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The Light through Ancient Trees
It’s been years since Lei Xing listened to the old romantic stories and dreamed of someday being in one of them. It’s been years since she entertained fancies about falling in love with a handsome prince and riding off with him into the sunset. She’s grown now, and grown-ups don’t hold on to such fanciful dreams. She has resolved to marry Shan and settle down with him as a responsible member of the clan.
But Lei Xing’s sensible plan falls apart when one night she is traded away by her clan to become the property of Her Imperial Majesty, the empress of Xinan.
Suddenly, Lei Xing is thrown into the life of the empress and her imperial court. Suddenly, she is mixed up in a plot to annihilate the clans. Suddenly, she is falling in love with the crown prince and her world has become every bit as dramatic as they are in the old legends and tales.
And suddenly, she is forced to remember that as glorious as they sometimes are, not all of the old stories have happy endings.
Stirring and unforgettable, Mereda Hart Farynyk’s The Light through Ancient Trees is a timeless tale of honor, courage, and learning how to love.
But Lei Xing’s sensible plan falls apart when one night she is traded away by her clan to become the property of Her Imperial Majesty, the empress of Xinan.
Suddenly, Lei Xing is thrown into the life of the empress and her imperial court. Suddenly, she is mixed up in a plot to annihilate the clans. Suddenly, she is falling in love with the crown prince and her world has become every bit as dramatic as they are in the old legends and tales.
And suddenly, she is forced to remember that as glorious as they sometimes are, not all of the old stories have happy endings.
Stirring and unforgettable, Mereda Hart Farynyk’s The Light through Ancient Trees is a timeless tale of honor, courage, and learning how to love.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2020
6 people want to read
About the author
Mereda Hart Farynyk
25 books44 followersMereda Hart Farynyk has always been captivated by fairy tales and far off places. From the earliest age, she would wander the forest, looking at the light filtering through the branches, and dream up endless fantasies of fairies and princes and great evils being overcome. She would drink up the study of ancient civilizations and marvel at how mysterious and foreign they were. Growing up in theatre and dance, she immersed herself in countless lives and emotions and perspectives, and what started out as a simple fascination with the magic and mystery of other worlds soon became a deep love of how those other worlds could help us to better understand the richest truths of this one.
Spanning a variety of genres, her books explore questions of spirituality, love, the search for truth, and the motivations of the human heart.
She grew up in North Carolina and resides there still with her husband and two sons.
Spanning a variety of genres, her books explore questions of spirituality, love, the search for truth, and the motivations of the human heart.
She grew up in North Carolina and resides there still with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 15, 2025
╰┈➤ ✿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ . . . :･*✧ ♩♪
。°⋆✫Unconditionally ⇾ Katy Perry✫⋆°。
2:11─────●──3:48
◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹
❝ Love is 𝑒𝓍𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎 like it is in the old tales. And now that our story is written down - now that I've come back and written the true and happy ending - it too can be passed along, joining the canon of 'old stories' ❞
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🅢🅘🅧 🅢🅣🅐🅡🅢
If there were an option for 10 stars, I would
This book surpassed all my expectations. It's one of my all-time favorite and will always have a special place in my heart. I honestly think this should be a bestseller. It should be a movie and become a timeless classic, like Wuthering Heights and Pride & Prejudice.
This is honestly one of the best romances I have read in a long, long time. As underrated books go, this book deserves the acclaim that most bestsellers don't. It's beautiful and poetic and oh-so poignant. This was my first book by this author and I'm so glad that this was the first I picked up, because now I'm on a mission to buy and read all her other works.
Chi Jian and Le Xing's relationship was so beautiful. The writing was stupendous. The plot was fast-paced. And I loved that every word that was said had meaning. I can't wrap my mind around how amazing this was. You'll have to read this to find out what I mean.
sexual:
some chaste kissing scenes. I remember one being about half a page long but it's bigger font and short paragraphs, and heavy on thoughts and not really the kiss itself. a mention of a concubine. a mention of bedding. I think that's it, I haven't read this in a few years but plan to reread very soon so I'll have a more in-depth content warning, but it's very clean
violence:
There wasn't much violence. I think the most notable thing was someone gets beheaded, but it's off-page. Correct me if I'm wrong
trigger:
Le Xing gets sold by her clan
verdict:rated PG/12+
。°⋆✫Unconditionally ⇾ Katy Perry✫⋆°。
2:11─────●──3:48
◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹
❝ Love is 𝑒𝓍𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎 like it is in the old tales. And now that our story is written down - now that I've come back and written the true and happy ending - it too can be passed along, joining the canon of 'old stories' ❞
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🅢🅘🅧 🅢🅣🅐🅡🅢
If there were an option for 10 stars, I would
This book surpassed all my expectations. It's one of my all-time favorite and will always have a special place in my heart. I honestly think this should be a bestseller. It should be a movie and become a timeless classic, like Wuthering Heights and Pride & Prejudice.
This is honestly one of the best romances I have read in a long, long time. As underrated books go, this book deserves the acclaim that most bestsellers don't. It's beautiful and poetic and oh-so poignant. This was my first book by this author and I'm so glad that this was the first I picked up, because now I'm on a mission to buy and read all her other works.
Chi Jian and Le Xing's relationship was so beautiful. The writing was stupendous. The plot was fast-paced. And I loved that every word that was said had meaning. I can't wrap my mind around how amazing this was. You'll have to read this to find out what I mean.
sexual:
some chaste kissing scenes. I remember one being about half a page long but it's bigger font and short paragraphs, and heavy on thoughts and not really the kiss itself. a mention of a concubine. a mention of bedding. I think that's it, I haven't read this in a few years but plan to reread very soon so I'll have a more in-depth content warning, but it's very clean
violence:
There wasn't much violence. I think the most notable thing was someone gets beheaded, but it's off-page. Correct me if I'm wrong
trigger:
Le Xing gets sold by her clan
verdict:rated PG/12+
December 5, 2023
Ahhhh this sweet, sweet story. I loved it SO much. Mereda created such a fun, unique setting, and I loved how she introduced and developed her two main characters through their very sweet and playful, while also deep relationship. I also appreciated how she had Lei Xing (and us readers) wrestle through understanding the selflessness and sacrifice in love and the security and rest that comes through not holding anything back, fully loving while also being fully known and loved--and trusting that love.
Just like all of Mereda's books, I was tearing through the final pages, completely at loss as to how she would end the story, while also not wanting the story to end! :) Thank you, Mereda, for this story!
Just like all of Mereda's books, I was tearing through the final pages, completely at loss as to how she would end the story, while also not wanting the story to end! :) Thank you, Mereda, for this story!
Read
April 28, 2021I keep forgetting to update Goodreads, but I finished this a week or two ago.
Very fun, thrilling romance! I can't wait to read Vassal, but I'm trying to restrain myself... :)
Very fun, thrilling romance! I can't wait to read Vassal, but I'm trying to restrain myself... :)
April 17, 2024
Romantic. Endearing. Intentional. I love the characters, and honestly there’s more depth behind the characters who interact with the mains that bring a sense of realness to them that I love. Like a river ebbing through some pages and raging through others, I journied through the emotions and thoughts of the main like she was my sister or friend. LOVE. Go get it, run! It feels like I watched this play out like a movie in my own mind.
Read
June 1, 2021"I’ve found that love comes hand in hand with the realization that your life isn’t yours, that it doesn’t belong to you anymore."
March 14, 2023
**3.5**
So um, I didn’t know this was a love story…so beware of that.
It does have an interesting storyline that keeps the reader hooked. I like how it was the mc telling the story, past tense.
I did skip a few parts because it was ew but other then that this book is okay. It’s not Mereda Farynyk’s greatest book, but I mean it’s still fine.
…although I’m definitely keeping my favorite as The Unwanted Princess of Affel…
I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a fantasy novel, but I guess if you like Chinese culture and romance this is the book for you!
**that person I described ^^ is not me…**
~happy reading~
So um, I didn’t know this was a love story…so beware of that.
It does have an interesting storyline that keeps the reader hooked. I like how it was the mc telling the story, past tense.
I did skip a few parts because it was ew but other then that this book is okay. It’s not Mereda Farynyk’s greatest book, but I mean it’s still fine.
…although I’m definitely keeping my favorite as The Unwanted Princess of Affel…
I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a fantasy novel, but I guess if you like Chinese culture and romance this is the book for you!
**that person I described ^^ is not me…**
~happy reading~
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews