Before I write any further, I'd like to explain, from a librarian and writer's viewpoint, what the young adult genre of fiction really is. Many older adults shy away from the YA section in libraries and bookstores because they think the books are likely childish in the writing and subject matter. Not so.
YA books are categorized as such because they leave out, for the most part, heavy sexual content, excessive language, over-the-top gore and violence, and other aspects that would garner an R or even X rating if they were made into movies. This doesn't mean that the plots and writing styles are watered down and sickingly sweet. On the contrary. Think of some books that made it on the big screen: The Fault in our Stars, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings, etc. These are all listed as Young Adult books in our library card catalog.
As for the books I am reviewing now, Fairy Tale Romance Collection, they each contain aspects of good quality writing. I asked my teenage daughter to read them along with me. She was fascinated with them and finished all five in a couple of weeks. She has asked if I could find her more!
As for me, I love Melanie Dickerson's writing style and I applaud her for writing Christian romance that incorporates the princess theme within them. Young girls (and some of us older ones) will always be enthralled with the princess stories, hence the popularity of Disney and their continuing to reinvent the old princess yarns like Cinderella and Snow White. They just never get old.
I think that, of the five stories by Dickerson, I like The Princess Spy the best. It is filled with a mysterious element that keeps me flipping the pages. The other titles are wonderful too. The Healer's Apprentice involves a mysterious woman who is hiding - from what? The Fairest Beauty reminds me a bit of Sleeping Beauty, probably because of the jealous stepmother and the lead character running away to escape her wrath. In The Captive Maiden, a ball is held by a boy (all grown up) who is now looking for a mate. Remind you a bit of Cinderella? It doesn't follow the traditional Cinderella theme, however. In The Merchant's Daughter, I had a more difficult time trying to find a parallel in the old princess stories, however, it finally clicked that this was a bit like Beauty and the Beast.
Honestly, I loved them all.
If you want to read good, clean books that are well written and will keep you reading and then asking for more, don't overlook the Fairy Tale Romance Collection by Melanie Dickerson. Then ask your librarian to find you more titles in the YA genre.
*I received Fairy Tale Romance Collection in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.*
1 comment:
Rita, I spotted this review on Amazon and really appreciated what you wrote about YA fiction. Very well said! I've heard such good things about Melanie's books. I think it's wonderful that they've bundled them together this way! :)
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