Books for Christian Girls: "The Peasant's Dream" by Melanie Dickerson

About this book:

“In this reverse reimagining of the Cinderella story, secrets and dangerous enemies threaten a fairy-tale romance.

Adela, daughter of the Duke of Hagenheim, is rarely allowed outside the castle walls. But one day, longing for freedom, she sneaks away to the market disguised as a peasant. There, she meets a handsome young woodcarver named Frederick.

Frederick, a poor farmer, is the sole provider for his family, and he often has to defend his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He dreams of making a living carving beautiful images into wood, and he is thrilled when the Bishop of Hagenheim commissions hi to carve new doors for the cathedral. As Frederick works on the project, he and Adela meet almost daily, and it doesn’t take long for them to fall in love. Yet her true identity remains hidden form him.

When disaster separates them, Adela and Frederick find themselves caught in the midst of deceptions far more dangerous than innocent disguises. As the powerful lords set against them proceed with their villainous plans, secrets emerge that put Frederick and Adela’s future at risk.”

Series: Book #11 (the final) in the “Hagenheim” series. {Reviews of #1 Here, #2 Here, #3 Here, #4 Here, #5 Here!, #6 Here!, #7 Here!, #8 Here!, #9 Here!, and #10 Here!} {You do not have to read this series in order to understand them, but I highly recommend that you do read them in order.}

Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted & mentioned (this includes Frederick’s father twisting a couple); Prayers; Talks about God, gifts, forgiveness, & those and events in the Bible; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God, gifts, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of the Bible, Bible reading, those & events in the Bible; Mentions of cathedrals/chapels/churches, stained glass pictures, & bishops/priests; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of sins;

*Note: Mentions of evil men (including Frederick’s father and others); A mention of a demonic spirit.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two forms of ‘shut up’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Fighting back from abuse & an accident death (up to semi-detailed); Being beaten, attacked, bounded, pain, & a fire (up to semi-detailed); Passing out; Frederick is injured by his father & bleeds (up to semi-detailed); Frederick thinks about killing his father after he has harmed his mother again; Adela sneaks out; Many mentions of Frederick’s drunk father’s beatings, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (this includes a couple mentions of the time when his father chased his mother around with an ax); Mentions of finding a body that was mauled by wild animals; Mentions of the possibility of being hanged; Mentions of beatings, attacks, arrows being shot, pain, blood/bleeding, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of kidnappings, ransoms, & threats; Mentions of stealing & robbing; Mentions of prisons & prisoners; Mentions of drinking, drunks, alcohol, & alehouses; Mentions of lies, lying, & deception; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of hunting & killing deer; A few mentions of a fire; A couple mentions of prisoners being slapped; A mention of a husband that killed his wife (Gerek’s father, Book #6); A mention of someone mauled by a bear (Aladdin, Book #8);

*Note: A few mentions of a couple who have had many babies pass away.

Sexual Content- Two hand/fingers kisses (barely-above-not-detailed), three forehead/hair kisses, an almost kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, & four semi-detailed kisses; Staring at another’s lips; Touches, Embraces, Nearness, Smelling, & Blushes (up to semi-detailed); Noticing; Remembering touches, embraces, & kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch, embrace, & kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy through a duke taking advantage of a servant & the illegitimate child *Spoiler* Frederick *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of seducing someone; Mentions of when Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to sleep with her; Mentions of men leering, molesting, behaving inappropriately, & trying to take advantage of women; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of falling in love; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of blushes & flirting; A couple mentions of adultery; A couple mentions of noticing muscles; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (plus an extra love-story towards the end).

-Adela

-Frederick, age 21

P.O.V. switches between them, & a few others

Set in Medieval Time Period

304 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Oh, I was so nervous about this final Hagenheim book. It’s sad to say goodbye to this family, but at the same time, I’m ready for the start of a new series by this author.

I’m giving this a personal rating of 3.5 stars. I would give it four stars because of the plot twists, the elements of the Cinderella story, and those final chapters. However, Adela and Frederick were not my absolute favorites to say the least. There were instant attraction feelings between the two of them and I felt like I was constantly saying, “Adela, noooooo. Don’t do that!” I could take or leave Frederick—he was fine—but Adela felt a little too young at times in her reactions to different events. I am content, though, in how this series ended. I’ve followed this series from over seven years now and I’m satisfied at the ending.

{{ If you are looking for a more fangirling/talking about my thoughts review, please click Here for my YouTube channel where I will share more thoughts in a video review. :) }}

See y’all on Friday with a new review!