My Review of The Healer's Apprentice

Here's a description of the book from Zondervan:

"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."

My Rating: Spring

My Review:

This is an intriguing, historical twist on a romantic fairytale! The historical details are wonderful in drawing the reader into this half-reality, half-make-believe world. The characters are ones older teen readers (as well as many adult readers who are young at heart) will be able to relate to. The book is well-written, with a plot that was different enough to keep me turning those pages, especially with so many sweet, romantic scenes!

One thing that is for sure about this book, though--the evil represented is completely evil! It was a bit disturbing to read about demon possession, especially since the main character was supposedly a believer. Some of those close-to-final scenes were unnerving, but (at the risk of possibly giving something away) I was pleased that good did triumph over evil in the end.

Another issue I have with the book is that there was some unresolved conflict towards the end in regards to the main characters' family. (At least, I personally felt some of the interpersonal conflict wasn't dealt with properly.)

Overall, though, the story was a very interesting one to read, and the romance was very enjoyable! The Healer's Apprentice shows true love to be sacrificial, caring, and humble, and that's what makes the story great.