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Legends of Light #1-3
Burning Rose
Echoes of ancient legends lurk in the shadows of war.
Elissa, a stubborn village lass, attempts to save her brother but ends up trapped in a hidden valley with a captor covered in beastly scars.
Evrard, a wingmaster in the Prince’s army, races against deadly mistbenders to discover a golden-haired girl trapped in a tower before his own song flickers out.
Haydn, a reluctantly pardoned rebel, follows a breadcrumb trail of shadows and lies to protect his sister and find a stolen stormestone.
Bonus
Before the war, before the legends, before the cursed rose, there was a man who started it all. There was a rebellion, a promise, and a sacrifice. There was the Oathkeeper.
Fairy tales retold as you have never heard them before.
Elissa, a stubborn village lass, attempts to save her brother but ends up trapped in a hidden valley with a captor covered in beastly scars.
Evrard, a wingmaster in the Prince’s army, races against deadly mistbenders to discover a golden-haired girl trapped in a tower before his own song flickers out.
Haydn, a reluctantly pardoned rebel, follows a breadcrumb trail of shadows and lies to protect his sister and find a stolen stormestone.
Bonus
Before the war, before the legends, before the cursed rose, there was a man who started it all. There was a rebellion, a promise, and a sacrifice. There was the Oathkeeper.
Fairy tales retold as you have never heard them before.
454 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2022
About the author
Hope Ann
20 books187 followersHope Ann likes to think of herself as an undercover resistance fighter in the battle for truth. In reality, her bluntness and sarcasm make her anything but ‘undercover.’ The oldest of nine children, she has an arsenal of experience ranging from jiu-jitsu, living in the Dominican Republic for two years, and working with troubled teenagers.
Her greatest struggle is realizing she can’t do everything, but it hasn’t stopped her from periodically trying.
Based in central Indiana, her day-to-day life involves brainstorming theories about Sanderson’s Cosmere with her husband, collecting situation-perfect memes, and struggling to remember the difference between ‘effect’ and ‘affect’. She is the author of nine fantasy books, a writing coach, and a founding board member of Story Embers.
Her greatest struggle is realizing she can’t do everything, but it hasn’t stopped her from periodically trying.
Based in central Indiana, her day-to-day life involves brainstorming theories about Sanderson’s Cosmere with her husband, collecting situation-perfect memes, and struggling to remember the difference between ‘effect’ and ‘affect’. She is the author of nine fantasy books, a writing coach, and a founding board member of Story Embers.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 4, 2017
So, this is something of a "read" and "to-read" thing. ;) I've read all four books included in this compilation, but I can't wait to read them again in paperback! I just ordered my autographed copy today and shall be watching the mailbox carefully for the next two weeks. <3 The world's best books are in paperback, y'all!!!
October 3, 2017
(Review originally posted with a guest post about 3 Steps to Rewriting Fairytales here: https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/...)
I very much enjoyed this collection! :) Here are some individual thoughts about each story, and then some thoughts at the end about all of them in general.
Rose of the Night
3 stars
This is a prequel novelette set before the three novellas. It’s not a fairytale retelling, but is an allegory of the Fall of Man and has a few other Christian elements. It was actually super depressing and dark—as might be expected from that kind of thing. XD But wow. O_O So I didn’t care for it as much, BUT I liked it better once I had read the next story and could just view it as the backstory of the Beast character from the Beauty and the Beast story. XD Overall, a little depressing for me (others might enjoy it more!) but definitely gripping, interesting, vivid, and very atmospheric! :)
Rose of the Oath
4 stars
A Beauty and the Beast retelling! I enjoy those, and this was original and intriguing! It has some unique things like the heroine’s brother, instead of dad, picking the rose, and the rose itself is VERY connected to things... ;) It was so fascinating seeing the “Beauty” character (Elissa) communicate with the “Beast” character (Oathkeeper Adrian) because he couldn’t really speak because of a curse. I didn’t love Elissa but she was all right, and Adrian was pretty awesome, so. :D I liked Eldric (her brother) too! I’m trying to think what else I can say without spoiling things! It’s classic and new all at once. I kind of want to live in that castle. The writing was vivid, and there’s a lot of scary wolves and gorgeous roses. What’s not to like? :) It’s not quite a top-favorite for some reason, but overall it was intriguing and exciting, and I really enjoyed it! A good B&B retelling, and a good story in its own right, too. :) *hugs story*
Song of the Sword
4 stars
This one was so unique and fascinating! The two different planes of existence, the “Tangible” and the “Melody” or spiritual realm. It was so cool reading about Evrard, who has the ability to slip back and forth between the two. (Think, like... Inception, or Jill Williamson’s the Veil, but different.) I really liked Evrard. Andrinion the falcon was kind of a know-it-all, but fun too. XD Roinette is the heroine, who is the Rapunzel character, and I liked her too. (Though, in a fun twist, she has a “pet”/friend, a white cat with wings, who is named Punzel. :P) It’s kind of a VERY loose Rapunzel retelling... there’s a tower and Roinette has long hair, but that’s mostly it... But it was still fun. :) There were a few times when the stuff about which “Realm” the characters were in got confusing or didn’t quite line up, but I still liked the idea a lot! I was a little sad that there wasn’t any romance, because I kind of suspected there would be (because... um... Rapunzel?), but I might be a minority. XD There were a couple of twists—both of which I partially guessed—and I really liked one and the other really disappointed me because sometimes you WANT to like a character but then they’re evil and yeah. >.> Ahem. But the other character twist was awesome. XD Anyway, I’m a little mixed about a couple of things, but on the whole it was just so original and neat. Exciting and fun! :)
Shadows of the Hersweald
4 stars
The first half of this one drove me rather batty with only hinting at things with NO explanation, even though the hero would have known; a classic example of hiding information from the reader, which is a personal annoyance of mine. Ahem. Could just be me, though. XD (And I fully admit I had a headache when I read this one, so it’s possible my brain functions didn’t pick up on things I should have, but still.) That frustrated me, especially when a few things just didn’t make sense. BUT by the end, once everything came together and I finally figured out what was going on, it turned out to be one of my favorites in the collection! :) So that was impressive. ^_^ I keep thinking about it and I almost want to go back and re-read it now that I know what was going on. XD It’s a loose but original retelling of Hansel and Gretel—I liked how a few elements from the original made it into this one in unexpected ways. :) I really, really liked Haydn. The story was vivid when it wasn’t being vague, and the setting was neat, and the other characters were cool too. Sometimes I wasn’t sure who I should like because I kept being afraid all of them would turn out evil. XD So that kept me on my toes. :P Overall, although the first part annoyed me, I ended up loving it muchly! :)
Overall Thoughts About the Burning Rose Collection
The three novellas had strong sibling themes going on, which was nice. You don’t always see a lot of that. ^_^
There is one particular plot-twist that ALL four stories had, which started to get tedious... I won’t say what it was, because spoilers, but things do kind of stop being plot twists and start being repeating plots eventually... But I might not have noticed if I’d read them all separately? And I kept predicting them... whoops. (#curseofbeingawriter)
However, one good thing about having them all in one collection: I did love how, even though the stories all follow totally different characters (except Adrian in the prequel and Rose of the Oath), there was still an overarching thread to follow through. It was kind of like it might be if episodes of a TV show followed different storylines but had an overall plot in the background?
I sometimes felt like since I was expected to already know the allegorical elements from Christianity, they weren’t explained IN the stories very well? Which was a little odd. And it also often happened off-screen. But what there was I did like. :) (Other than the prequel being depressing. XD)
The writing was distinctive, and, while sometimes (due to the short nature of the stories) I was a little confused about what was going on, mostly these novellas were vivid, gripping, thrilling, and unique, while spinning threads of familiar stories into a tapestry of new, colorful tales. On the whole, I quite enjoyed them, and recommend them to anyone who likes a good fairytale! ^_^
(I also noticed that the next one that’s supposed to come out in this Legends of Light series is a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling! Excuse me while I search for a time-machine so I can go read it. :D *bouncing in excitement*)
(I received a free e-ARC of this collection from the author—many thanks! These opinions are entirely my own.)
I very much enjoyed this collection! :) Here are some individual thoughts about each story, and then some thoughts at the end about all of them in general.
Rose of the Night
3 stars
This is a prequel novelette set before the three novellas. It’s not a fairytale retelling, but is an allegory of the Fall of Man and has a few other Christian elements. It was actually super depressing and dark—as might be expected from that kind of thing. XD But wow. O_O So I didn’t care for it as much, BUT I liked it better once I had read the next story and could just view it as the backstory of the Beast character from the Beauty and the Beast story. XD Overall, a little depressing for me (others might enjoy it more!) but definitely gripping, interesting, vivid, and very atmospheric! :)
Rose of the Oath
4 stars
A Beauty and the Beast retelling! I enjoy those, and this was original and intriguing! It has some unique things like the heroine’s brother, instead of dad, picking the rose, and the rose itself is VERY connected to things... ;) It was so fascinating seeing the “Beauty” character (Elissa) communicate with the “Beast” character (Oathkeeper Adrian) because he couldn’t really speak because of a curse. I didn’t love Elissa but she was all right, and Adrian was pretty awesome, so. :D I liked Eldric (her brother) too! I’m trying to think what else I can say without spoiling things! It’s classic and new all at once. I kind of want to live in that castle. The writing was vivid, and there’s a lot of scary wolves and gorgeous roses. What’s not to like? :) It’s not quite a top-favorite for some reason, but overall it was intriguing and exciting, and I really enjoyed it! A good B&B retelling, and a good story in its own right, too. :) *hugs story*
Song of the Sword
4 stars
This one was so unique and fascinating! The two different planes of existence, the “Tangible” and the “Melody” or spiritual realm. It was so cool reading about Evrard, who has the ability to slip back and forth between the two. (Think, like... Inception, or Jill Williamson’s the Veil, but different.) I really liked Evrard. Andrinion the falcon was kind of a know-it-all, but fun too. XD Roinette is the heroine, who is the Rapunzel character, and I liked her too. (Though, in a fun twist, she has a “pet”/friend, a white cat with wings, who is named Punzel. :P) It’s kind of a VERY loose Rapunzel retelling... there’s a tower and Roinette has long hair, but that’s mostly it... But it was still fun. :) There were a few times when the stuff about which “Realm” the characters were in got confusing or didn’t quite line up, but I still liked the idea a lot! I was a little sad that there wasn’t any romance, because I kind of suspected there would be (because... um... Rapunzel?), but I might be a minority. XD There were a couple of twists—both of which I partially guessed—and I really liked one and the other really disappointed me because sometimes you WANT to like a character but then they’re evil and yeah. >.> Ahem. But the other character twist was awesome. XD Anyway, I’m a little mixed about a couple of things, but on the whole it was just so original and neat. Exciting and fun! :)
Shadows of the Hersweald
4 stars
The first half of this one drove me rather batty with only hinting at things with NO explanation, even though the hero would have known; a classic example of hiding information from the reader, which is a personal annoyance of mine. Ahem. Could just be me, though. XD (And I fully admit I had a headache when I read this one, so it’s possible my brain functions didn’t pick up on things I should have, but still.) That frustrated me, especially when a few things just didn’t make sense. BUT by the end, once everything came together and I finally figured out what was going on, it turned out to be one of my favorites in the collection! :) So that was impressive. ^_^ I keep thinking about it and I almost want to go back and re-read it now that I know what was going on. XD It’s a loose but original retelling of Hansel and Gretel—I liked how a few elements from the original made it into this one in unexpected ways. :) I really, really liked Haydn. The story was vivid when it wasn’t being vague, and the setting was neat, and the other characters were cool too. Sometimes I wasn’t sure who I should like because I kept being afraid all of them would turn out evil. XD So that kept me on my toes. :P Overall, although the first part annoyed me, I ended up loving it muchly! :)
Overall Thoughts About the Burning Rose Collection
The three novellas had strong sibling themes going on, which was nice. You don’t always see a lot of that. ^_^
There is one particular plot-twist that ALL four stories had, which started to get tedious... I won’t say what it was, because spoilers, but things do kind of stop being plot twists and start being repeating plots eventually... But I might not have noticed if I’d read them all separately? And I kept predicting them... whoops. (#curseofbeingawriter)
However, one good thing about having them all in one collection: I did love how, even though the stories all follow totally different characters (except Adrian in the prequel and Rose of the Oath), there was still an overarching thread to follow through. It was kind of like it might be if episodes of a TV show followed different storylines but had an overall plot in the background?
I sometimes felt like since I was expected to already know the allegorical elements from Christianity, they weren’t explained IN the stories very well? Which was a little odd. And it also often happened off-screen. But what there was I did like. :) (Other than the prequel being depressing. XD)
The writing was distinctive, and, while sometimes (due to the short nature of the stories) I was a little confused about what was going on, mostly these novellas were vivid, gripping, thrilling, and unique, while spinning threads of familiar stories into a tapestry of new, colorful tales. On the whole, I quite enjoyed them, and recommend them to anyone who likes a good fairytale! ^_^
(I also noticed that the next one that’s supposed to come out in this Legends of Light series is a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling! Excuse me while I search for a time-machine so I can go read it. :D *bouncing in excitement*)
(I received a free e-ARC of this collection from the author—many thanks! These opinions are entirely my own.)
October 3, 2017
4.5 stars.
Burning Rose is a stunning collection of stories full of hope and light. From the very beginning, I loved the writing style and the setting. Hope Ann's writing style is enrapturing and really pulls me into the story. It was sweet and gripping and exciting all in one. I connected with the each of the characters so well.
I hugely enjoyed this whole book, and there were just so many details and elements in each story that made it deep and complex. Most novellas are more sparse in that area, but these ones were like full novels fitted nicely into a small story.
I may or may not have stayed up after midnight to finish it. *ahem*
The retelling parts of the stories were so creatively done and in a captivating way. Not the predictable feel that some retellings have. It was unique and different, yet still had hints of the familiar tale woven through the overall story.
The first two stories were my favourites out of them all, but I still loved each one. There is such truth buried in these stories and it rings out through the subtext and story in a way that's absolutely not preachy at all, and is so beautiful to read.
I highly recommend this without reservations (ages 13+). They're beautiful retellings and stories that are simply so full of light and hope.
Keep reading for some short thoughts on each individual story:
Rose of the Night - 5 stars
A bittersweet story of rebellion and hope. I love that even in the darkness, there's still such light. There might be horror now, but it won't last. I definitely enjoyed this read immensely.
Rose of the Oath - 5 stars
I really loved this read. There were a few plot twists, though I did guess them before they happened.
The characters were really intriguing, and I particularly liked watching the development that both Elissa and the beast went through. It was honestly just really cool.
Song of the Sword - 4.5 stars
This was an epic story and the magic was so intriguing and simple enough that all the explanations and details didn't bore me, but it still made sense.
The characters were cool, and I loved the unique twist that the main characters were just flawed human beings who made mistakes.
I was a touch confused with all the Melody and Reality 'dimension' hopping, I guess you could call it. I got lost once or twice.
Shadows of the Herweald - 4.5 stars
This story was a more bitter and darker story out of all the Legends of Light, but because of the darkness, the light and hope shone out all the brighter.
I really liked the fact that the POV character was a former soldier from Tauscher's (the villain) army. It gave it a really unique feel and message.
{NOTE: I received a free ARC of this in exchange for my honest review}
Burning Rose is a stunning collection of stories full of hope and light. From the very beginning, I loved the writing style and the setting. Hope Ann's writing style is enrapturing and really pulls me into the story. It was sweet and gripping and exciting all in one. I connected with the each of the characters so well.
I hugely enjoyed this whole book, and there were just so many details and elements in each story that made it deep and complex. Most novellas are more sparse in that area, but these ones were like full novels fitted nicely into a small story.
I may or may not have stayed up after midnight to finish it. *ahem*
The retelling parts of the stories were so creatively done and in a captivating way. Not the predictable feel that some retellings have. It was unique and different, yet still had hints of the familiar tale woven through the overall story.
The first two stories were my favourites out of them all, but I still loved each one. There is such truth buried in these stories and it rings out through the subtext and story in a way that's absolutely not preachy at all, and is so beautiful to read.
I highly recommend this without reservations (ages 13+). They're beautiful retellings and stories that are simply so full of light and hope.
Keep reading for some short thoughts on each individual story:
Rose of the Night - 5 stars
A bittersweet story of rebellion and hope. I love that even in the darkness, there's still such light. There might be horror now, but it won't last. I definitely enjoyed this read immensely.
Rose of the Oath - 5 stars
I really loved this read. There were a few plot twists, though I did guess them before they happened.
The characters were really intriguing, and I particularly liked watching the development that both Elissa and the beast went through. It was honestly just really cool.
Song of the Sword - 4.5 stars
This was an epic story and the magic was so intriguing and simple enough that all the explanations and details didn't bore me, but it still made sense.
The characters were cool, and I loved the unique twist that the main characters were just flawed human beings who made mistakes.
I was a touch confused with all the Melody and Reality 'dimension' hopping, I guess you could call it. I got lost once or twice.
Shadows of the Herweald - 4.5 stars
This story was a more bitter and darker story out of all the Legends of Light, but because of the darkness, the light and hope shone out all the brighter.
I really liked the fact that the POV character was a former soldier from Tauscher's (the villain) army. It gave it a really unique feel and message.
{NOTE: I received a free ARC of this in exchange for my honest review}
October 27, 2019
I will admit that I originally bought this book because the cover was so strikingly GORGEOUS. The fact that it was a collection of Christian fiction fairy tale retellings was just a bonus. It did take me a while to get through it. I tried to read it starting July last year (2018) and got slowly through the first story only to finally realize I wasn't in the mood for it, and then set it down again until around the end of July this year (2019). Thankfully, when I picked it back up I was in the mood for it and the reading went much better. I reviewed each story on its individual page for the sake of getting credit for each in my reading challenge :P but I will link to those reviews (content advisories included) here so they're all in one place.
Rose of the Night: A Beauty and the Beast Prequel: 3 stars
goodreads.com/review/show/3027251687
Rose of the Oath: A Beauty and the Beast Novella: 4 stars
goodreads.com/review/show/2027240308?...
Song of the Sword: A Rapunzel Novella: 5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shadows of the Hersweald: A Hansel and Gretel Novella: 3.5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Song of the Sword ended up being my favorite. I really clicked with the characters and felt it was the freshest retelling of the bunch while also feeling the abilities those characters had were very creative and interesting. The other retellings had plenty of good things about them, too, it was just a matter of personal taste. I feel this young author is very talented and I would love to see more from her in the future.
If I average the star ratings I gave each story, it comes out to 3.875, so I will give this collection as a whole 4 stars.
Rose of the Night: A Beauty and the Beast Prequel: 3 stars
goodreads.com/review/show/3027251687
Rose of the Oath: A Beauty and the Beast Novella: 4 stars
goodreads.com/review/show/2027240308?...
Song of the Sword: A Rapunzel Novella: 5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shadows of the Hersweald: A Hansel and Gretel Novella: 3.5 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Song of the Sword ended up being my favorite. I really clicked with the characters and felt it was the freshest retelling of the bunch while also feeling the abilities those characters had were very creative and interesting. The other retellings had plenty of good things about them, too, it was just a matter of personal taste. I feel this young author is very talented and I would love to see more from her in the future.
If I average the star ratings I gave each story, it comes out to 3.875, so I will give this collection as a whole 4 stars.
October 6, 2017
Whether you’re a fantasy lover or a fairy tale fanatic, the search for your next absorbing read ends here, because Burning Rose is the book for you! Set in the war-torn world of Aslaria, Hope Ann’s three interlocking Legends of Light novellas are creative, exciting, and well-written retellings of Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, and Hansel and Gretel.
But you don't need to love fairy tales to appreciate these stories, as they have everything a fantasy lover could want: strange creatures, interesting lore, bantering dialogue, threatening shadows, pulse-pounding adventure, and an underlying allegorical significance that ensures the parts add up to a greater whole. If you love Christian fantasy in particular, then you’ll find much to appreciate in these resonant stories.
Note: Although I received an ARC copy of Burning Rose in exchange for an honest review, I've been a Legends of Light fan for a while now, and I was especially pleased to see the author has revised the second story, Song of the Sword, to make it an even stronger centerpiece and more powerful lead-in to the collection's conclusion, Shadows of the Hersweald.
But you don't need to love fairy tales to appreciate these stories, as they have everything a fantasy lover could want: strange creatures, interesting lore, bantering dialogue, threatening shadows, pulse-pounding adventure, and an underlying allegorical significance that ensures the parts add up to a greater whole. If you love Christian fantasy in particular, then you’ll find much to appreciate in these resonant stories.
Note: Although I received an ARC copy of Burning Rose in exchange for an honest review, I've been a Legends of Light fan for a while now, and I was especially pleased to see the author has revised the second story, Song of the Sword, to make it an even stronger centerpiece and more powerful lead-in to the collection's conclusion, Shadows of the Hersweald.
November 28, 2017
Overall, five stars for this book. : ) The themes are wonderful, and descriptions, omw, the descriptions are so beautiful.
ROSE OF THE NIGHT (5 stars)---This was either my first or a very very close second favorite of the stories in this book. The emotion and beauty that Hope managed to create in so small a space was amazing, and I loved it very much.
ROSE OF THE OATH (5 stars)---Of the full novellas, this was my favorite. So beautiful and tension-filled at the same time. XD It didn't end the way the typical Beauty and the Beast story does, which I found intriguing and different. I loved this story very much and was very sad when it ended. (Sequel for Adrian and Elissa please? :P)
SONG OF THE SWORD (4 stars)---This one, while there was the most room for development, was actually the most confusing? The realm-hopping between Tangible and Melody was a tad bit brain-scrambling, where you have to reread to figure out which one they're in, and wait, how does that affect them again? The characters were good, but they didn't inspire as much sympathy/empathy/other emotions as did the first two stories. Still a really good read though, and the descriptions...wow, those are vivid and amazing.
SHADOWS OF THE HERSWEALD (4.5 stars)---This was my third favorite story. The whole time, I kept wanting to smack Haydn and make him behave. XP I was so not expecting how it would end, and I thought it was a good, though bittersweet, ending. : )
And at the end of the Kindle version, there's an option to get a short story thing. *scrambles off to get that and read it* XD
(And the cover though....it's so intriguing and leap off the shelf and grab your attention and yes I love it XD)
ROSE OF THE NIGHT (5 stars)---This was either my first or a very very close second favorite of the stories in this book. The emotion and beauty that Hope managed to create in so small a space was amazing, and I loved it very much.
ROSE OF THE OATH (5 stars)---Of the full novellas, this was my favorite. So beautiful and tension-filled at the same time. XD It didn't end the way the typical Beauty and the Beast story does, which I found intriguing and different. I loved this story very much and was very sad when it ended. (Sequel for Adrian and Elissa please? :P)
SONG OF THE SWORD (4 stars)---This one, while there was the most room for development, was actually the most confusing? The realm-hopping between Tangible and Melody was a tad bit brain-scrambling, where you have to reread to figure out which one they're in, and wait, how does that affect them again? The characters were good, but they didn't inspire as much sympathy/empathy/other emotions as did the first two stories. Still a really good read though, and the descriptions...wow, those are vivid and amazing.
SHADOWS OF THE HERSWEALD (4.5 stars)---This was my third favorite story. The whole time, I kept wanting to smack Haydn and make him behave. XP I was so not expecting how it would end, and I thought it was a good, though bittersweet, ending. : )
And at the end of the Kindle version, there's an option to get a short story thing. *scrambles off to get that and read it* XD
(And the cover though....it's so intriguing and leap off the shelf and grab your attention and yes I love it XD)
September 19, 2017
The prequel/story at the start was just amazing. The first few pages were a little confusing as I got it into my head that 'I' was female and then relised 'I' was male..... but after that it was very cool. Well actually very sad and heart wrenching. I'm a bit of a skeptical person and overall the stories were better than I expected, but saying that I didn't really know what to expect at all.
First story was really good, the only thing was I somehow got confused without knowing it and thought that the MCs siblings were her children.... and her brother was her husband... I got a long way through before realising my mistake. They story was mysterious, and heartbreaking. Words wove together in a beautiful way with such a ring of truth. I loved how different it was from the normal fairy tale while still containing many of the elements.
Darkness can be so beautiful when such a great light shines forth from it.
Song of the sword was beautiful. The words were melodious, sparkling with colour and light. The hope and promise the story/book leaves you with is refreshing. There were some very minor plot twists, which I guessed. The plot, though simple, was interesting. There was no bad content and not even much violence, though there is a war going on and a combat takes place.
Shadows of the Hersweald was really cool, and I didn't actually guess the full extent of the story twist until it was just about happening! So obviously it was a good one. The story was beautiful again and full of hope, and forgiveness that just made it so lovely to read. I liked the characters and the retelling factor. It was easy to forget that it was a Hansel and Gretel retelling, but there were some major elements, I loved seeing how things were switched up. This one seemed a bit more violent than the others, but very low level and not descriptive. There was a lot of emotional pain and tortured characters, they felt very alive and full of history together, and individually.
The books all follow a story line of the fantasy world they are set in with some characters and time periods overlapping. I would highly recommend this book as a good read with really deep themes that ring with truth and life.
First story was really good, the only thing was I somehow got confused without knowing it and thought that the MCs siblings were her children.... and her brother was her husband... I got a long way through before realising my mistake. They story was mysterious, and heartbreaking. Words wove together in a beautiful way with such a ring of truth. I loved how different it was from the normal fairy tale while still containing many of the elements.
Darkness can be so beautiful when such a great light shines forth from it.
Song of the sword was beautiful. The words were melodious, sparkling with colour and light. The hope and promise the story/book leaves you with is refreshing. There were some very minor plot twists, which I guessed. The plot, though simple, was interesting. There was no bad content and not even much violence, though there is a war going on and a combat takes place.
Shadows of the Hersweald was really cool, and I didn't actually guess the full extent of the story twist until it was just about happening! So obviously it was a good one. The story was beautiful again and full of hope, and forgiveness that just made it so lovely to read. I liked the characters and the retelling factor. It was easy to forget that it was a Hansel and Gretel retelling, but there were some major elements, I loved seeing how things were switched up. This one seemed a bit more violent than the others, but very low level and not descriptive. There was a lot of emotional pain and tortured characters, they felt very alive and full of history together, and individually.
The books all follow a story line of the fantasy world they are set in with some characters and time periods overlapping. I would highly recommend this book as a good read with really deep themes that ring with truth and life.
September 27, 2017
{I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.}
A long-time fan of fairy tales, I tend to be very skeptical of fairy tales that blend with Christian themes, because so often they mutilate the fairy tale in interests of pushing the Christian themes.
Rest easy, because Hope Ann tackles it in a straightforward, honest way. The familiar fairy tales are enhanced and expanded by the themes of grace and hope, rather than tarnished. Burning Rose contains three wonderful novellas, a Beauty and The Beast retelling, a Rapunzel retelling, and a Hansel and Gretel retelling. While the names of the characters and other details changed, the threads were easy to find. Hope Ann wove in plot twists and unexpected endings that left me staring at the page, but explained them well enough that I didn't have to go back and re-read everything to make sense of it.
There is no traditional language, and what cursing there is, is reminiscent of Gimili's mutterings and grumblings in The Lord Of The Rings.
There is slight gory content (most of the three novellas are dealing in a world at war, after all), but not detailed.
Highly recommend for 14+.
A long-time fan of fairy tales, I tend to be very skeptical of fairy tales that blend with Christian themes, because so often they mutilate the fairy tale in interests of pushing the Christian themes.
Rest easy, because Hope Ann tackles it in a straightforward, honest way. The familiar fairy tales are enhanced and expanded by the themes of grace and hope, rather than tarnished. Burning Rose contains three wonderful novellas, a Beauty and The Beast retelling, a Rapunzel retelling, and a Hansel and Gretel retelling. While the names of the characters and other details changed, the threads were easy to find. Hope Ann wove in plot twists and unexpected endings that left me staring at the page, but explained them well enough that I didn't have to go back and re-read everything to make sense of it.
There is no traditional language, and what cursing there is, is reminiscent of Gimili's mutterings and grumblings in The Lord Of The Rings.
There is slight gory content (most of the three novellas are dealing in a world at war, after all), but not detailed.
Highly recommend for 14+.
October 4, 2017
(I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book. All opinions are mine.)
Oh, where to start? I loved this book. (Books, actually.) I've always liked reading fairy tales and their retellings, but Hope Ann's novel was different than any other fantasy novel I've ever read. And I absolutely loved it. Hope Ann skillfully wove the themes of love, joy, and peace from the fruit of the Spirit into her stories, making them glow with beautiful word paintings and unseen plot twists. The story of salvation seems to shine through the three novellas.
And can we just talk about the cover for a moment! It's gorgeous! Kate Flourney did an amazing job on 'Burning Rose's' cover.
Over all, I give this book a five-star rating and a big thumbs up. It's a clean, Christian fantasy for fantasy lovers like me, and I can't wait to see what Hope will write us next. I reccomned it to anyone who likes Christian fantasy, or even fantasy in general. Keep up the great work, Hope!
~Sarah
Oh, where to start? I loved this book. (Books, actually.) I've always liked reading fairy tales and their retellings, but Hope Ann's novel was different than any other fantasy novel I've ever read. And I absolutely loved it. Hope Ann skillfully wove the themes of love, joy, and peace from the fruit of the Spirit into her stories, making them glow with beautiful word paintings and unseen plot twists. The story of salvation seems to shine through the three novellas.
And can we just talk about the cover for a moment! It's gorgeous! Kate Flourney did an amazing job on 'Burning Rose's' cover.
Over all, I give this book a five-star rating and a big thumbs up. It's a clean, Christian fantasy for fantasy lovers like me, and I can't wait to see what Hope will write us next. I reccomned it to anyone who likes Christian fantasy, or even fantasy in general. Keep up the great work, Hope!
~Sarah
October 3, 2017
*I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Oh my goodness. Where to begin?
Hope does a fantastic job spinning the classic fairytales, "Beauty and the Beast," "Rapunzel," and "Hansel and Gretel," into three separate stories combined into one collection.
Not only is it clean fantasy, it is Christian- with Biblical similarities throughout.
There's fighting, courage, true love, forgiveness, heroes and heroines, family sticking together, and more!
My personal favorite was Rose of Oath, or Beauty and the Beast.
I read Burning Rose while on vacation, and could barely put it down- even with the sand and waves calling.
*shoves it in your direction* Now go buy it.
Oh my goodness. Where to begin?
Hope does a fantastic job spinning the classic fairytales, "Beauty and the Beast," "Rapunzel," and "Hansel and Gretel," into three separate stories combined into one collection.
Not only is it clean fantasy, it is Christian- with Biblical similarities throughout.
There's fighting, courage, true love, forgiveness, heroes and heroines, family sticking together, and more!
My personal favorite was Rose of Oath, or Beauty and the Beast.
I read Burning Rose while on vacation, and could barely put it down- even with the sand and waves calling.
*shoves it in your direction* Now go buy it.
October 5, 2017
Let me start by saying that I read "Rose of the Oath" and "Rose of the Night" as stand-alone stories before receiving "Burning Rose" as an ARC and I enjoyed reading them again. I own "Song of the Sword" and "Shadows of the Hersweald" as stand-alone digital books but had not yet read them when I received the ARC for "Burning Rose" so this was the push I needed to get them read and I am so glad that they are no longer on my to-be-read pile although I will probably read them again sometime.
"Rose of the Night" is a good backstory about how Adrian came to be the Oathkeeper and how the battle between Tauscher and The King started. I recommend reading "Rose of the Night" after "Rose of the Oath" though since I was somewhat confused when I read them in the other order so don't start at the very beginning when you read "Burning Rose". Plan to jump around a little but do make sure you read both stories!
"Rose of the Oath" is an action-packed, faith-filled retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Aslaria is a land gripped in war between the King and a group of rebels who wants to take control of the land. The story begins with a strong young woman Elissa heading off to save her brother similar to how Belle sets off to find her father in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. The other typical Beauty and the Beast story elements are present but Hope Ann makes this story her own with the war and some very strong faith components.
Elissa has lost her faith in the King due to a tragedy revealed as the story progresses. Her sole focus is on keeping her family safe. The Beast seems determined to keep her locked up and all she can think about is getting away. I was a little confused about exactly what was happening a couple times in the story but I think that was to be expected since characters were not who you thought they were as the story unfolded. Of course I didn't figure much of this out until the end of the story and it was much better when I read it the second time around LOL! There were many forces at work in the story leading to a surprising amount of action and suspense. More so than what I expected in a fairy tale retelling. I was biting my nails worried about what was going to happen to Elissa and the Beast throughout much of the story.
A big change from your typical fairy tale is that love was demonstrated as a fruit of the spirit in the story, a choice, an outgrowth of faith/what you believe not a mushy feeling or something that just happens to you without any control. Definitely no insta-love or lust to worry about here.
"Song of the Sword" is a retelling of Rapunzel with the major twist being that Evrard and Roinette are brother and sister and there is no love interest for Roinette. Can you imagine that? A fairy tale with no one falling in love? It was very odd but rather refreshing. Roinette has been locked away on an island with a crumbling tower and neither Evrard or Roinette knew that they had a sister/brother. The story is about the battles they have to fight to reunite/be safe once they find each other.
Hope Ann incorporated the fruit of the spirit joy by allowing Evrard to struggle through what joy meant and to learn how he could have true joy in spite of very difficult circumstances and some really, really bad things did indeed happen in "Song of the Sword".
"Shadows of the Hersweald" loosely retells Hansel and Gretel by introducing brother and sister Haydn and Gorawen who journey through a forest dropping bread crumbs (rocks), get captured, get away and get lost but these are just small pieces of their story. The real story is that the Prince is offering a pardon to any and all in Aslaria who will take it but Haydn believes that the rebels he fought with under Tauscher do not deserve the pardon. His guilt over what he personally did under Tauscher causes him to reject the pardon when it is offered as well. Rebels continue to burn and plunder and Haydn believes that only punishment, not pardon, will protect his family. Haydn must battle his own guilt as well as evil characters.
Can Haydn find peace? Is peace possible for Aslaria? By the end of the story Haydn learns that peace is possible even if the fighting continues as Hope Ann again weaves the true definition of peace as a fruit of the spirit into this fairy tale rendering.
Each of these four fairy tales are wonderful fairy tales and can just be taken at face value however I very much appreciated the extra depth added by the strong Christian faith component in each story.
I have already mentioned the Fruit of the Spirit incorporated into each story. Hope Ann also added a "Beyond the Novella" section after each story which clearly explains what love, joy, and peace truly are, not as the world defines them but as God defines them. Also, although the names were never used, it was quite apparent in each story that the King represented God and the Prince represented Jesus and they were in a battle against Tauscher, representing Satan, to redeem the hearts of the people who had chosen to sin.
"Rose of the Night" is a good backstory about how Adrian came to be the Oathkeeper and how the battle between Tauscher and The King started. I recommend reading "Rose of the Night" after "Rose of the Oath" though since I was somewhat confused when I read them in the other order so don't start at the very beginning when you read "Burning Rose". Plan to jump around a little but do make sure you read both stories!
"Rose of the Oath" is an action-packed, faith-filled retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Aslaria is a land gripped in war between the King and a group of rebels who wants to take control of the land. The story begins with a strong young woman Elissa heading off to save her brother similar to how Belle sets off to find her father in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. The other typical Beauty and the Beast story elements are present but Hope Ann makes this story her own with the war and some very strong faith components.
Elissa has lost her faith in the King due to a tragedy revealed as the story progresses. Her sole focus is on keeping her family safe. The Beast seems determined to keep her locked up and all she can think about is getting away. I was a little confused about exactly what was happening a couple times in the story but I think that was to be expected since characters were not who you thought they were as the story unfolded. Of course I didn't figure much of this out until the end of the story and it was much better when I read it the second time around LOL! There were many forces at work in the story leading to a surprising amount of action and suspense. More so than what I expected in a fairy tale retelling. I was biting my nails worried about what was going to happen to Elissa and the Beast throughout much of the story.
A big change from your typical fairy tale is that love was demonstrated as a fruit of the spirit in the story, a choice, an outgrowth of faith/what you believe not a mushy feeling or something that just happens to you without any control. Definitely no insta-love or lust to worry about here.
"Song of the Sword" is a retelling of Rapunzel with the major twist being that Evrard and Roinette are brother and sister and there is no love interest for Roinette. Can you imagine that? A fairy tale with no one falling in love? It was very odd but rather refreshing. Roinette has been locked away on an island with a crumbling tower and neither Evrard or Roinette knew that they had a sister/brother. The story is about the battles they have to fight to reunite/be safe once they find each other.
Hope Ann incorporated the fruit of the spirit joy by allowing Evrard to struggle through what joy meant and to learn how he could have true joy in spite of very difficult circumstances and some really, really bad things did indeed happen in "Song of the Sword".
"Shadows of the Hersweald" loosely retells Hansel and Gretel by introducing brother and sister Haydn and Gorawen who journey through a forest dropping bread crumbs (rocks), get captured, get away and get lost but these are just small pieces of their story. The real story is that the Prince is offering a pardon to any and all in Aslaria who will take it but Haydn believes that the rebels he fought with under Tauscher do not deserve the pardon. His guilt over what he personally did under Tauscher causes him to reject the pardon when it is offered as well. Rebels continue to burn and plunder and Haydn believes that only punishment, not pardon, will protect his family. Haydn must battle his own guilt as well as evil characters.
Can Haydn find peace? Is peace possible for Aslaria? By the end of the story Haydn learns that peace is possible even if the fighting continues as Hope Ann again weaves the true definition of peace as a fruit of the spirit into this fairy tale rendering.
Each of these four fairy tales are wonderful fairy tales and can just be taken at face value however I very much appreciated the extra depth added by the strong Christian faith component in each story.
I have already mentioned the Fruit of the Spirit incorporated into each story. Hope Ann also added a "Beyond the Novella" section after each story which clearly explains what love, joy, and peace truly are, not as the world defines them but as God defines them. Also, although the names were never used, it was quite apparent in each story that the King represented God and the Prince represented Jesus and they were in a battle against Tauscher, representing Satan, to redeem the hearts of the people who had chosen to sin.
October 12, 2017
Burning Rose
Burning Rose is a brilliant way to tell the story of the King (Christ) without being preachy. It will motivate you to want to know Him and do your best for Him. It also lets you know that Christ is always fighting for you.
Burning Rose is a brilliant way to tell the story of the King (Christ) without being preachy. It will motivate you to want to know Him and do your best for Him. It also lets you know that Christ is always fighting for you.
December 5, 2017
A year or so I reviewed The Song of the Sword, a beautiful retelling of Rapunzel. I can't say that it's my favorite retelling of that tale that I've ever read, but it's one of the three vying for that position.
So, when she announced that she was releasing the first three books + the prequel of this series in one shiny volume, I was needless-to-say enthused, and I volunteered to review the book for her.
It took me a while to get to it, and then I devoured the whole thing in a day and a half. Ish. Somewhere in there. In short, I loved it. This is the best series ever. Everyone and their dog should read it.
So, quick breakdown:
Rose of the Night: The prequel story to the Beauty and the Beast tale. This was an intriguing tale. I have an obsession with reimaginings of the Fall, and this was a pretty good one. It really fit well with the mythos of this world, and was pretty good set-up for Rose of the Oath, which followed it.
Rose of the Oath: Of the books in this set, this is the one I'm mixed on. And it's largely because it replaced a different retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's the rare retelling of B&B that I can get excited about (I don't have anything against them, I just ... they don't appeal to me), and I had actually liked Rose of Prophecy, as the previous version had been entitled. And I hadn't actually realized that she'd replaced RoP until several pages into RotO.
In defense of RotO, it was a stronger story and fit better with the world's mythos ... but, on the other hand, while RoP had been a breath of sweet air by following the original version of B&B, RotO ... hit more of Disney's beats. And that's one of my biggest peeves when it comes to any retelling period: retelling Disney (Disney is, itself, a retelling, and therefore copyrighted!). But it was only a few beats, so I think that I have forgiven it. Not my favorite in the collection, but it was a beautiful story.
And also the only romance.
The Song of the Sword: I love it and you can read my review for it here: http://oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/...
Shadows of Hearsweald: Now this was an interesting story, and probably, of the collection, the book that followed its fairy tale the loosest. After all, H and G (can't remember their modified names off the top of my head and I'm too tired to look them up), are older - she's already engaged, and he's had time to be an ex-soldier of Tauscher's. There's no candy house or witch to eat them ... and H and G are step-siblings - the stepmother is H's actual mother. They're also cousins, though, but I failed to catch which of the deceased parents had been siblings.
I rather liked this one, though, due to the loose approach it took to the fairy tale and how condensed the story world was ... there were a lot of details that I didn't catch, and thus I'm confused on a lot of issues (Such as, again, whose sibling was whose in the parental department.) That said, it was a strong and powerful story of forgiveness and the Peace that can come of it.
On the whole, I'm thoroughly in love with this collection. Fairy tales + the fruit of the spirit? Wait, didn't I mention that each of the stories was centered around the various fruits? Love, Joy, Peace. Each beautifully illustrated. I loved it. Also, allegory.
I think, really, the only quibble I have with the collection (beyond those I've already mentioned) is that all four stories use the same plot twist. But they're plot twists that made sense for the tales they were telling, so ... I'll let it be. They were awesome.
So, when she announced that she was releasing the first three books + the prequel of this series in one shiny volume, I was needless-to-say enthused, and I volunteered to review the book for her.
It took me a while to get to it, and then I devoured the whole thing in a day and a half. Ish. Somewhere in there. In short, I loved it. This is the best series ever. Everyone and their dog should read it.
So, quick breakdown:
Rose of the Night: The prequel story to the Beauty and the Beast tale. This was an intriguing tale. I have an obsession with reimaginings of the Fall, and this was a pretty good one. It really fit well with the mythos of this world, and was pretty good set-up for Rose of the Oath, which followed it.
Rose of the Oath: Of the books in this set, this is the one I'm mixed on. And it's largely because it replaced a different retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's the rare retelling of B&B that I can get excited about (I don't have anything against them, I just ... they don't appeal to me), and I had actually liked Rose of Prophecy, as the previous version had been entitled. And I hadn't actually realized that she'd replaced RoP until several pages into RotO.
In defense of RotO, it was a stronger story and fit better with the world's mythos ... but, on the other hand, while RoP had been a breath of sweet air by following the original version of B&B, RotO ... hit more of Disney's beats. And that's one of my biggest peeves when it comes to any retelling period: retelling Disney (Disney is, itself, a retelling, and therefore copyrighted!). But it was only a few beats, so I think that I have forgiven it. Not my favorite in the collection, but it was a beautiful story.
And also the only romance.
The Song of the Sword: I love it and you can read my review for it here: http://oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/...
Shadows of Hearsweald: Now this was an interesting story, and probably, of the collection, the book that followed its fairy tale the loosest. After all, H and G (can't remember their modified names off the top of my head and I'm too tired to look them up), are older - she's already engaged, and he's had time to be an ex-soldier of Tauscher's. There's no candy house or witch to eat them ... and H and G are step-siblings - the stepmother is H's actual mother. They're also cousins, though, but I failed to catch which of the deceased parents had been siblings.
I rather liked this one, though, due to the loose approach it took to the fairy tale and how condensed the story world was ... there were a lot of details that I didn't catch, and thus I'm confused on a lot of issues (Such as, again, whose sibling was whose in the parental department.) That said, it was a strong and powerful story of forgiveness and the Peace that can come of it.
On the whole, I'm thoroughly in love with this collection. Fairy tales + the fruit of the spirit? Wait, didn't I mention that each of the stories was centered around the various fruits? Love, Joy, Peace. Each beautifully illustrated. I loved it. Also, allegory.
I think, really, the only quibble I have with the collection (beyond those I've already mentioned) is that all four stories use the same plot twist. But they're plot twists that made sense for the tales they were telling, so ... I'll let it be. They were awesome.
October 6, 2017
The first three novellas and the prequel in the Legends on Light series... Finally, all together in one book! AND in paperback, too! Hurrah!
This book is amazing. The four stories in it are written in such a fresh, inspiring, and beautiful way. I haven't read any other fairy tale retellings, but I do love fantasy and adventures, and these books were quickly added to my list of favourites. Everyone takes you on an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling journey. I love stories with exciting adventures, lovable characters, and encouraging messages. For me, Burning Rose was perfect.
Adventure- Every story keeps you flipping pages as you follow along with Elissa, Evrard, and Haydn to find answers to questions and discover the true meaning of the sacrifice of the Prince. Their different stories happen before the war, during the war, and after the war. There's action and swords and all that exciting stuff. The beginnings of all the stories have rather a mysterious feel as various backstory events are hinted at here and there, which can be confusing at times. But ask anyone else who's read them, and they'll all agree that the endings are surprising and satisfactory, when all of the loose ends are tied up. I still can't get over how Shadows of the Hersweald ends... *mind blowing amazing*
Characters- Oh, how I loved these characters. They were definitely one of my favourite parts of this book. I saw so much of myself in them and found myself so involved with them. I felt their joy, pain, surprise, and triumphs. No one was perfect, everyone struggled. But they all grew and learned and taught me so much. I like to call story characters my friends, and I was lucky to make some pretty good friends in the pages of Burning Rose.
Theme- Every story was full on wonderful themes and messages, especially for the three fruit of the Spirit focuses. I learned a lot from them. In the stories themselves, we're never told straight out the messages. Instead, we learn by the experiences of the characters. Elissa learns what love really is. So do we. Evrard learns the true source of joy. So do we. Haydn learns to let peace into his life, and we see how we can, too.
I'm so happy to see these four brilliant stories finally put together in one book that I can hold. Hope has a magical touch with writing; so gripping and moving. I am very much looking forward to reading what she writes next.
This book is amazing. The four stories in it are written in such a fresh, inspiring, and beautiful way. I haven't read any other fairy tale retellings, but I do love fantasy and adventures, and these books were quickly added to my list of favourites. Everyone takes you on an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling journey. I love stories with exciting adventures, lovable characters, and encouraging messages. For me, Burning Rose was perfect.
Adventure- Every story keeps you flipping pages as you follow along with Elissa, Evrard, and Haydn to find answers to questions and discover the true meaning of the sacrifice of the Prince. Their different stories happen before the war, during the war, and after the war. There's action and swords and all that exciting stuff. The beginnings of all the stories have rather a mysterious feel as various backstory events are hinted at here and there, which can be confusing at times. But ask anyone else who's read them, and they'll all agree that the endings are surprising and satisfactory, when all of the loose ends are tied up. I still can't get over how Shadows of the Hersweald ends... *mind blowing amazing*
Characters- Oh, how I loved these characters. They were definitely one of my favourite parts of this book. I saw so much of myself in them and found myself so involved with them. I felt their joy, pain, surprise, and triumphs. No one was perfect, everyone struggled. But they all grew and learned and taught me so much. I like to call story characters my friends, and I was lucky to make some pretty good friends in the pages of Burning Rose.
Theme- Every story was full on wonderful themes and messages, especially for the three fruit of the Spirit focuses. I learned a lot from them. In the stories themselves, we're never told straight out the messages. Instead, we learn by the experiences of the characters. Elissa learns what love really is. So do we. Evrard learns the true source of joy. So do we. Haydn learns to let peace into his life, and we see how we can, too.
I'm so happy to see these four brilliant stories finally put together in one book that I can hold. Hope has a magical touch with writing; so gripping and moving. I am very much looking forward to reading what she writes next.
October 1, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This collection includes three fairy tale retellings and a short story prequel. I am really enjoyed the stories. They are very creative and unique. In fact, I would not call them fairy tale retelling but stories inspired by specific fairytales. They share some elements with familiar fairy tales but have unique story lines. Each story stands alone but is set in one fantasy world so there is consistency between the stories and shared themes.
I really loved the characters in each story. The main characters were all very different from each other and at the same time very human and relateable. Their struggles and doubts were realistic and relevant to any reader.
What I like best about the novellas is how thought-provoking they are. Each's theme is related to a specific attribute- love, joy, and peace. The exploration of these themes is superb, in fact it is what makes the characters so relateable. The portrayal of each theme is vivid and real without being overbearing or cheesy. I love how these stories promoted me to think and moved me deeply.
Overall I recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking, soul-searching read.
This collection includes three fairy tale retellings and a short story prequel. I am really enjoyed the stories. They are very creative and unique. In fact, I would not call them fairy tale retelling but stories inspired by specific fairytales. They share some elements with familiar fairy tales but have unique story lines. Each story stands alone but is set in one fantasy world so there is consistency between the stories and shared themes.
I really loved the characters in each story. The main characters were all very different from each other and at the same time very human and relateable. Their struggles and doubts were realistic and relevant to any reader.
What I like best about the novellas is how thought-provoking they are. Each's theme is related to a specific attribute- love, joy, and peace. The exploration of these themes is superb, in fact it is what makes the characters so relateable. The portrayal of each theme is vivid and real without being overbearing or cheesy. I love how these stories promoted me to think and moved me deeply.
Overall I recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking, soul-searching read.
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