Book Review Of "Heartless" By Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Heartless is a tale of a Princess.

In the land of Parumvir there lived a princess named Una. The princess had a brother named Felix and a father whose name was Fidel, but her mother was dead. She lived near a wood, called Goldstone Wood, and there she and her brother went to play when they were children. Now she is of age to wed. Una, the princess, wants to marry, but who will have her?

Soon she is offered marriage by the Prince of Farthestshore, Prince Aethelbald. From the moment they meet he seems plain, making him not the most noticeable of suitors. This makes it hard for him when other princes, who are more interesting come to take, or attempt to take, her heart.

When Prince Aethebald comes, Una begins to have strange things happen to her. Her nights have strange dreams, and her hands burn. Prince Aethelbald says he can help her, but Una refuses his aid.

Join Una, prince Felix, king Fidel, and her cat named Monster, as they venture through trials, heartache, and love.

Can anyone stop the Dragon king, the one who seeks Una, before it is too late?

My Review: Heartless is one of the nicest fantasy books I have read. Yes, it is long, but once you get to the end, the pages and pages of reading are about worth the time you spent to find out what will happen to Una, her family, Prince Aethelbald, and her cat.

The story is an allegory. Prince Aethebald, I believe, represents Jesus. As he says when Una is called stubborn about her decision of not accepting him, he says something like "I Am Stedfast." No matter what, he loves Una, even when she is unlovable.

I think this would be a nice gift, Christmas or just to give, for teenage girls. It has a storyline where you can just see the love of Jesus for an ugly soul.

The good LORD willing, I look forward to the next book : Veiled Rose, which sadly is not scheduled to release for months.

Movie Review Of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

The movie is about three children, Lucy Pevensie, her brother Edmund Pevensie, and their cousin Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and their journey in the magical world of Narnia. The three are transported to Narnia, and soon embark on a journey with King Caspian, the king of Narnia, to find seven missing lords that had been gone for a long time. Join them as they set sail on the Dawn Treader on a journey you may not want to miss.

My Review: I have been waiting for this film to come out for at least over a year. It was a nice movie, and I only had a few things that are objectionable in it. One is that Eustace sounded as if he once took the LORD's name in vain, though I am not sure about this. Another character may have also, but he may have been referring to Caspian. I also thought Edmund's attitude toward his uncle disrespectful at the beginning of the film.

If you are looking for a film full of emotion, humor, and action, this is would be a nice movie to see.

(Note: this is a review for the movie, not for comparing it to the book)

Book Review of The Little White Horse.

This is one of the best, most beautiful, and enchanting books I think I will ever read.  It was my Mum's favourite growing up as well, and I will definitely be reading it to my little siblings when they are older. 

The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge, starts off with the young orphan, Maria, who [along with her dog and governess] is going to live with her uncle at Moonacre Manor.  There are mysteries surrounding Moonacre Manor, though, and Maria plays a big part in them.  Who is the little white horse Maria keeps seeing?  What about the "Moon Princess", who some people seem to think Maria is? 

An almost believable blend of fantasy and reality, The Little White Horse is filled with love, revenge, friendship, and a simple sense of delightful-ness that will leave you wanting to travel to the magical land of Moonacre.  My Mum actually cried when she finished this, because you just have to go there, even though it doesn't exist.  Strange, I know, but still.  I highly recommend this book for ages 10 to 100. :-)

Oh, there is a bit of language, I think...it has been a couple months since I last read it, and it is currently packed up so I can't go check.  If there is any, it's not a lot at all.

Blessings,
~Hannah Grace