The Warrior Maiden

Exciting and fascinating! How does she do it! Melanie Dickerson's books are definitely some of the best books I've ever read, and the story is very exciting! Love it love it love it love it. Literally can't stop reading it, officially a huge bookworm. Amazing and fascinating! Please buy if you love medieval times, thank you melanie! Five stars as always!

I thought I was going to be reading the Disney Mulan . Brave and Resourceful of course, but basically pretty shallow. What I found was a courageous woman whose faith in God and unceasing acknowledgement of His Will and Purpose for her life brought her more military success and personal satisfaction than she had dared hope for. A true heroine!

I love Melanie Dickerson and the Hagenheim books, but after not loving The Orphan's Wish, I was worried going into this one. The worry was unfounded. This one is back in the camp of all the other stories in the series I love so much. If you're looking for a retelling of Mulan set in Asia and closer to the original story, this isn't it. Mulan is Asian (or "from the Orient" in keeping with the time period), but this story is set in the Medieval Germany world Melanie Dickerson has created/used for her entire series and so this story stays true to that. Instead, Mulan is the illegitimate daughter of a soldier who fought wars in the Orient. Contrary to normal cliches, when the father brings home his illegitimate daughter after the war, his wife takes her in and loves her like her own. When her father dies and her mother will be turned out of their home if the family fails to send a soldier to fight in the liege lord's war, Mulan chooses to dress as a man and go to war in her father's place instead of marrying the local butcher. This story felt like Mulan + Joan of Arc and it was quite fun. Mulan's insecurities and strengths felt believable. She was not a damsel in distress, but she also wasn't out there to prove anything. She was just trying to be honorable and do the right thing. (There's a part at the end that I'm sure some women would have a problem with, but especially in Medieval times, there was NO way a woman would have been able to fight in that situation. She would have been killed, there was no way around that one.) This review wouldn't be complete without touching on Wolfgang. As with the rest of the men in this series, he is honorable and kind, but he does have some regrets in his past and has a complicated relationship with his brother, Steffan, which makes things interesting. To my recollection, this is the first book in the series where the narrative introduces a third point of view instead of just bouncing back and forth between the main characters. I enjoyed it and cannot WAIT to hear more of Steffan's story in the future (and find out which fairy tale will be his). This book can certainly stand alone, but since the series is about an entire family, I highly recommend starting at the beginning and enjoying the ride of their stories playing out to different fairy tales.

Loved this book. Love the author. I think the older you become the more you get from her books. I'm almost 70 & I still visit the eight cousins & Jo's boys. And I totally enjoy this time in history & the Godly teachings she is so loyal to.

A courageous young woman and a warrior seeking knighthood. This multi-layered young adult story is one of Melanie Dickerson's best stories covering not only a hardships of women in the middle ages, but the spiritual battle of those who claim to stand for God and those who actually follow God's will. There is even tension of two brothers who find themselves on opposing sides of the battle. Plenty of action, sweet romance, and a healthy dose of faith and forgiveness, this story will have you cheering for both Mulan and Wolfgang by the end.

This is a new version of the tale of Mulan. Melanie did such a great job of keeping close to the original story, but put enough of her own twist on it to breathe a totally new life into it! Great book! Recommend for anyone of any age.

Excellent take on the classic Mulan. This was a book that was worth reading and I'm looking forward to the others in the series.

The Warrior Maiden is a superbly done retelling of Mulan. She weaves the fairytale seamlessly into her Hagenheim world. Mulan is fierce and smart, but she is also feminine and shy. Wolfgang is an excellent male lead. His past along with his relationship with his brother makes for a deeper, more compelling backstory. I loved all of the battles and adventures this story centered around. Incorporating the order of knights along with the spread of the Gospel and accusations of witchcraft added greatly to the intrigue and drama. I liked how Mulan's secret was revealed fairly early on and then she was lauded and praised for the warrior she was, even as a woman after that. She was able to prove her worth even after her secret was revealed. The story was really entertaining, and I love so much seeing each of the new fairytales incorporated into this world. My one drawback is that once again the main relational conflict is both of the main characters thinking the other one would never want to marry them. More so on the side of Mulan in this case. I appreciate that in this time marriage and the expectations were very different from our time now; however, it still seems like the books are getting a little repetitive with the relational drama of "oh the other person will never want to marry me because they are the child of a duke so I am just going to suppress my feelings." Perhaps if this is the first book you are picking up in this series then you will not find this factor as adverse, but reading them in succession, it is more obvious and makes me wish for a different take on the relational conflict. But as I said, this is still a super enjoyable read, and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Christian good versus Fake Christian good. And truth wins out -even through a girl in a men’s world! Loved this and that the Hero defended her!

My sister read it very quickly in less then a couple days

Came in excellent condition, loved the story!

Oh my, I adored this version of Mulan! Beautifully written, strong characters, captivating storylines, and good battling evil...what's more to love in this medieval tale?! Well, I can also add: fabulous action scenes, swoonworthy protagonists (I can't believe this tomboy actually used the s-word!), nail-biting intrigue, and a sprinkling of romance! As always, Ms. Dickerson lives up to literary accolades as being an accomplished and gifted storyteller, and is one of my first-read & favourite authors! Highly recommended!

Beautiful book, very happy with my purchase and happy to support a Christian writer xx