Book Review: The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson/4.5 Stars

About the book:

When destiny sleeps, it can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.

In this historical romance loosely based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, a woodcutter's daughter becomes the town healer's apprentice. Rose's job is to care for the sick and injured in Hagenheim Castle. But she gets sick at the sight of blood and is more suited to making up stories than sewing up wounds. She is determined to overcome her weakness and prove herself a competent healer, or she faces marrying a disgusting old merchant her mother has picked out for her.

Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of the region, is injured and Rose must overcome her squeamishness to save him. He is everything that is noble and good, but loving him is forbidden. He is already betrothed to a mysterious woman in hiding.

With two noble-born brothers vying for her affections, Rose learns that the people of Hagenheim are not always who they seem.

My thoughts:

To my knowledge, this was my first time reading a YA historical novel at a point in time other than my young adult years, and what a blast it was!  The majority of the books I read are historical, and written for an adult audience.  So, to have the opportunity to read a YA historical was like a dive into unknown territory...but I can't wait to go back!

Lord Hamlin was a very dreamy noble, who had an unneeded attraction to the healer's apprentice, Rose.  His future had already been arranged--inherit the dukedom, and marry Lady Salomea whom he has never met.  But while he struggled to accept that he and Rose cannot be together, he wasn't crazy about his brother, Lord Rupert, forming an attraction to her, either.

But in the midst of all this emotional drama, there was also the problem called Moncore.  He was an evil conjurer that Lord Hamlin had been tracking for 7 years with no success.  Until Moncore is caught, Lady Salomea must continue to remain in hiding because Moncore will surely put a curse on her if he can find her.

And if all that wasn't enough to keep me turning the pages, there was also the secrecy that slowly unfolded as I got closer and closer to the end.  I tell ya, I could barely contain myself!  Even though I'm familiar with the tale of Sleeping Beauty, my heart was still beating furiously as I waited for true love's first kiss to take place....and oh, what a kiss it was! 

Ahhh....this book will most assuredly have me reading more historical YA books in the future!  It had that lovely, fairytale-like quality that I would've loved reading as a teenager, but it still put me in a dreamy state as an adult.  I can hardly wait to read Ms. Dickerson's next book, The Merchant's Daughter, that comes out later this year!

4.5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  A little...Rose could be a bit feisty at times.

**Many thanks to the author for providing a copy for review.

**And there's more!  The book trailer for The Healer's Apprentice...