Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

The Captive Maiden... a happily ever after?

Gisela’s childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son.  But since her father’s death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke’s son, Valten -- the boy she has daydreamed about for years -- and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it’s only for a taste of a life she’ll never have.  To her surprise, she catches Valten’s eye.  Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart.  But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined. 

(from back cover)

Sound familiar?  Probably reminds you a little of Cinderella... only in this story the two evil stepsister call Gisela, Cinders-ela.  The cruelty from the step-family and the ball are about the only places Cinderella and The Captive Maiden collide.  

Dickerson has done a wonderful job reimagining the story of Cinderella.  In The Captive Maiden, Dickerson has written an enchanting story of cruelty, jealousy, even hatred along with beauty, love and chivalry.  This story is good enough to stand alongside the fairytales of yesterday!! What’s better is that Dickerson even weaves the love of Christ.. his grace and forgiveness, into the story as well.  

If you have teen girls that love to read, this is a great book for them -- it has all the parts of a good love story, yet it’s clean and Scripture infused.  I throughly enjoyed The Captive Maiden, and I believe that both my 16 year old and 17 year old daughters will enjoy this book as soon as I pass it on.  This definitely fits in a category of “Good Teen Reads,” even better... good Christian reads (teen or not!).   

About Melanie:

Melanie Dickerson is an award-winning author who earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama. She has taught in Georgia, Tennessee, Germany and the Eastern European country of Ukraine. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA), she now spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama.