What do you think?
Rate this book
Hagenheim #4
The Captive Maiden
Happily Ever After...Or Happily Nevermore?
Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten—the boy she has daydreamed about for years—and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.
Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten—the boy she has daydreamed about for years—and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.
302 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2013
482 people are currently reading
9933 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Dickerson
40 books6,435 followersMelanie Dickerson is the New York Times bestselling author of happily-ever-after romance. She believes in love, laughter, afternoon tea, and the power of story.
With a million books sold and numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Golden Quills, a National Readers Choice Award, Christian Retailing’s Best, and Book Buyers’ Best Awards, her books have hit #1 in her category on the New York Times bestseller list.
When she’s not writing, Melanie can be found watching Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time, cozying up to her handsome hero husband, or shaking her head at her slightly unhinged Jack Russell terrier. She lives in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians near Huntsville, Alabama.
With a million books sold and numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Golden Quills, a National Readers Choice Award, Christian Retailing’s Best, and Book Buyers’ Best Awards, her books have hit #1 in her category on the New York Times bestseller list.
When she’s not writing, Melanie can be found watching Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time, cozying up to her handsome hero husband, or shaking her head at her slightly unhinged Jack Russell terrier. She lives in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians near Huntsville, Alabama.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,080 reviews
November 22, 2013
UPDATED REVIEW!
Can't wait for this book!!!!!!! I don't wanna wait! I hate waiting.....
NOVEMBER???? Nooooooooo whhhhyyyyyy??? I NEED TO READ THIS ASAP!!!
EDIT: NOVEMBER 5, 2013
so this is pretty much what happened this year....
When I found out about the new book
But the date got pushed! So I was like...
but...it's November! Whoo!!!
image:
Official Review...
Ever since The Healer's Apprentice
I fell in love with the characters... And I love how Melanie Dickerson gives us the chance to see how the characters are doing and omg The Captive Maiden was amazing. Okay I've read a lot of Cinderella retellings and I had high expectations for the book because at this point I was kinda sick of Cinderella retellings because there were always the same issues I keep seeing but you won't be disappointed with this one! It was definitely refreshing from what I've read!! Oh there were actions in the book!I loved learning about the jousting and I could really picture myself in the story and I thought some traditions were cute... And oh it was great seeing the Gerstenberg family again! This might be my new favorite MD book...It's tied with The Healer's Apprentice...idk it's so good ugh! Anyways let's talk about the characters....
Gisela:
*omg isn't this picture perfect? This is how I pictured Gisela btw that is a still from the new Cinderella movie from Disney coming out in 2015!!*
Oh I love her... she's tough but sweet. I love her because I knew she wasn't going to listen to her stepmother! She was gonna go to that tourament and the ball! She's one of my favorite heroines now.
Valten....
oh Valten... definitely a contrast from his brother Gabe, the hero from The Fairest Beauty but he was a sweetheart. Underneath his toughness and armor he was sweet. I love him and Gisela so so much! Ah their chemistry. They were a fantastic couple!
so pick up this book!It was not disappoint you!
Can't wait for this book!!!!!!! I don't wanna wait! I hate waiting.....
NOVEMBER???? Nooooooooo whhhhyyyyyy??? I NEED TO READ THIS ASAP!!!
EDIT: NOVEMBER 5, 2013
so this is pretty much what happened this year....
When I found out about the new book
But the date got pushed! So I was like...
but...it's November! Whoo!!!
image:
Official Review...
Ever since The Healer's Apprentice
I fell in love with the characters... And I love how Melanie Dickerson gives us the chance to see how the characters are doing and omg The Captive Maiden was amazing. Okay I've read a lot of Cinderella retellings and I had high expectations for the book because at this point I was kinda sick of Cinderella retellings because there were always the same issues I keep seeing but you won't be disappointed with this one! It was definitely refreshing from what I've read!! Oh there were actions in the book!I loved learning about the jousting and I could really picture myself in the story and I thought some traditions were cute... And oh it was great seeing the Gerstenberg family again! This might be my new favorite MD book...It's tied with The Healer's Apprentice...idk it's so good ugh! Anyways let's talk about the characters....
Gisela:
*omg isn't this picture perfect? This is how I pictured Gisela btw that is a still from the new Cinderella movie from Disney coming out in 2015!!*
Oh I love her... she's tough but sweet. I love her because I knew she wasn't going to listen to her stepmother! She was gonna go to that tourament and the ball! She's one of my favorite heroines now.
Valten....
oh Valten... definitely a contrast from his brother Gabe, the hero from The Fairest Beauty but he was a sweetheart. Underneath his toughness and armor he was sweet. I love him and Gisela so so much! Ah their chemistry. They were a fantastic couple!
so pick up this book!It was not disappoint you!
December 1, 2013
I found this book extremely disappointing. I'm usually a pretty big fan of fairy tale retellings, but between this book and the ones I've read recently by Alex Flinn, I've been feeling kinda let down.
First of all, the book had a pretty slow start. Also, the writing was very annoying. It was almost overly simplistic, and it made the main characters sound like children, rather than the 17- and 24-year-olds they were supposed to be. Young adults aren't stupid; they'll understand some more complex sentences, I promise. The writing seemed so basic. I don't know how to describe it, exactly, but it was almost like it lacked detail. It was as if the author was in such a hurry to get to the next scene that she didn't thoroughly bring out the emotions and details in the present moment. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like the book might as well have been in bullet form. It seemed rushed. I really couldn't get into the story, and the book was difficult to enjoy.
And just to take a moment to mention the religious references: I knew this book was a Christian novel when I started it. I was raised in Catholic schools up until college. I get the whole religious viewpoint. Referencing God, praying, etc. a few times is totally fine. However, 127 references to God, 30 references to prayer, 5 to Jesus, and 6 to a religious "Lord" is a bit extreme. You'd think God would know you needed help the first time you asked, without you praying to him every 10 freaking seconds afterward. Also, the book is all about how God is good and revenge is bad and yet they have comments like "then he could gather his father's knights and soldiers and go teach Ruexner a lesson he'd never forget." It just seems a little hypocritical. And that whole revenge issue is practically talked to death throughout the book. We got it the first time.
The characters were hard to relate to and sympathize with. I simply DID NOT CARE what happened to them. I have some examples here. When Valten hurts his hand and considers taking off the cast, he thinks "his mother would cry, and he would put up with almost anything not to make her cry." Is his mom seriously that much of a wimp that she would cry if he removed the cast? Also, when . It was just so unbelievable and that entire issue seemed to be a bit of a pointless problem.
I didn't really like the main characters. At the beginning, Gisela was a pretty tough, admirable chick, and then it just went downhill from there. She kept expecting other people to save her. She kept getting captured and Valten kept having to save her; it grew tiring. The author said that she didn't cry much, but, as the book went on, she seemed like such a wimp. And then Bartel straightens out Valten's hand and Gisela glares at him because he is causing Valten a little pain. Is she so dense that she doesn't realize that a little pain here is necessary so Bartel can freaking fix the hand so Valten doesn't have to practically get it amputated later? Jeez. I just found it impossible to sympathize with her. Valten wasn't much better. He was a little too concerned with his image and his fighting ability for me. And the jousting/tournament scenes grew kind of tiring. Ooh and then "Gisela's heart filled with gratitude at how Valten's attitude toward Friar Daniel seemed to have changed. Could it be that she and Valten had learned some important lessons since beginning this ordeal?" Blech. How old does the author think the readers are that she needs to state this explicitly? It is blatantly obvious that the main characters have changed throughout the book. There's no need to point it out.
Overall, I was very disappointed with this novel. I found it impossible to enjoy, as I could not empathize with the main characters and I noticed things that irked me every few seconds. I had to push myself to finish the book. I guess this novel just wasn't my cup of tea, since I know a lot of people seem to really love it. I don't remember The Fairest Beauty bothering me this much, so it's possible I'll try some of Melanie Dickerson's other novels in the future and just hope that I enjoy them more.
First of all, the book had a pretty slow start. Also, the writing was very annoying. It was almost overly simplistic, and it made the main characters sound like children, rather than the 17- and 24-year-olds they were supposed to be. Young adults aren't stupid; they'll understand some more complex sentences, I promise. The writing seemed so basic. I don't know how to describe it, exactly, but it was almost like it lacked detail. It was as if the author was in such a hurry to get to the next scene that she didn't thoroughly bring out the emotions and details in the present moment. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like the book might as well have been in bullet form. It seemed rushed. I really couldn't get into the story, and the book was difficult to enjoy.
And just to take a moment to mention the religious references: I knew this book was a Christian novel when I started it. I was raised in Catholic schools up until college. I get the whole religious viewpoint. Referencing God, praying, etc. a few times is totally fine. However, 127 references to God, 30 references to prayer, 5 to Jesus, and 6 to a religious "Lord" is a bit extreme. You'd think God would know you needed help the first time you asked, without you praying to him every 10 freaking seconds afterward. Also, the book is all about how God is good and revenge is bad and yet they have comments like "then he could gather his father's knights and soldiers and go teach Ruexner a lesson he'd never forget." It just seems a little hypocritical. And that whole revenge issue is practically talked to death throughout the book. We got it the first time.
The characters were hard to relate to and sympathize with. I simply DID NOT CARE what happened to them. I have some examples here. When Valten hurts his hand and considers taking off the cast, he thinks "his mother would cry, and he would put up with almost anything not to make her cry." Is his mom seriously that much of a wimp that she would cry if he removed the cast? Also, when . It was just so unbelievable and that entire issue seemed to be a bit of a pointless problem.
I didn't really like the main characters. At the beginning, Gisela was a pretty tough, admirable chick, and then it just went downhill from there. She kept expecting other people to save her. She kept getting captured and Valten kept having to save her; it grew tiring. The author said that she didn't cry much, but, as the book went on, she seemed like such a wimp. And then Bartel straightens out Valten's hand and Gisela glares at him because he is causing Valten a little pain. Is she so dense that she doesn't realize that a little pain here is necessary so Bartel can freaking fix the hand so Valten doesn't have to practically get it amputated later? Jeez. I just found it impossible to sympathize with her. Valten wasn't much better. He was a little too concerned with his image and his fighting ability for me. And the jousting/tournament scenes grew kind of tiring. Ooh and then "Gisela's heart filled with gratitude at how Valten's attitude toward Friar Daniel seemed to have changed. Could it be that she and Valten had learned some important lessons since beginning this ordeal?" Blech. How old does the author think the readers are that she needs to state this explicitly? It is blatantly obvious that the main characters have changed throughout the book. There's no need to point it out.
Overall, I was very disappointed with this novel. I found it impossible to enjoy, as I could not empathize with the main characters and I noticed things that irked me every few seconds. I had to push myself to finish the book. I guess this novel just wasn't my cup of tea, since I know a lot of people seem to really love it. I don't remember The Fairest Beauty bothering me this much, so it's possible I'll try some of Melanie Dickerson's other novels in the future and just hope that I enjoy them more.
June 26, 2018
Gisela’s mother died before her little daughter could remember much about her; her father passed away when she was eight. By that time the father had remarried, and his widow, Evfemia, began to abuse Gisela, demoting her to servant status in the house that was her rightful inheritance. They lived outside the city of Hagenheim, and after the death of Gisela’s father, they got no visitors.
The only visitor Gisela remembers well is Valten, the son of the Duke of Hagenheim who came to the house once to buy a horse. Valten was fourteen at the time, and eight-year-old Gisela had a crush on him. Even now, when she needs something pleasant to think about, she wonders how the young heir to the duchy fares…
And so things continue for nine years, until seventeen-year-old Gisela gets sent on an errand into the town market and crosses paths with both Valten, now a twenty-three-year-old champion jouster, and Friederic Ruexner, a knight who was bested by Valten in a humiliating manner and now wants vengeance. Ruexner also has a bit of a creepy interest in Gisela.
Gisela feels so drawn to Valten that she sneaks out of the house, despite almost-certain discovery and retribution from her stepmother and stepsisters, wearing a nice gown of her mother’s, to watch the tournament. As was late medieval custom, the champion gets to choose a “Queen of Beauty and Love” from the young ladies present, and that person would be treated royally for the duration of the tourney.
Guess whom Valten designates his queen? Hint: her stepfamily doesn’t adapt well…meanwhile, Ruexner continues his scheme to take down this almost-couple, who have no right to be happy while he’s miserable.
Content Advisory
Violence: There’s some major fisticuffs that result in Valten’s hand getting broken, and it puffs horribly before it starts healing. Valten sends a few guys flying off their horses during the jousts. Ruexner is always threatening people—including a young woman and a priest—but is too much of a coward to follow through on any of his threats. During the forced marriage ceremony, he strikes Gisela across the face right in front of the priest.
Sex: Valten and Gisela kiss a few times.
Language: At one point, Gisela is so mad at Ruexner that she is tempted to call him…cover your eyes, kids…an “addle-pated lack-wit.” Girl, you kiss your horse with that mouth? I suppose Dickerson couldn’t get the rights to “cotton-headed ninny-muggins”?
Substance Abuse: Gisela tries wine for the first time at the ball—this is a historical accuracy nitpick, I’ll get to it—and it’s hinted that she .
Nightmare Fuel: Ruexner wants to marry Gisela because
Politics and Religion: This book is a lot better at incorporating authentic medieval religion than the first installment in this series, The Healer’s Apprentice, but it’s still heavily filtered through a modern evangelical lens. There are two characters representing the Church in this story: an itinerant friar who sounds like a nineteenth-century American preacher, and a milquetoast young priest who watches passively as a young lady gets slapped and verbally abused in front of him.
Conclusions
The Captive Maiden is well-named. Gisela goes from being a hostage in her own house to being a hostage on the road to Ruexner’s fiefdom. It’s frustrating to read how little say she has in anything that happens to her.
Yet she’s Dickerson’s feistiest heroine yet, which isn’t saying much, but credit where credit is due. Gisela has actually punched people in defense of herself and her friends. When a setback occurs, she squares her shoulders and tells herself “I don’t care.” This is almost never true, but it helps her survive. That said, she had neither the tenacity of Danielle de Barbarac, the wit of Ella the enchanted, or the beatific kindness and serene bravery of Lily James in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella.
Valten was okay. He was gruff and awkward and never knew what to say, but he always meant well. What bothered me about him was how, even at the end of the whole adventure, he still saw Gisela as a helpless flower in constant need of his protection. You’d think after everything they’d been through together that he’d realize she’s much stronger than he gave her credit for. That she’s as capable of protecting him as he is of protecting her. With his warrior background and scarred face, he was different from the other Cinderella princes, and that’s good. Richard Madden’s version is my favorite, though.
Ruexner seems to be motivated by some Oedipal wound deep in his past, but unfortunately the book doesn’t know what to do with this information, and he continues to act like a cartoon villain throughout. He’s clearly based on Pierre le Pieu, the creepy neighbor in Ever After who bought Danielle as a slave. (I’ve seen that movie ten times and only now noticed that the guy’s name is le Pieu. Seriously?!?).
The reason this character works well enough in Ever After is that he’s in about two scenes. The real villain is Rodmilla, the stepmother, and we are never in any danger of forgetting that.
Unfortunately, this version’s stepmother, Evfemia, has nowhere near the depth or viciousness of a Rodmilla or Lady Tremaine in either Disney version of the tale. She’s just a slightly evil Mrs. Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. When she locks Gisela up, she taunts her like a little kid, blurting out the whole plan (minus the kidnapping). It seems implausible that this silly, catty woman would actually go through with selling her stepdaughter into slavery. We never doubt for a second that the other stepmothers are capable of that, and worse.
Ah well, it’s still a better treatment than the one in Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella where Ella’s stepmother was nice and her father was the villain. That was a very nice book, but it didn’t work as a Cinderella retelling.
The best parts of this book are, without a doubt, the tourney sequences. I think that Dickerson must have spent a few afternoons watching re-enactions of these jousts, because they were full of details that would not be obvious to a casual observer, and they felt truly alive.
My main gripe, as usual with a Dickerson medieval book, is that she seems really uncomfortable with the Catholicism of medieval times. The characters talk to God in their heads in a stream-of-consciousness, modern sort of prayer. While I’m sure that happened, most of actual medieval prayer was formal and lengthy. The term litany originally described long, repetitive prayers from this era, after all. A girl like Gisela would have shown her piety by saying rosaries. She might have kept a shrine to Mary, Mother of Christ or a patron saint in her little room. She might have kept a Book of Hours or worn a scapular under her clothing.
And in those days, anywhere in Europe, the sight of a lovely young woman in a sapphire-blue gown would have reminded everyone present of the Blessed Virgin.
As previously mentioned, there are two clergymen in this story, one a young priest indifferent to Gisela’s obvious suffering. He only stops the marriage ceremony between her and Ruexner when a woman in the crowd objects that . Don’t get me wrong, there have been dud priests and actively evil priests throughout history, but this is the only actual priest I’ve seen in this series so far and it would have been nice if he were a good one.
Then there’s Friar Daniel, who talks like a nineteenth-century American revivalist at best and a feel-good, Kendrick Brothers movie pastor at worst. There’s nothing wrong per se with nineteenth-century American revivalists or Kendrick Brothers movie pastors, but a fifteenth-century German friar obviously should not sound like either. Friar Daniel’s spirituality consists entirely of “casting your burdens on Jesus” and repentance. He’s not concerned with Church reforms (yes, they were happening that early), the treatment of the poor, illuminating manuscripts, or any of the other myriad interests that monks had back then. We don’t even know what order he belongs to—I’m leaning toward Franciscan because of his rough brown robe, but it would be nice to have it clarified.
Friar Daniel’s only other interest is in chaperoning Valten and Gisela after they escaped from Ruexner, which would actually have been quite low on the average monk’s list of priorities back then. When I read those passages, I couldn’t stop wondering if Dickerson has ever read The Canterbury Tales, which is something that anyone with even the smallest interest in the medieval period ought to read. If your characters in the late Middle Ages need a holy chaperone, get them a group of nuns on pilgrimage. A friar, travelling with a lad and lass who were clearly in love, would probably have sprinkled rose petals across their cave hideout, dimmed the lights, and piped “Careless Whispers” softly through the speakers. Or whatever the medieval equivalent of all that would have been.
Recommended for fans of clean YA—especially if you liked The Selection or Mary Hoffman’s Stravaganza series.
A Word About the Cover
The gown the model on the cover is wearing belongs to the eighteenth century, not the fifteenth, but it’s so gorgeous it’s hard to care.
And now I remember where I saw it, or one very like it, before…
Anyone else here read the short-lived Girls of Many Lands series? Pleasant Company/American Girl tried a foray into upper MG/lite YA in the early 2000s. It didn’t last long, but most of those books were good. Anyway.
The only visitor Gisela remembers well is Valten, the son of the Duke of Hagenheim who came to the house once to buy a horse. Valten was fourteen at the time, and eight-year-old Gisela had a crush on him. Even now, when she needs something pleasant to think about, she wonders how the young heir to the duchy fares…
And so things continue for nine years, until seventeen-year-old Gisela gets sent on an errand into the town market and crosses paths with both Valten, now a twenty-three-year-old champion jouster, and Friederic Ruexner, a knight who was bested by Valten in a humiliating manner and now wants vengeance. Ruexner also has a bit of a creepy interest in Gisela.
Gisela feels so drawn to Valten that she sneaks out of the house, despite almost-certain discovery and retribution from her stepmother and stepsisters, wearing a nice gown of her mother’s, to watch the tournament. As was late medieval custom, the champion gets to choose a “Queen of Beauty and Love” from the young ladies present, and that person would be treated royally for the duration of the tourney.
Guess whom Valten designates his queen? Hint: her stepfamily doesn’t adapt well…meanwhile, Ruexner continues his scheme to take down this almost-couple, who have no right to be happy while he’s miserable.
Content Advisory
Violence: There’s some major fisticuffs that result in Valten’s hand getting broken, and it puffs horribly before it starts healing. Valten sends a few guys flying off their horses during the jousts. Ruexner is always threatening people—including a young woman and a priest—but is too much of a coward to follow through on any of his threats. During the forced marriage ceremony, he strikes Gisela across the face right in front of the priest.
Sex: Valten and Gisela kiss a few times.
Language: At one point, Gisela is so mad at Ruexner that she is tempted to call him…cover your eyes, kids…an “addle-pated lack-wit.” Girl, you kiss your horse with that mouth? I suppose Dickerson couldn’t get the rights to “cotton-headed ninny-muggins”?
Substance Abuse: Gisela tries wine for the first time at the ball—this is a historical accuracy nitpick, I’ll get to it—and it’s hinted that she .
Nightmare Fuel: Ruexner wants to marry Gisela because
Politics and Religion: This book is a lot better at incorporating authentic medieval religion than the first installment in this series, The Healer’s Apprentice, but it’s still heavily filtered through a modern evangelical lens. There are two characters representing the Church in this story: an itinerant friar who sounds like a nineteenth-century American preacher, and a milquetoast young priest who watches passively as a young lady gets slapped and verbally abused in front of him.
Conclusions
The Captive Maiden is well-named. Gisela goes from being a hostage in her own house to being a hostage on the road to Ruexner’s fiefdom. It’s frustrating to read how little say she has in anything that happens to her.
Yet she’s Dickerson’s feistiest heroine yet, which isn’t saying much, but credit where credit is due. Gisela has actually punched people in defense of herself and her friends. When a setback occurs, she squares her shoulders and tells herself “I don’t care.” This is almost never true, but it helps her survive. That said, she had neither the tenacity of Danielle de Barbarac, the wit of Ella the enchanted, or the beatific kindness and serene bravery of Lily James in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella.
Valten was okay. He was gruff and awkward and never knew what to say, but he always meant well. What bothered me about him was how, even at the end of the whole adventure, he still saw Gisela as a helpless flower in constant need of his protection. You’d think after everything they’d been through together that he’d realize she’s much stronger than he gave her credit for. That she’s as capable of protecting him as he is of protecting her. With his warrior background and scarred face, he was different from the other Cinderella princes, and that’s good. Richard Madden’s version is my favorite, though.
Ruexner seems to be motivated by some Oedipal wound deep in his past, but unfortunately the book doesn’t know what to do with this information, and he continues to act like a cartoon villain throughout. He’s clearly based on Pierre le Pieu, the creepy neighbor in Ever After who bought Danielle as a slave. (I’ve seen that movie ten times and only now noticed that the guy’s name is le Pieu. Seriously?!?).
The reason this character works well enough in Ever After is that he’s in about two scenes. The real villain is Rodmilla, the stepmother, and we are never in any danger of forgetting that.
Unfortunately, this version’s stepmother, Evfemia, has nowhere near the depth or viciousness of a Rodmilla or Lady Tremaine in either Disney version of the tale. She’s just a slightly evil Mrs. Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. When she locks Gisela up, she taunts her like a little kid, blurting out the whole plan (minus the kidnapping). It seems implausible that this silly, catty woman would actually go through with selling her stepdaughter into slavery. We never doubt for a second that the other stepmothers are capable of that, and worse.
Ah well, it’s still a better treatment than the one in Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella where Ella’s stepmother was nice and her father was the villain. That was a very nice book, but it didn’t work as a Cinderella retelling.
The best parts of this book are, without a doubt, the tourney sequences. I think that Dickerson must have spent a few afternoons watching re-enactions of these jousts, because they were full of details that would not be obvious to a casual observer, and they felt truly alive.
My main gripe, as usual with a Dickerson medieval book, is that she seems really uncomfortable with the Catholicism of medieval times. The characters talk to God in their heads in a stream-of-consciousness, modern sort of prayer. While I’m sure that happened, most of actual medieval prayer was formal and lengthy. The term litany originally described long, repetitive prayers from this era, after all. A girl like Gisela would have shown her piety by saying rosaries. She might have kept a shrine to Mary, Mother of Christ or a patron saint in her little room. She might have kept a Book of Hours or worn a scapular under her clothing.
And in those days, anywhere in Europe, the sight of a lovely young woman in a sapphire-blue gown would have reminded everyone present of the Blessed Virgin.
As previously mentioned, there are two clergymen in this story, one a young priest indifferent to Gisela’s obvious suffering. He only stops the marriage ceremony between her and Ruexner when a woman in the crowd objects that . Don’t get me wrong, there have been dud priests and actively evil priests throughout history, but this is the only actual priest I’ve seen in this series so far and it would have been nice if he were a good one.
Then there’s Friar Daniel, who talks like a nineteenth-century American revivalist at best and a feel-good, Kendrick Brothers movie pastor at worst. There’s nothing wrong per se with nineteenth-century American revivalists or Kendrick Brothers movie pastors, but a fifteenth-century German friar obviously should not sound like either. Friar Daniel’s spirituality consists entirely of “casting your burdens on Jesus” and repentance. He’s not concerned with Church reforms (yes, they were happening that early), the treatment of the poor, illuminating manuscripts, or any of the other myriad interests that monks had back then. We don’t even know what order he belongs to—I’m leaning toward Franciscan because of his rough brown robe, but it would be nice to have it clarified.
Friar Daniel’s only other interest is in chaperoning Valten and Gisela after they escaped from Ruexner, which would actually have been quite low on the average monk’s list of priorities back then. When I read those passages, I couldn’t stop wondering if Dickerson has ever read The Canterbury Tales, which is something that anyone with even the smallest interest in the medieval period ought to read. If your characters in the late Middle Ages need a holy chaperone, get them a group of nuns on pilgrimage. A friar, travelling with a lad and lass who were clearly in love, would probably have sprinkled rose petals across their cave hideout, dimmed the lights, and piped “Careless Whispers” softly through the speakers. Or whatever the medieval equivalent of all that would have been.
Recommended for fans of clean YA—especially if you liked The Selection or Mary Hoffman’s Stravaganza series.
A Word About the Cover
The gown the model on the cover is wearing belongs to the eighteenth century, not the fifteenth, but it’s so gorgeous it’s hard to care.
And now I remember where I saw it, or one very like it, before…
Anyone else here read the short-lived Girls of Many Lands series? Pleasant Company/American Girl tried a foray into upper MG/lite YA in the early 2000s. It didn’t last long, but most of those books were good. Anyway.
November 17, 2016
An adorable story! I simply can't get over Melanie Dickerson's books! She has such lovely, charming characters. And unforgettable adventures. And noble lessons. And victorious, fairy tale endings! ^_^
If you like stories of feminine, endearing damsels in distress and handsome, brave, warrior-like knights, you will love Melanie Dickerson's HAGENHEIM series. Her female characters are not simpering fools, but they are sweet and lovely and always the alluring princess who allows the courageous knight to rescue her when in need.
This retelling of Cinderella was no different. Gisela is a servant to her snooty, ridiculous, mean-spirited stepmother and stepsisters. She tells herself she doesn't care, and almost believes it. But then the knight she always thinks about and as a child, dreamed of marrying, appears in her life, and nothing is the same.
Drama, danger, romance, and breathtaking moments ... The Captive Maiden is a perfectly lovely rendition of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella.
If you like stories of feminine, endearing damsels in distress and handsome, brave, warrior-like knights, you will love Melanie Dickerson's HAGENHEIM series. Her female characters are not simpering fools, but they are sweet and lovely and always the alluring princess who allows the courageous knight to rescue her when in need.
This retelling of Cinderella was no different. Gisela is a servant to her snooty, ridiculous, mean-spirited stepmother and stepsisters. She tells herself she doesn't care, and almost believes it. But then the knight she always thinks about and as a child, dreamed of marrying, appears in her life, and nothing is the same.
Drama, danger, romance, and breathtaking moments ... The Captive Maiden is a perfectly lovely rendition of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella.
July 31, 2021
Favorite of the series. ✨
September 24, 2013
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I fell in love with Valten, and by the end of the book I wanted to marry him myself :). Melanie Dickerson has done a fantastic job with this Cinderella retelling. I love how the story is its own, and yet she manages to weave in the familiar fairy tale bits. I also love Friar Daniel. Highly recommend it!
June 16, 2014
*SWEET BABY BACK RIBS MY COMPUTER BLUE-SCREENED AND I THOUGHT I'D LOST THIS BUT A MIRACLE OCCURRED*
QUOTE GAME!!!!
What about stays? Laces? This sounds way too much like a modern dress. And this is the 15th century or something. Gisela is a not a peasant, nor does she have shapeless seamless peasant dresses.
*bursts out laughing* Methinks someone couldn't decide between writing "mouth" or "lips" and ended up writing both.
Massive fingers? Ewww. And here Gisela is, literately sighing and swooning over the sight of his massive fingers. I CAN'T.
Gisela has a fetish.
I snorted, actually snorted, when I read this. What editor let this get through?
And though I did not write down every single adjective that was "manly", "masculine", or "powerful", or a variation thereof, there were a lot. It was overkill.
Okay, no more quotes.
I don't remember a whole lot at this point, so I'll just write down my notes.
"Valten is sorta prideful, so maybe he has a little more depth." I think I liked Gisela mostly best out of all of Dickerson's heroines, but I take this to mean that I still found her to have a personality similar to that of a cardboard box.
Only no, because these cardboard boxes undoubtedly have more personality than she did.
Oh, and Sophie and Gabe make a cameo.
That's all folks!
QUOTE GAME!!!!
"So she already knew he thought she was beautiful. He didn't need to tell her that again, did he? What other compliments were there? She was beautiful. What else could he say?"
"Ava pulled the dress over Gisela's head, tugging at the bodice until it was straight and fluffing the material down over her hips."
What about stays? Laces? This sounds way too much like a modern dress. And this is the 15th century or something. Gisela is a not a peasant, nor does she have shapeless seamless peasant dresses.
"His hand tight over her mouthlips."
*bursts out laughing* Methinks someone couldn't decide between writing "mouth" or "lips" and ended up writing both.
"The sight of his massive fingers made her sigh."
Massive fingers? Ewww. And here Gisela is, literately sighing and swooning over the sight of his massive fingers. I CAN'T.
She... admired the structure of his fingers."
Gisela has a fetish.
Queen of Beauty and Love Tournament
I snorted, actually snorted, when I read this. What editor let this get through?
And though I did not write down every single adjective that was "manly", "masculine", or "powerful", or a variation thereof, there were a lot. It was overkill.
Okay, no more quotes.
I don't remember a whole lot at this point, so I'll just write down my notes.
"Valten is sorta prideful, so maybe he has a little more depth." I think I liked Gisela mostly best out of all of Dickerson's heroines, but I take this to mean that I still found her to have a personality similar to that of a cardboard box.
Only no, because these cardboard boxes undoubtedly have more personality than she did.
Oh, and Sophie and Gabe make a cameo.
That's all folks!
June 9, 2022
The Captive Maiden was the first fairy tale retelling I ever read. I was perusing the shelves at the library--a rare occurrence for me to wander into the dark, childish YA section--and found this book. Though the cover was stained with coffee or hot chocolate and the pages warped and discolored by the same mishap, the cover drew me.
Now I own this book. A cleaner, shinier version of the tattered cover I beheld at the library. For nostalgia's sake, it will always be on my shelf. For the sake of the fun tale itself, it will always be a story I return to when I need something quick and simple to read.
The Captive Maiden contains a good plot, an excellent setting, and an excellent faith element. I've seen plenty of negative reviews dissing this book because of the "religion" (it's Zondervan, hello. They've usually published Christian books). Folks, that's the best part of this book. I always admire an author who is unafraid to infuse faith into the story.
I am usually either-or on female MCs in fairy tale retellings. Gisela is a gentle, sweet soul with a love for horses and an unusual perseverance while dealing with her wretched step-family. She didn't have as much of a character arc as Valten, but I enjoyed her overall and I especially liked how she relied on God.
Valten is a great hero. He experiences a lot of growth, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And he's the classic strong-and-silent type, willing to do anything for his family and those he loves. He was probably the strongest character in this book.
The romance was so sweet, and the way Ms. Dickerson sets up future characters is nicely done.
I did find the tournament a nice touch. After all, this is a medieval book, and a tournament is rather a staple element.
That leads into the two things I disliked.
The Queen of Beauty and Love deal isn't my cup of tea. Back then, when I first found this book when I was fourteen or so, I don't remember thinking anything of it. Now I find it immature and slightly annoying.
And the age difference between Gisela and Valten. Seven years. That's just too much. That's almost a decade. He's twenty-four, she's seventeen.
Still, I've always enjoyed this story. When I was a young teen girl struggling to find quality reading material, this book and most of Ms. Dickerson's older ones provided engaging literature with the perfect amount of faith, medieval, romance, and action.
If you like Christian fairy tale retellings with strong faith themes, I highly recommend The Captive Maiden.
Now I own this book. A cleaner, shinier version of the tattered cover I beheld at the library. For nostalgia's sake, it will always be on my shelf. For the sake of the fun tale itself, it will always be a story I return to when I need something quick and simple to read.
The Captive Maiden contains a good plot, an excellent setting, and an excellent faith element. I've seen plenty of negative reviews dissing this book because of the "religion" (it's Zondervan, hello. They've usually published Christian books). Folks, that's the best part of this book. I always admire an author who is unafraid to infuse faith into the story.
I am usually either-or on female MCs in fairy tale retellings. Gisela is a gentle, sweet soul with a love for horses and an unusual perseverance while dealing with her wretched step-family. She didn't have as much of a character arc as Valten, but I enjoyed her overall and I especially liked how she relied on God.
Valten is a great hero. He experiences a lot of growth, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And he's the classic strong-and-silent type, willing to do anything for his family and those he loves. He was probably the strongest character in this book.
The romance was so sweet, and the way Ms. Dickerson sets up future characters is nicely done.
I did find the tournament a nice touch. After all, this is a medieval book, and a tournament is rather a staple element.
That leads into the two things I disliked.
The Queen of Beauty and Love deal isn't my cup of tea. Back then, when I first found this book when I was fourteen or so, I don't remember thinking anything of it. Now I find it immature and slightly annoying.
And the age difference between Gisela and Valten. Seven years. That's just too much. That's almost a decade. He's twenty-four, she's seventeen.
Still, I've always enjoyed this story. When I was a young teen girl struggling to find quality reading material, this book and most of Ms. Dickerson's older ones provided engaging literature with the perfect amount of faith, medieval, romance, and action.
If you like Christian fairy tale retellings with strong faith themes, I highly recommend The Captive Maiden.
February 29, 2016
Howdy, folks! I feel like I haven't written a review in ages! Ah, this thing called Real Life! Obligations! Responsibilities! Eh!
But today, I want to take a few minutes out of this quiet Sunday afternoon and chat with you all about Melanie Dickerson's The Captive Maiden. So, without further ado, ah, uh....ummm....well, you know...
Cinderella! Right, Cinderella!
No, no, I mean Gisela! Gisela is her name!
And uh, she has a Prince! A very charming Prince!
Well, Valten is actually a knight and not a Prince, and he's more the toughened warrior not really sure how to express his emotions than the gallant charmer whispering flowery phrases in his lady's ear, but you get the picture. A damsel in distress. Her knight in shining armor. A villain kidnaps the damsel. It doesn't get much deeper than that. And that's not really what bothered me about this book because, come on, it's a fairy-tale retelling so it is supposed to be light-hearted and fluffy, but there is a difference between an elating, heart-warmingly-sigh-worthy fairy-tale that is the stuff of dreams (like the 2015 movie), and an under-developed retelling written in an irritatingly juvenile and repetitive way, with one-dimensional characters that keep making you want to roll your eyes. The Captive Maiden, I'm sorry to say, was more of the latter category. The hero was a little swoony and the book is overall pretty fun and sweet, but it's honestly nothing fabulous. Not like the 2015 movie.
I wanted more details of the dancing scenes.
Like, lots more.
(I'm not even ashamed of the dozens of times I've re-winded that dancing scene. It's the BEST. SWOON FOREVER!!!)
(And yes...I may or may not be slightly obsessed with the 2015 movie version of Cinderella...)
Book: Read it, don't read it, you don't really have anything to gain or to lose.
Movie: GO WATCH IT NOWWW!!! :D
But today, I want to take a few minutes out of this quiet Sunday afternoon and chat with you all about Melanie Dickerson's The Captive Maiden. So, without further ado, ah, uh....ummm....well, you know...
Cinderella! Right, Cinderella!
No, no, I mean Gisela! Gisela is her name!
And uh, she has a Prince! A very charming Prince!
Well, Valten is actually a knight and not a Prince, and he's more the toughened warrior not really sure how to express his emotions than the gallant charmer whispering flowery phrases in his lady's ear, but you get the picture. A damsel in distress. Her knight in shining armor. A villain kidnaps the damsel. It doesn't get much deeper than that. And that's not really what bothered me about this book because, come on, it's a fairy-tale retelling so it is supposed to be light-hearted and fluffy, but there is a difference between an elating, heart-warmingly-sigh-worthy fairy-tale that is the stuff of dreams (like the 2015 movie), and an under-developed retelling written in an irritatingly juvenile and repetitive way, with one-dimensional characters that keep making you want to roll your eyes. The Captive Maiden, I'm sorry to say, was more of the latter category. The hero was a little swoony and the book is overall pretty fun and sweet, but it's honestly nothing fabulous. Not like the 2015 movie.
I wanted more details of the dancing scenes.
Like, lots more.
(I'm not even ashamed of the dozens of times I've re-winded that dancing scene. It's the BEST. SWOON FOREVER!!!)
(And yes...I may or may not be slightly obsessed with the 2015 movie version of Cinderella...)
Book: Read it, don't read it, you don't really have anything to gain or to lose.
Movie: GO WATCH IT NOWWW!!! :D
April 17, 2018
Another 4.5 star read!! :)
April 8, 2022
Ohh, they just keep getting better!!!!! too bad Princess Spy had to go back to the library *cries* I will read it soon.
June 23, 2014
Review to come
EDIT ^
OMG!!!! Melanie Dickerson is coming out with another book?!?!? I. Need. This!!!!!!!
EDIT ^
OMG!!!! Melanie Dickerson is coming out with another book?!?!? I. Need. This!!!!!!!
January 24, 2023
The Captive Maiden was a lovely Cinderella retelling and one of my favorite Melanie Dickerson fairy tales I’ve read so far; I actually enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. The first half is pretty true to the classic fairy tale, complete with a medieval tournament of knights, jousting, a state dinner, and a grand ball. Throughout it, Gisela and Valten’s relationship deepens. I wish this part of the book had gone on a bit longer as it was lovely.
I really liked Gisela. Despite her trials, she had a good heart and an inner strength and determination to take control of her situation, all while maintaining her character and relying on her faith in God. Valten was a complex character, a stoic and serious man with a good heart hidden beneath his tough warrior exterior. I enjoyed his inner journey of striving to find his purpose. I thought it was adorable how Gisela and Valten met in childhood and how Gisela spent years dreaming of her knight, only for them to meet again years later and fall in love. Their relationship was gradual but so sweet. I also loved all their interactions with Valten’s family, especially his adorable sisters.
In the second half of the story, the author took the plot down a completely different path, complete with a kidnapping and Valten playing the hero multiple times in an attempt to rescue his damsel. This part of the book was full of a lot of danger and peril, and while I didn’t like it as much as the first half, the continual deepening of Gisela and Valten’s relationship made it still enjoyable. It was especially sweet how both Giesla and Valten came to one another’s aid in order to protect one another. So cute. What did hinder my overall enjoyment was there were almost too many repeated moments of peril—especially towards the end—not to mention the villain felt rather one-dimensional and was too easily thwarted in the final confrontations. Very deus ex machina.
Otherwise, I thought The Captive Maiden was both a familiar retelling of Cinderella and a unique one, with charming characters, a strong message of faith in God, a delightful medieval setting, and a sweet, adorable romance. I’m looking forward to reading more of Melanie Dickerson’s inspiring and cute fairy tales.
I really liked Gisela. Despite her trials, she had a good heart and an inner strength and determination to take control of her situation, all while maintaining her character and relying on her faith in God. Valten was a complex character, a stoic and serious man with a good heart hidden beneath his tough warrior exterior. I enjoyed his inner journey of striving to find his purpose. I thought it was adorable how Gisela and Valten met in childhood and how Gisela spent years dreaming of her knight, only for them to meet again years later and fall in love. Their relationship was gradual but so sweet. I also loved all their interactions with Valten’s family, especially his adorable sisters.
In the second half of the story, the author took the plot down a completely different path, complete with a kidnapping and Valten playing the hero multiple times in an attempt to rescue his damsel. This part of the book was full of a lot of danger and peril, and while I didn’t like it as much as the first half, the continual deepening of Gisela and Valten’s relationship made it still enjoyable. It was especially sweet how both Giesla and Valten came to one another’s aid in order to protect one another. So cute. What did hinder my overall enjoyment was there were almost too many repeated moments of peril—especially towards the end—not to mention the villain felt rather one-dimensional and was too easily thwarted in the final confrontations. Very deus ex machina.
Otherwise, I thought The Captive Maiden was both a familiar retelling of Cinderella and a unique one, with charming characters, a strong message of faith in God, a delightful medieval setting, and a sweet, adorable romance. I’m looking forward to reading more of Melanie Dickerson’s inspiring and cute fairy tales.
March 8, 2025
now playing 𝕾𝖔 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝕴𝖘 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 from Cinderella
Easily the most beautiful Disney song in the world, and fits perfectly with this Melanie Dickerson masterpiece. One of my favorite Cinderella retellings.
For content, click here
Easily the most beautiful Disney song in the world, and fits perfectly with this Melanie Dickerson masterpiece. One of my favorite Cinderella retellings.
For content, click here
September 26, 2013
I love, love, love fairy-tale retellings. Especially ones written by Melanie Dickerson because she does such a great job with them. She has a knack of putting them in a setting where the story is so believable, yet stays true to the tales we grew up loving.
The Captive Maiden is based on Cinderella but with a few new twists. It's set in Germany in the early 1400's (same setting as The Fairest Beauty, and The Healer's Apprentice). There's an evil villain in addition to the horrible step-mother and snotty step-sisters. And there's knights and jousting (makes me want to go to a Renaissance Fair).
The hero in The Captive Maiden, Valten Gerstenberg, is my favorite of Melanie's men so far. He's strong and brave on the outside but emotionally vulnerable in an endearing way on the inside.
I think the Captive Maiden has upset The Healer's Apprentice as my favorite Melanie Dickerson books. Fans of fairy tales, romance, historical romance, or young adult books are sure to enjoy this read.
I received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Captive Maiden is based on Cinderella but with a few new twists. It's set in Germany in the early 1400's (same setting as The Fairest Beauty, and The Healer's Apprentice). There's an evil villain in addition to the horrible step-mother and snotty step-sisters. And there's knights and jousting (makes me want to go to a Renaissance Fair).
The hero in The Captive Maiden, Valten Gerstenberg, is my favorite of Melanie's men so far. He's strong and brave on the outside but emotionally vulnerable in an endearing way on the inside.
I think the Captive Maiden has upset The Healer's Apprentice as my favorite Melanie Dickerson books. Fans of fairy tales, romance, historical romance, or young adult books are sure to enjoy this read.
I received an advanced review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2016
Eeeeeekkkk!!! I'm beside myself with joy!! I love Dickerson's books. And oh my goodness, the cover is gorgeous!! Don't you just love all the covers on her books? Oh, I can't wait!
September 24, 2020
An enjoyable take on the classic story of Cinderella.
October 4, 2020
I read this book because it was suggested to me by goodreads after all the retellings I have read. I did not know it would be a christian story, and nowhere in the short summary was it suggested. Now I don't mind some references to god in a book, but about halfway through the book, it became overwhelming how much they prayed, and preached, and it really made me lose interest in this writer all together, while I did enjoy the start of the story.
Things I did like:
It is a retelling of Cinderella, without the magic, and that part was done well.
She still got the three dresses, and the coach to the ball, without resorting to a god mother.
I liked that Gisela had her horses, and was not just a maid without any other interests
I like that she stood up for herself, at least towards Reuxner, and was not just a maiden in distress.
It is an instalove story, but Valten had enough internal dialog to make it not too annoying
Things I did not like:
The preaching and prays, and in particularly the fact that it was said over and over again that they should trust in God to save them. I dislike the premise of not trying your absolute best yourself. Why should God bother to help if you don't even want to help yourself?
The first time Gisela was captured, that was reasonable. While she was weary, she could not prevent it from happening. But the next time, when her sister lured her away, it was just stupid, and when it happened again, I was groaning out loud. Come on, that is too much repetition...
All in all, while the start was promising and even enjoyable, I will definitely not read the other books from this series. It felt like after finishing the story, she thought the end was too short, so she doubled the amount of text by adding a shitload of prayers and preaches. Without that it might have been a good book.
Things I did like:
It is a retelling of Cinderella, without the magic, and that part was done well.
She still got the three dresses, and the coach to the ball, without resorting to a god mother.
I liked that Gisela had her horses, and was not just a maid without any other interests
I like that she stood up for herself, at least towards Reuxner, and was not just a maiden in distress.
It is an instalove story, but Valten had enough internal dialog to make it not too annoying
Things I did not like:
The preaching and prays, and in particularly the fact that it was said over and over again that they should trust in God to save them. I dislike the premise of not trying your absolute best yourself. Why should God bother to help if you don't even want to help yourself?
The first time Gisela was captured, that was reasonable. While she was weary, she could not prevent it from happening. But the next time, when her sister lured her away, it was just stupid, and when it happened again, I was groaning out loud. Come on, that is too much repetition...
All in all, while the start was promising and even enjoyable, I will definitely not read the other books from this series. It felt like after finishing the story, she thought the end was too short, so she doubled the amount of text by adding a shitload of prayers and preaches. Without that it might have been a good book.
January 13, 2022
4 Stars ✨
Sweet and charming 💞 Medieval retelling of Cinderella.
Sweet and charming 💞 Medieval retelling of Cinderella.
December 24, 2017
A fun medieval retelling of Cinderella. I really enjoyed the twists that the author gave to the story to make it her own.
It was fun to see characters from previous books in this Hagenheim series. Lots of danger and peril for Gisela but her "prince" Valten was always there to protect her. Sweet love story. If any of you have read and enjoyed Marcia Lynn McClure's book A Crimson Frost, then you'll sure enjoy this one. I loved the tournament aspects in here, which definitely showed Valten's amazingness, but also showed his true feelings towards Gisela.
I did feel that some of the peril that kept happening, just kept happening. Does that make sense? They would be in a situation of danger and escape and then captive again and escape and...that probably makes more sense. It built up the story but some readers might not like the amount of time the book spent of that happening, others won't mind it.
Overall, I really enjoyed it! I'm reading this as part of a box set which includes the first 5 Hagenheim books. Love them so far, my favorite so far is The Merchant's Daughter.
Content: Clean. Some fighting but nothing overly graphic. Some sweet kisses.
My own personal copy.
Happy Reading!!!
It was fun to see characters from previous books in this Hagenheim series. Lots of danger and peril for Gisela but her "prince" Valten was always there to protect her. Sweet love story. If any of you have read and enjoyed Marcia Lynn McClure's book A Crimson Frost, then you'll sure enjoy this one. I loved the tournament aspects in here, which definitely showed Valten's amazingness, but also showed his true feelings towards Gisela.
I did feel that some of the peril that kept happening, just kept happening. Does that make sense? They would be in a situation of danger and escape and then captive again and escape and...that probably makes more sense. It built up the story but some readers might not like the amount of time the book spent of that happening, others won't mind it.
Overall, I really enjoyed it! I'm reading this as part of a box set which includes the first 5 Hagenheim books. Love them so far, my favorite so far is The Merchant's Daughter.
Content: Clean. Some fighting but nothing overly graphic. Some sweet kisses.
My own personal copy.
Happy Reading!!!
November 27, 2023
*sigh* I love ❤️ Hagenheim! This book was a PERFECT playback off of the line in Fairest Beauty, (though I don’t remember which brother said it),“Guess I’ll/you’ll have to rescue your own maiden then.” This was a perfectly clean romance book which is the kind of romance people should put into their minds unlike some of the modern romances. Melanie Dickerson does a great job with her books and this one is no exception! She easily fits among my top two favorite authors. I can’t wait to read The Princess Spy and SO wish I owned more of her books. (I only own The Captive Maiden… Birthday present!! 💝) Can’t wait for more in the realm of Hagenheim!
August 17, 2023
Re-Read:
I listened to this book on my way to school and I forgot how much I loved it!! I knew that this book was one of my favorite Melanie Dickerson books but everything about this book had me in love! 😍 I mean just Valten alone makes this whole book! 😉😂 I definitely need to reread the rest of the series now!!
Original Review:
Guys, this is one of my favorites by Melanie Dickerson and I finished it in one day!! I just love this book so much!! It is amazing!!! Read it please!!!! You won't be sorry!
I listened to this book on my way to school and I forgot how much I loved it!! I knew that this book was one of my favorite Melanie Dickerson books but everything about this book had me in love! 😍 I mean just Valten alone makes this whole book! 😉😂 I definitely need to reread the rest of the series now!!
Original Review:
Guys, this is one of my favorites by Melanie Dickerson and I finished it in one day!! I just love this book so much!! It is amazing!!! Read it please!!!! You won't be sorry!
May 29, 2017
I'm rating the books by authors my students love. I keep these books in my classroom library & each year new young readers discover them. Melanie Dickerson is one of my students' favorite authors. I'm so glad she's prolific! (I teach literature in a small Christian high school.)
February 6, 2016
About this book:
“Happily Ever After...Or Happily Nevermore?
Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.”
Series: All of Melanie Dickerson’s books are connected: “The Captive Maiden” in considered #4 in this series. “The Healer’s Apprentice”(#1, review Here!), “The Merchant’s Daughter” (#2, review Here!), “The Fairest Beauty”(#3, review Here!), “The Captive Maiden”(#4) and coming in November, “The Princess Spy”; should be read in this order for the least amount of spoilers.
Spiritual Content- Many Prayers; Crossing when talking of the dead; Scriptures; A mention of Babylon’s Fiery furnace; A friar witness & talks about God; A mention of Goliath {“Some children at one of his tournaments in Burgundy had taken to calling him "Goliath". Not the most endearing biblical character.”}; Strong Faiths & Talks about God.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘shut up’s, a jerk is called a ‘devil’, and curses are said but not written; Mentions of killing older horses for their meat & hides; Two pheasants are killed & prepared (detailed); Wine is drank; Blood (highest being semi-detailed); Kidnapping a girl.
Sexual Content- a few not-detailed kisses, a semi-detailed kiss & a detailed kiss; Hand kissing, wanting to kiss & almost kisses; a women is sold; hints about marriage (not-detailed); Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Gisela Mueller, age 17
-Valten, Earl of Hamlin, age 24
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1412 (Prologue set in 1403) {Medieval}
281 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars (and a half)
{ Not for girls sensitive to blood. }
First, let me oooh-and-aww over the dress on the cover! Talk about stunning! Too low for my comfort but that’s the time period. This was a neat twist on the Cinderella story but because of the blood, I lowered it a bit on My personal Rating.
Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“Happily Ever After...Or Happily Nevermore?
Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.”
Series: All of Melanie Dickerson’s books are connected: “The Captive Maiden” in considered #4 in this series. “The Healer’s Apprentice”(#1, review Here!), “The Merchant’s Daughter” (#2, review Here!), “The Fairest Beauty”(#3, review Here!), “The Captive Maiden”(#4) and coming in November, “The Princess Spy”; should be read in this order for the least amount of spoilers.
Spiritual Content- Many Prayers; Crossing when talking of the dead; Scriptures; A mention of Babylon’s Fiery furnace; A friar witness & talks about God; A mention of Goliath {“Some children at one of his tournaments in Burgundy had taken to calling him "Goliath". Not the most endearing biblical character.”}; Strong Faiths & Talks about God.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘shut up’s, a jerk is called a ‘devil’, and curses are said but not written; Mentions of killing older horses for their meat & hides; Two pheasants are killed & prepared (detailed); Wine is drank; Blood (highest being semi-detailed); Kidnapping a girl.
Sexual Content- a few not-detailed kisses, a semi-detailed kiss & a detailed kiss; Hand kissing, wanting to kiss & almost kisses; a women is sold; hints about marriage (not-detailed); Love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Gisela Mueller, age 17
-Valten, Earl of Hamlin, age 24
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1412 (Prologue set in 1403) {Medieval}
281 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars (and a half)
{ Not for girls sensitive to blood. }
First, let me oooh-and-aww over the dress on the cover! Talk about stunning! Too low for my comfort but that’s the time period. This was a neat twist on the Cinderella story but because of the blood, I lowered it a bit on My personal Rating.
Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
March 3, 2023
“What had his life meant? All his success, all the tournaments he'd won...they were like dust and ashes. Meaningless. Without Gisela, his life was meaningless.”
― Melanie Dickerson, The Captive Maiden
Rating: ★★★★★
Cleanness: ★★★★.5*
AHH! I love this book SO much! It’s such a sweet story and the perfect Cinderella retelling!
Valten and Gisela are the perfect couple! I love that Gisela was the one girl Valten felt comfortable around and who he (who doesn’t like talking much) loves to talk to and that they bonded over their horses. I love that Valten was the one person who could break through Gisela’s walls and make her feel safe and loved after years of neglect.
This is like my favorite love at first sight story honestly. I loved that, yes they felt attracted to each other and cared about each other almost instantly, they got to know each other. They spent time with each other, talking, and learning to love and trust each other before they ever said I love you.
I loved how both of them had to grow as people before being a couple and that they challenged each other to grow.
Valten was used to being in charge and relying on his own strength. With Gisela, he had to trust God. He couldn’t save Gisela on his own, he needed God to help and protect her. He couldn’t rely on his strength anymore but on God’s. He needed Gisela in his life to be able to give up control and trust God completely.
Gisela had to find her worth not in Valten or people, but in God. She suffered from neglect and mistreatment for so much of her life. She shoved away her feelings for years saying she didn’t care. She needed to feel emotions and learn to trust people. But first she had to trust God. She had to start feeling for someone trustworthy who would care for her and about her. God brought Valten into her life.
I LOVE LOVE this book and will love it for years to come! I highly highly recommend reading this book! <3
*Cleanness: this is a wonderful and clean book! There is nothing beyond a few sweet kisses.
There are some violence and fight scenes. A girl gets kidnapped and a man is beaten trying to save her. There are fights and tournaments with people being hurt and injured. A girl is sold to be married. A girl is bullied by her step family.
These are some of the things to look for when reading (I think I noted everything), but otherwise this is a clean book and I highly recommend reading!
…
To read more bookish content make sure to check my blog https://fablerosemc.blogspot.com & my instagram @fablerosemc !!
…
I also started a Bible Study going through the women of the Bible if you are interested in checking that out. We are currently going through Esther! https://beholdpeace.wordpress.com
February 3, 2014
The Captive Maiden is the fourth book of Melanie Dickerson’s fairytale retellings, which I have enjoyed immensely. I particularly loved how three of the four books, including this one, followed members of the same family. It was good to read Valten’s story. As much as I loved Gabe in The Fairest Beauty, I had to feel bad for poor Valten when he lost Sophie. This story totally made up for it.
I thought Valten and Gisela had a very cute love story. I really liked how real Valten seemed, especially in his insecurities when it came to women. It was very endearing to me. His character growth was very good in learning to let go of his pride and let God work instead of trying to do everything himself.
My favorite part of this book was the tournament in the first half. It was very vivid and exciting. I loved the scenes between him and Sophie during it and the feast. It had the perfect fairytale feel.
One of my only complaints about the book was the number of times the characters escaped only to be recaptured. It seemed to happen over and over to the point of being tiresome and a bit unrealistic. Still, it didn’t detract too much from the story. My second complaint might be sort of petty and has nothing to do with the story, but the cover. The model is clearly wearing an 18th century style gown, not 15th century. But then, I’m a costumer/reenactor so I would notice something like that.
While it may not be my favorite of all the books, it was a good continuation, and I really can’t complain about a sweet romance like this. I definitely recommend it and the others to anyone who enjoys a good medieval tale or fairytale retelling.
I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.
I thought Valten and Gisela had a very cute love story. I really liked how real Valten seemed, especially in his insecurities when it came to women. It was very endearing to me. His character growth was very good in learning to let go of his pride and let God work instead of trying to do everything himself.
My favorite part of this book was the tournament in the first half. It was very vivid and exciting. I loved the scenes between him and Sophie during it and the feast. It had the perfect fairytale feel.
One of my only complaints about the book was the number of times the characters escaped only to be recaptured. It seemed to happen over and over to the point of being tiresome and a bit unrealistic. Still, it didn’t detract too much from the story. My second complaint might be sort of petty and has nothing to do with the story, but the cover. The model is clearly wearing an 18th century style gown, not 15th century. But then, I’m a costumer/reenactor so I would notice something like that.
While it may not be my favorite of all the books, it was a good continuation, and I really can’t complain about a sweet romance like this. I definitely recommend it and the others to anyone who enjoys a good medieval tale or fairytale retelling.
I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.
February 21, 2017
As soon as I picked the book up, I could not put it down. I fell in love with it immediately. It took me only a few hours to finish it. The whole plot was amazing!
As I read, I felt like I knew the characters. When their feelings were shown, I felt like they were speaking to me.
This book is definitely my favorite out of any Melanie Dickerson's books.
A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!!
Official Review:
t took me quite a while to officially decide what my favorite book by Melanie Dickerson was. But, now I have.
The first time I read it I was practically in awe. I read the ending (and other parts) many times. But, I just sat on my bed and sighed….smiled….laughed….You get the picture. It is that good of a book.
There is one scene that I could read many, many times and never get tired of it. The main guy is a knight. And what does a knight do, except defend his kingdom? He fights in tournaments. The tournament scene, from start till finish, was exciting and wonderfully written. I love it!
And, of course, the whole ending was amazing. Most likely, I closed the book when I finished the last chapter and sighed. Seriously! I do that sometimes. When I finished reading…or re-reading my favorite books, I either squeal or sigh. So, believe me. I did that for this book!
The thing that intrigued me was the cover. That was why I started reading Melanie Dickerson’s novels. I was looking through a magazine and this cover caught my eye. I decided to give it a chance and read the book. I’m glad I did.
Title: Captive Maiden
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Author’s Website: http://www.melaniedickerson.com/
This review is written in my own opinions and words.
As I read, I felt like I knew the characters. When their feelings were shown, I felt like they were speaking to me.
This book is definitely my favorite out of any Melanie Dickerson's books.
A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!!
Official Review:
t took me quite a while to officially decide what my favorite book by Melanie Dickerson was. But, now I have.
The first time I read it I was practically in awe. I read the ending (and other parts) many times. But, I just sat on my bed and sighed….smiled….laughed….You get the picture. It is that good of a book.
There is one scene that I could read many, many times and never get tired of it. The main guy is a knight. And what does a knight do, except defend his kingdom? He fights in tournaments. The tournament scene, from start till finish, was exciting and wonderfully written. I love it!
And, of course, the whole ending was amazing. Most likely, I closed the book when I finished the last chapter and sighed. Seriously! I do that sometimes. When I finished reading…or re-reading my favorite books, I either squeal or sigh. So, believe me. I did that for this book!
The thing that intrigued me was the cover. That was why I started reading Melanie Dickerson’s novels. I was looking through a magazine and this cover caught my eye. I decided to give it a chance and read the book. I’m glad I did.
Title: Captive Maiden
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Author’s Website: http://www.melaniedickerson.com/
This review is written in my own opinions and words.
June 30, 2015
I enjoyed this one, but admit it’s not my favorite by this author. I think the stories have become a bit formulaic for me, which is fine, but maybe I’m just looking for a little something different. For example, in this story, Gisela is a servant for her stepmother and step-sisters (per the Cinderella story), however, the author also used this device in The Fairest Beauty, which I enjoyed more of the two due to the unique characters. A bit of a twist would have been welcome.
I really liked Gisela though – I loved how she wasn’t afraid to sneak away when she was unfairly forbidden to attend the tournament, and she didn’t mind standing up for herself when necessary. I think my favorite scenes were the tournament scenes – I definitely kept picturing something along the lines of the movie “A Knight’s Tale,” and loved the vibe that the author created there.
I also loved the interactions with Valten's family and the grand balls - I felt extra girly with how much I enjoyed the beautiful dresses. And boy does Melanie Dickerson know how to write the sweetest kiss scenes! :)
I felt that the villain of the story, the knight that hated Valten, was kind of corny and cartoonish. The big revelation toward the end of the story came across as a bit too convenient. It was very "deus ex machina." I would have preferred some sort of stand-off, something with a bit more action.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story. It was a sweet, quick read with a lot of great elements.
I really liked Gisela though – I loved how she wasn’t afraid to sneak away when she was unfairly forbidden to attend the tournament, and she didn’t mind standing up for herself when necessary. I think my favorite scenes were the tournament scenes – I definitely kept picturing something along the lines of the movie “A Knight’s Tale,” and loved the vibe that the author created there.
I also loved the interactions with Valten's family and the grand balls - I felt extra girly with how much I enjoyed the beautiful dresses. And boy does Melanie Dickerson know how to write the sweetest kiss scenes! :)
I felt that the villain of the story, the knight that hated Valten, was kind of corny and cartoonish. The big revelation toward the end of the story came across as a bit too convenient. It was very "deus ex machina." I would have preferred some sort of stand-off, something with a bit more action.
Overall though, I enjoyed the story. It was a sweet, quick read with a lot of great elements.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,080 reviews