Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl


This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance



is introducing



Heartless
Bethany House (July 1, 2010)



by



Anne Elisabeth Stengl




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys her profession as an art teacher, giving private lessons from her personal studio, and teaching group classes at the Apex Learning Center. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. Heartless is her debut novel.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Princess Una of Parumvir has come of age and will soon be married. She dreams of a handsome and charming prince, but when the first suitor arrives, she finds him stodgy and boring. Prince Aethelbald from the mysterious land of Farthestshore has traveled far to prove his love--and also to bring hushed warnings of danger. A dragon is rumored to be approaching Parumvir.

Una, smitten instead with a more dashing prince, refuses Aethelbald's offer--and ignores his warnings. Soon the Dragon King himself is in Parumvir, and Una, in giving her heart away unwisely, finds herself in grave danger. When Una makes the wrong choice, catastrophe ensues for the princess and her family, and love, courage, and trust are needed when darkness engulfs the kingdom.

Only those courageous enough to risk everything have a hope of fighting off this advancing evil.

There are some delightful things and scenes: the Twelve-Year Market that appears in its own good time and sells fairy goods; a clever blind cat who is invariably underfoot and has, of course, a secret!

If you would like to read the first chapter of Heartless, go HERE.

Back Cover Review
There is a rich depth and meaning woven within the world of Heartless and it fascinated me from page one. Other than a few spots where the POV seemed momentarily muddled (but that could just be me), the writing is flawless and powerful. Anne Elisabeth Stengl created a fantastic world with a culture and beat all its own. The imagery is beautiful and powerful and the characters - dramatic. I didn't want to stop reading - even when I met the last page!

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