The Healer's Apprentice

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Author(s)

Melanie Dickerson

Publisher

Zondervan

Genre(s)

Age Range

10+

Release Date

September 15, 2010

ISBN

0310721431

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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.

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2 reviews

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4.3

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A Charming YA Historical

October 03, 2013 (Updated: December 18, 2013)

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4.0

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A retold fairy tale of sorts, this inspirational romance is set in a richly described medieval Germany. The heroine, Rose, is strong-willed and well principled, yet endearingly awkward at times. While she is young and innocent, she’s not at all naive or helpless. I found her both relatable and easy to take a liking to. She seems ill-suited to her future profession from the start, but muddles through a believable struggle with her apprenticeship. At the same time she endures the complications of potential suitors, whose intentions she doesn’t trust. In spite of her lowly station, she becomes deeply attached to the most unattainable man in the region -- its future ruler.

Despite the era portrayed, I found a great deal of resounding accuracy in the depiction of youthful confusion between love and infatuation, along with the accompanying misperceptions and insecurities. The author weaves a complex and emotional story that naturally incorporates the every-day faith of its participants into the whole, without attempting to insert some clunky or thinly veiled alter call. I would have loved to see a little more relational development between Rose and her willful mother towards the end, but it could just be that I didn’t want the story to end. All in all, a great debut novel! I’d happily recommend this enjoyable, sweet tale for anyone approximately twelve and up. :)

Angela Blount, Staff Reviewer Top 50 Reviewer 272 reviews

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Captivating

March 13, 2011

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5.0

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Reader reviewed by Courtney

I was so enthralled by this story right from the start!! Such an interesting story. The Healer's Apprentice is about a young girl named Rose whole lives with the town healer as her apprentice. It story takes place in 1386. Rose is such an interesting character, I was just drawn to her right from the beginning. She had such determination in being the woman God created her to be but she was having a hard time figuring out what she wanted in life, she liked helping people, but the sight and smell of blood just made her feel sick. She then meets a wonderful man who she knows she can never be with but they are so drawn to eachother.

I absolutely love stories about castles, dukes, princes, etc. They are by far my favorite type of stories and Melanie Dickerson has wrote my all-time favorite of this genre. The medievel time period is so fun and with the romance involved the story was just enchanting! I loved it! She did such an amazing job of captivating the audience right from the start. I can't wait to read more of her books. This is one of those books that after borrowing it from a friend, I really would just like to own my own copy so I can read it again and again!

Guest #1 Reviewer