Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

The Weekly Read

When women are heroes too: Review of Dauntless by Dina Sleiman

When I first saw the cover for Dauntless by Dina Sleiman, my initial reaction was, “Oh, so like Robin Hood only for girls.”

After reading the book, I’m happy to say that was a shallow assumption and a horrible first impression. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Bethany House in exchange for my review.)

dauntlessDauntless does feature a strong female lead in Merry Ellison, a former noblewoman who has been forced into outlaw living because of the fickle and ruthless King John who ordered the murder of her family. And Merry does lead a band of fellow outcasts, mostly children, who steal to survive. But her story is much more than a retelling of Robin Hood. The similarities to that legend are few, but if you like Robin Hood, you’ll probably like this one.

This is the first in Sleiman’s Valiant Hearts series and each book will feature a strong, young female lead. (The next book has an aspiring knight on the cover!) Set in Medieval times in fictional parts of England and Britain, the books are classified as juvenile fiction, but I think they have a wider appeal.

I enjoyed the story and appreciate tales where the female is not always the “damsel in distress.” Merry has a leadership role among her group but learns that she cannot, nor does she need to, handle everything all by herself. She leads with wisdom but lets others in. She learns to trust her instincts but also to delegate and trust others.

These are valuable lessons for women of any age. I’m excited for what this series has to offer.

Yes, there is a love story in this also, and while Merry tries to deny any ideas of romance because of her situation, she discovers it is a natural part of life. The romance is not what carries the story nor does it give false impressions for younger readers.

Overall, this is a great book to share with younger readers (and then read for yourself!).

A speculative series worth investing in: Review of Beneath the Forsaken City by C.E. Laureano

Last summer I took a chance on a new series of speculative (think fantasy/adventure) fiction, even though I wasn’t sure it was the genre for me. But author C.E. Laureano hooked me from the start of The Song of Seare series, and I gobbled up book one. You can read my thoughts about it here. Book Two recently released, and my expectations were high. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my review.)

forsaken cityBeneath the Forsaken City continues the tale of the faithful men and women fighting for the heart and soul of their land which is deep in darkness under the influence of an evil king. It’s hard to talk about a second book in a series without giving away too much from the first book, so I’ll try, instead, to tell you what I like about the series overall.

First, I’m in awe of an author creating an entire world, including a language, that is similar to an existing world but not quite the same. Seare (pronounced SHAR-uh) is reminiscent of Britain, with influences from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. It’s an island nation with clans and the setting is somewhat medieval with horses, castles, kings and sword-fighting. And yet it’s entirely its own world.

At times it reminds me of Lord of the Rings and other times I think of The Princess Bride. The stories contain a lot of action and suspense, some hints of romance, and plenty of food for thought about faith, spirituality, and morality.

It is not hard to get lost in this world and be completely caught up in the characters. The stories move along at a pace that keeps you turning the pages. And book two definitely left me aching for book three. All in good time, I guess. That’s the worst part of reading the second book in a trilogy: having to wait for book three to wrap it all up!

When it comes to this set of stories, though, the wait is worth it. And the wait for book three will be worth it too.

If you’re looking for something different than what you normally read, or if you’re looking to add to your collection of fantasy/adventure stories, look to this series. (But don’t say I didn’t warn you!)