn't wait to see the outcome of this book! The tension between Annabel and Ranulf also kept me very intrigued: would beauty actually fall for the beast? Would she really go off to be a nun?
Overall, this is probably one of the best fairytale re-writes I have read to date. This is definitely a book I can see my self reading again and recommending to all my friends looking for a pure love story, great historical fiction, and very good Christian fiction! 4.5 stars.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND ZONDERVAN FOR MY ADVANCED COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL NOVEL :)
Although it is set in Medieval days, Annabel is completely relatable as a main character; I felt her pain when her family didn't care, understood her confusion over Lord Ranulf, and sympathized with her doubts over God. I also liked the fact that Dickerson made Lord Ranulf beastly-looking on the outside--which most of the people would not look past--but very god-fearing on the inside; his past is what torments him, but he was never really a beast on the inside.
I also think the Christian aspect was a very nice touch in making this a more believable love story and also a nice twist on Beauty and the Beast: what if Belle had wanted to be a nun in the original tale? The Merchant's Daughter explores this aspect and many more, and it honestly kept me on the edge of my seat. Not just the romance, but the other happenings to Annabel, Ranulf, and her friends that could have destroyed--or not destroyed--everything. I couldn't wait to see the outcome of this book! The tension between Annabel and Ranulf also kept me very intrigued: would beauty actually fall for the beast? Would she really go off to be a nun?
Overall, this is probably one of the best fairytale re-writes I have read to date. This is definitely a book I can see my self reading again and recommending to all my friends looking for a pure love story, great historical fiction, and very good Christian fiction! 4.5 stars.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND ZONDERVAN FOR MY ADVANCED COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL NOVEL :)