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A review by egbella
A Noble Princess (Cornerstone Series, #5): A Goose Girl Retelling by Saraina Whitney
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVE this book.
Rarely do I read a book and instantly know I'll be rereading it again and again, but this is one I'm sure of. Instant favorite. I devoured it over the course of two days, only stopping at all because of work, and I'm already looking forward to reading it again.
Where do I even start? I'm not very familiar with the Goose Girl fairy tale, so I can't really speak on how closely it retold the original story, but it stands perfectly on its own. From the very first page, I was hooked.
Aurelia is such a sweet character, and I loved her so much. Gentle, tender, caring, yet with a fun
spark of spunk to her, she was the perfect protagonist for this story. Her faith in Dieu was inspiring, even while she struggled with extremely difficult emotional turmoil and decisions. At first I wasn't sure what to make of her frequent tears, but as the story progressed, I saw her strength through them, and just wanted to give her a big hug. What a sweetheart.
WILDER. <3 this man. I wanted to hug him too, and oh does he need it. His dedication toward protecting Aurelia, and his emotional struggles both from his past and from his duty toward her, kept me on edge wondering how he'd handle them. Ultimately, I don't know what I would have done if I was in his place, and it made me so happy to see him return to trusting Dieu with Aurelia's help. I would love to read more about him, because he felt so rich as a character.
The romance was slow, well-developed, and incredibly sweet. I don't often "fangirl" over book couples, but this one has my heart. What an adorable and well-matched pair. <33
The setting wasn't complicated or overly described, but felt very real. I loved the brief flashes of French inspiration dotting the world, and everything else was beautifully described. I always adore "foresty" journey tales, and this is such a fun one. There were so many obstacles, so many learning opportunities, and so many twists and turns I didn't see coming.
And finally, the themes. This book felt so REAL. The struggles, the wrestling with what's right in a very "grey" situation, when it's better to keep or break a promise that was made in haste, trusting God even when all seems terrible, healing from your past, learning that God loves even when we mess up, and that God can redeem even the worst of situations...my heart broke and healed with each of the characters as they struggled through their learning. Props to the author for conveying such powerful, biblical truths in such a sweet, short, and lovely story.
I will be reading this one again, and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet and poignant medieval stories, touching romance, twisting adventurous journeys, and REAL characters and themes. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Content to mention: Mild peril, fighting, bear attack, mentions of a drunken father and child abuse in MMC's past, lying and hiding information, minor descriptions of painful wounds and blood, MMC is shirtless in one scene but not described or dwelled upon, mentions of torture, mention of a miscarriage and child abandonment, and the FMC struggles with pulling out her hair when anxious. One non-described kiss. No explicit romantic scenes, gore, coarse language, or excessive violence.
** I received an ARC copy of this book, but was not required to leave a review - much less a positive one. All thoughts expressed are my own. **
Rarely do I read a book and instantly know I'll be rereading it again and again, but this is one I'm sure of. Instant favorite. I devoured it over the course of two days, only stopping at all because of work, and I'm already looking forward to reading it again.
Where do I even start? I'm not very familiar with the Goose Girl fairy tale, so I can't really speak on how closely it retold the original story, but it stands perfectly on its own. From the very first page, I was hooked.
Aurelia is such a sweet character, and I loved her so much. Gentle, tender, caring, yet with a fun
spark of spunk to her, she was the perfect protagonist for this story. Her faith in Dieu was inspiring, even while she struggled with extremely difficult emotional turmoil and decisions. At first I wasn't sure what to make of her frequent tears, but as the story progressed, I saw her strength through them, and just wanted to give her a big hug. What a sweetheart.
WILDER. <3 this man. I wanted to hug him too, and oh does he need it. His dedication toward protecting Aurelia, and his emotional struggles both from his past and from his duty toward her, kept me on edge wondering how he'd handle them. Ultimately, I don't know what I would have done if I was in his place, and it made me so happy to see him return to trusting Dieu with Aurelia's help. I would love to read more about him, because he felt so rich as a character.
The romance was slow, well-developed, and incredibly sweet. I don't often "fangirl" over book couples, but this one has my heart. What an adorable and well-matched pair. <33
The setting wasn't complicated or overly described, but felt very real. I loved the brief flashes of French inspiration dotting the world, and everything else was beautifully described. I always adore "foresty" journey tales, and this is such a fun one. There were so many obstacles, so many learning opportunities, and so many twists and turns I didn't see coming.
And finally, the themes. This book felt so REAL. The struggles, the wrestling with what's right in a very "grey" situation, when it's better to keep or break a promise that was made in haste, trusting God even when all seems terrible, healing from your past, learning that God loves even when we mess up, and that God can redeem even the worst of situations...my heart broke and healed with each of the characters as they struggled through their learning. Props to the author for conveying such powerful, biblical truths in such a sweet, short, and lovely story.
I will be reading this one again, and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet and poignant medieval stories, touching romance, twisting adventurous journeys, and REAL characters and themes. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Content to mention: Mild peril, fighting, bear attack, mentions of a drunken father and child abuse in MMC's past, lying and hiding information, minor descriptions of painful wounds and blood, MMC is shirtless in one scene but not described or dwelled upon, mentions of torture, mention of a miscarriage and child abandonment, and the FMC struggles with pulling out her hair when anxious. One non-described kiss. No explicit romantic scenes, gore, coarse language, or excessive violence.
** I received an ARC copy of this book, but was not required to leave a review - much less a positive one. All thoughts expressed are my own. **