"Fictional characters do exist, not in our world of course, we'd be done for if that ever happened. But in the world of our minds, they are the main population there. They bring colour and life to it, they are the little voices in your head telling you not to do something because it'll end up bad.
People who don't read and scoff at people who like reading, they will never have that. They're minds will be grey and boring, they'll never know the pleasure and plain that is to love someone so much, even though you can't physically touch them.
So if anyone ever laughs at you for reading and being imaginative, pity them. Because they will grow old and boring, their lives will be sad and plain while yours will be full of the adventures you shared with the fictional characters in the books you love."
~Unknown

"When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind."
~Michel Montaigne

"Reading forces you to be quiet in a world that no longer makes place for that."
~John Green

"That is part of the beauty of literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong." 

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Healer's Apprentice

By Melanie Dickerson

(Blurb: Two Hearts. One Hope.

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.)

Reading this novel was like being transported back to a world of castles and kings, knights and curses, love and danger. I could see the castle, I could hear the voices of the characters, I could feel the pain and the love. This beautiful medieval world Melanie Dickerson created had all the charm and love that I'd have hoped to find in a story, without sacrificing any goodness and becoming crude. The way she wound Christian virtues and beliefs into the story was really the 'selling point' for me as well. And even though the novel was set in the medieval era, it's still applicable to readers' today. 

I'm a massive fairy tales fan and this story, which is based off of Sleeping Beauty, has all the elements I look for in a story; not only is there a great, intriguing plot, a swoonworthy hero, and an intelligent heroine there's also a great message for girls everywhere about waiting for the right guy to come along. Rose, the heroine, not only has to deal with learning that her parent's aren't who she believed them to be but also has to deal with a very handsome, but deceptive, young man who isn't who he seems to be. She also had to deal with the pain of falling in love with an unattainable man. The love, pain and struggles they/she experience(s) is relatable and applicable no matter the time period. The plot keeps you guessing all the way through and you have the amazing advantage of reading the story from both the hero and heroine's point of view. 

Melanie Dickerson also does an amazing job at making the story romantic and entertaining while still maintaining a Christian theme. As a born-again Christian, it's such a relief to see a brilliantly-written novel that's beautifully woven real-life pressures and problems and Christian solutions and point of views. Just the act of reading this novel and living the lives of the characters, seeing the story through their eyes, and how they put their faith into action, has strengthened my own faith. There's an evil sorcerer and wicked black magic but also characters who rely on their faith in God to get them through rough spots and protect them from harm. 

Overall, I give this novel a 10/10! Anyone who can read, needs to read this. It has universal themes that speak to all of us.