Evangeline is gifted with a heavenly voice, but she is
trapped in a sinister betrothal—until she embarks on a daring escape and meets
brave Westley le Wyse. Can he help her discover the freedom to sing again?
Desperate to flee a political marriage to her cousin King
Richard II’s closest advisor, Lord Shiveley—a man twice her age with shadowy
motives—Evangeline runs away and joins a small band of servants journeying back
to Glynval, their home village.
Pretending to be mute, she gets to know Westley le Wyse,
their handsome young leader, who is intrigued by the beautiful servant girl.
But when the truth comes out, it may shatter any hope that love could grow
between them.
More than Evangeline’s future is at stake as she finds herself
entangled in a web of intrigue that threatens England’s monarchy. Should she
give herself up to protect the only person who cares about her? If she does,
who will save the king from a plot to steal his throne?
 |
| vesselproject.com |
My Review:
I
have read everything that Melanie Dickerson has written, so I know what to
expect when I approach her writings. I expect to be enthralled with brave and
heroic characters who go above and beyond their status. I will be taken on a
journey through a story that is similar to the fairy tales that I have grown up
with but with a twist.
The
major story element that I really enjoy is Dickerson's ability to create
realistic characters who stick with me long after the story is finished. The
hero, Westley le Wyse, enters the story while saving a young child who is about
to be run over by a stray horse. Throughout the rest of the story, he shows
over and over again his sweet and gentle heart by protecting the innocent from
physical harm. I really like a man who seeks out the weak and gives them a
brighter outlook on life. As for the heroine, Evangeline, she is a young woman
who was raised up with an education and not having to work, but in order to
hunt for true love, she escapes her prearranged marriage and lowers her status
to seek freedom. Both characters are brave and noble. Totally worth falling in
love with.
The
story has elements of the popular fairy tale The Little Mermaid, but it doesn't
completely follow the storyline. Evangeline doesn't sell her voice to have
human legs. Instead, she plays mute to save herself and her maidservant who
escaped with her. I enjoyed watching the romance between Evangeline and Westley
grow, especially because Evangeline is willing to work just to discover who she
really wants to be.
I
really was enthralled with the plot. Dickerson invited me back to the land of
fairytales in the late fourteenth century and kept me in that time period with
her writing. I had a hard time putting the novel down. Like her previous
stories in this series, I have enjoyed watching Dickerson's take on the popular
stories. Even though the story is completely predictable, it was an original
version of the widely popular tale.
With
a tale as old as time, Melanie Dickerson's The
Silent Songbird invited me along for a story in a land where status rules
the people. Evangeline and Westley are brave characters who will stick with the
readers long after they show their love story. I highly recommend The Silent Songbird to fans of all fairy
tales and Dickerson's previous novels.
I
received a complimentary copy of The
Silent Songbird from Thomas Nelson and the opinions stated are all my own.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Stars
What makes you like fairy tale remakes so much? Is it the familiarity of the characters, setting, plot line, or something totally different?
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