The third in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series, Moonblood is the story of Prince Lionheart’s search for Rose Red, whom he banished in a moment of rash decision after pressure from the people of his kingdom. He enter Goldstone Wood, a mysterious place that connects the world of Faerie to the worlds of men. Entwined in Lionheart’s tale are the stories of Rose Red and her goat Beana, King Vahe and his Queen of Arpiar, and the knights Imraldera, Eanrin, and Oeric, a unicorn who has betrayed what is good, and the mysterious Prince of Farthestshore, as well as an eclectic and varied cast of characters, some from the previous Tales of Goldstone Wood, Heartless and Veiled Rose. All the stories move toward Moonblood, a magically powerful time when King Vahe plans to sieze power over both the worlds of men and Faerie.
While this is the third Goldstone Wood book, I had no trouble diving into the story, as Stengl gives very rich detail as the story progresses, including enough back story to understand the present. In fact, reading this novel has piqued my interest and I am eager to read the previous two to truly get “the whole story.” The characters are wonderfully flawed, with the heroine/damsel in distress Rose Red being an unsophisticated, grotesque creature but kind and a bit stubborn. Lionheart hardly lives up to his name, as he is a coward, woefully self-preserving, and quick to make excuses for his poor choices. Many characters are bitter, proud, angry, hateful, anguished, selfish, spiteful, and just plain grumpy. Even those that are noble are far from perfect, such as brave Sir Oeric, whose dark past hangs about him like a wet, clinging fog. Of course, there are kind, joyful, wise, jolly characters, and many are a delightful mix of ups and downs. And there are dragons, a simple must for any self-respecting fantasy tale!
To say that Stengl has an exceptional mastery of words would be an understatement. She is an artisan, a craftsperson of great talent, who weaves together countless details to produce a tapestry that is vibrant, engaging, and has a culture all its own, certainly equal to classical masters such as Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, or Tolkkien, and contemporary to today’s giants such as J.K. Rowling. Her story, though it contains many elements we expect from fantasy stories and fairy tales, is put together in a way that seems fresh, keeps the reader interested, and provokes thought (something lacking in so many fiction books, especially those in Christian categories). Embedded in the beautiful dramatic narrative are spontaneous burst of humor, refreshing, witty, and immensely pleasing.
If I had one complaint about this novel, it is that amongst the exquisite writing, the Christian allegories I was expecting weren’t obvious. Not that obvious is always a good thing, but when I read the critical acclaim for the previous novels on the cover, I expected something different. The previous books were compared to Narnia, which is rife with Christian allegory and allusion that it’s not exactly easy to miss. I suppose I was expecting that, and it wasn’t until the end that it was that apparent (I can’t be more specific without some major spoilers). Still, when it was present, it was very well-done, and nothing about it was un-Biblical, trite, or condescending. It is likely that my somewhat dissatisfaction was due more to my assumptions than to Stengl's writing.
I truly enjoyed this novel, and as stated before, I look forward to reading the previous two tales, as well as the upcoming novel Starflower, which we were given a teaser for in Moonblood. I believe any reader of fantasy fiction would enjoy Moonblood, and perhaps learn something about grace, love, and themselves while doing so.
Extra links:
Goodreads.com entry for Moonblood
Check out Anne Elisabeth Stengl on Goodreads, Facebook, Bookreporter.com, Amazon, and her blog on Blogger.
Melissa McGinnis is the Children's Ministry Director for LHF, and a complete sci-fi and fantasy geek. Seriously. She has a cat named Saavik (it's from Star Trek, look it up). This review of Moonblood is strictly the opinion of Mrs. McGinnis. The novel was provided by Bethany House in exchange for a review.
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