Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron

A beautiful book full of conviction, faith, loyalty and love.  The story alternates between Ireland in the present day, 1916 and 1798.  Interweaving history, romance and mystery Kristy Cambron has produced a masterpiece.  In the lives of three women:  Laine, Issy and Maeve we get a glimpse of the struggle Ireland had for independence and at the same time the struggle of each woman had to be true to her personal convictions.  Set in amazing detail each time period holds intrigue with the unique landscape and culture of Ireland.  The author's decision to go back and forth between three time periods is a stroke of genius in helping the reader understand that the Irish quest for freedom held degrees of angst at each turn.  The love story of Laine, Issy and Maeve demonstrate the true love takes a brave heart that does not falter under hardship and that God has His hand over every detail of our lives.

I received this book from the publishers but was not required to write a positive review.

The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

Fans of Dickerson will recognize the "fairytale" immersed in her book The Warrior Maiden.  A retelling of the Chinese legend of Mulan with a twist.  I was disappointed that she didn't base the story in China or Asian culture.  Instead Mulan is the child of a Lithuanian soldier and an Asian woman who dies.  Mulan is brought back to Lithuania to be raised as the adopted daughter of the soldier and his wife.  In the original Mulan she goes to war in place of her aged father to spare him and to give honor to her family while providing for her mother and father.  In this tale all that is gone. In this book Mulan, not wanting to marry her suitor decides instead to go to war disguised as a man to earn her mother's right to remain in the family home.  But throughout the story she laments that if she is killed her mother will be cast out of the home with no one to care for her.  This seems like a very big risk for a female to take who has not been trained for battle.  To me it lessened her honor because she was fleeing an unwanted marriage but with no guarantee she could provide for her mother.  In the original legend Mulan was a hero because if she didn't go to war her aged father would have had to go.  Aside from this the romance in the story is sweet and there is a lot of history about Germans vs Lithuanian and the different ways they had of worshipping God.  It is still a good story and worth reading but if you're looking for the Chinese version this is not it.

I received this book from the publishers but was not required to write a positive review.