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.
The Healer's Apprentice
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Rose, a healer’s apprentice in the town of Hagenheim, feels drawn to the duke’s older son, Wilhelm, but he is betrothed to a young noblewoman who has been hidden away for years, ever since she was threatened by an “evil conjurer.” Though her attachment to Wilhelm grows, Rose encourages the suit of his younger brother, Rupert, who begins to amend his rakish ways under her virtuous influence. The story’s outcome is never in doubt, but the lovers endure many setbacks before a fortunate circumstance paves the way for the happy ending. Dickerson creates a sympathetic character in Rose, who has her weaknesses as well as considerable strength of will, morality, and faith. Though references to Christianity are woven through the book, many readers will be surprised by the climactic scene, in which Wilhelm heals Rose by casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Young people looking for Christian fiction as well as a historical romance may enjoy this medieval love story. Grades 7-10. --Carolyn Phelan
Review
In this debut romance set in Hagenheim, Lower Saxony, in 1382 and loosely based on 'Sleeping Beauty,' a lowly woodcutter's daughter apprenticed to the town healer falls in love with a handsome nobleman who's betrothed to a mysterious woman. Although she's grateful to the healer for teaching her to read and write and freeing her from the need to marry, 17-year-old Rose quickly loses her heart when she meets Wilhelm, Lord Hamlin. Wilhelm's equally smitten, but he's promised to a woman he's never met and can't wed until he captures the evil conjurer whose threats forced her parents to hide her 17 years ago. When Wilhelm's carousing younger brother insistently woos Rose, she feels flattered but conflicted. Should she forget both brothers and remain single, or could there be a fairy-tale finale? The medieval German setting and fastidious details of period clothing, food, music and dance provide an ideal context for this courtly romance between two young lovers who choose duty, virtue and honor above self-interest. Female readers should savor this romantic fare. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up) -- Kirkus Review <br><br> (Kirkus Review )
Gr 7-10--Set in 1386, this historical romance has a fairy-tale structure and a Christian emphasis. Rose serves as the apprentice to Frau Geruscha, the court healer. She is not very good at her chosen profession, yet she sees this as her only hope to escape the prospect of an arranged marriage. Enter Lord Hamlin, to whom Rose must minister after he is injured. She falls hard for him, and he for her, but neither can admit their feelings due to her social status and his betrothal to Lady Salomea. Rose soon catches the eye of the philandering Lord Rupert, Lord Hamlin's brother, and a romance ensues. But alas, Rupert breaks her heart with a proposal she is unwilling to accept, which makes her realize that she never loved him in the first place. Lurking in the shadows is the evil Moncore, who has driven Lady Salomea into hiding because he threatened her life. The identity of Lord Hamlin's betrothed is transparent from the start, so anticipation is built around how the two lovers will get to the 'happily ever after.' Rose is beautifully boring, and not very well developed, but is believable as the young maiden longing for a prince to rescue her. She and Hamlin rely on their faith to make their dreams come true. Fans of fairy tales will enjoy this story.--Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY -- School Library Journal <br><br> (School Library Journal )
Gr 7-10--Set in 1386, this historical romance has a fairy-tale structure and a Christian emphasis. Rose serves as the apprentice to Frau Geruscha, the court healer. She is not very good at her chosen profession, yet she sees this as her only hope to escape the prospect of an arranged marriage. Enter Lord Hamlin, to whom Rose must minister after he is injured. She falls hard for him, and he for her, but neither can admit their feelings due to her social status and his betrothal to Lady Salomea. Rose soon catches the eye of the philandering Lord Rupert, Lord Hamlin's brother, and a romance ensues. But alas, Rupert breaks her heart with a proposal she is unwilling to accept, which makes her realize that she never loved him in the first place. Lurking in the shadows is the evil Moncore, who has driven Lady Salomea into hiding because he threatened her life. The identity of Lord Hamlin's betrothed is transparent from the start, so anticipation is built around how the two lovers will get to the 'happily ever after.' Rose is beautifully boring, and not very well developed, but is believable as the young maiden longing for a prince to rescue her. She and Hamlin rely on their faith to make their dreams come true. Fans of fairy tales will enjoy this story.--Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY -- School Library Journal <br><br> (School Library Journal )
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More About the Author
Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer's Apprentice and The Merchant's Daughter, both Christy Award finalists, winner of The National Reader's Choice Award for 2010's Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor's degree in special education from The University of Alabama. She has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com.
Customer Reviews
“ When I reread those pages (which convinced me that I really SHOULD DEFINITELY read the book), I love them even more once I'd got to them in the order of the story. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
90 of 96 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I have to say that I wasn't expecting a Christian story. If it alluded to that on the description I didn't notice. Some will say "thats a Christian publishing house"...well I don't know all the publishing houses and what the publish. I assume most others won't know that either. I also want to state the fact that I am not anti-Christian at all. I believe in God and the Bible and the commandments although my church attendance fluctuates. I have read all the Left Behind books so I am not against a religiously themed fiction tale.
And I really love a good fairy tale. This was a good fairy tale and its based (loosely) on the Sleeping Beauty tale. It is the story of a poor woodcutter's daughter who is now an apprentice to the court's healer woman. Rose gains the interest of two brothers. The eldest, Lord Hamlin, is next in line to the throne. He is kind and has a great love of God and his people. Rupert, the younger brother, is a cad with a horrible reputation of loving and leaving the ladies. Although Rose loves Hamlin, she knows he is betrothed to marry a quality woman who is in hiding from a wicked man who threatened her with a curse. Lord Hamlin also fights his attraction to Rose.
In the meantime, Rose tries to convince herself Rupert is the one for her. Because he isn't in line for the throne, it is feasible that he may ask her to marry him. And what girl wouldn't want this catch?
There ends up being a lovely mystery involved, easy to solve, but still quite charming. Rose is a delightful character. She prays throughout the book and I really liked this about her. There were a few nice little twists, or side stories, that kept the book flowing. I didn't want to stop once I had started the tale.
I did find it somewhat annoying at the end of the book at how things were resolved. I thought the book ended up a little too much on the preachy side when the theme of God and his path for your life was perfect through the first portion of the story. It was there but it wasn't too preachy. The end was out there. The last third or fourth of the book was weird. The fabulous characters really didn't take action. Others have said it on their reviews and I hoped they were exhauggerated but nope. They just prayed and prayed and didn't take any kind of action.
I talked about this with my husband and he said it reminded him of the story that tells about a stranded man at sea. He could drown or starve but he has much faith in God to save him. Two or three boats come across the man and ask him if he wants a ride and the man declines saying "Nope, God will save me". So the man drowns. When he reaches Heaven he said "God, why didn't you answer my prayers?" and God says "Well I sent three boats to save you!".
I believe God is a guiding hand in our life, as the book states. However, its ridiculous to not work with God and use our free will to help ourselves.
Even with this complaint I can't give the book less that four stars. I truly found it deightful. And of course its clean and sweet and perfect for your younger teens to enjoy as well.
And I really love a good fairy tale. This was a good fairy tale and its based (loosely) on the Sleeping Beauty tale. It is the story of a poor woodcutter's daughter who is now an apprentice to the court's healer woman. Rose gains the interest of two brothers. The eldest, Lord Hamlin, is next in line to the throne. He is kind and has a great love of God and his people. Rupert, the younger brother, is a cad with a horrible reputation of loving and leaving the ladies. Although Rose loves Hamlin, she knows he is betrothed to marry a quality woman who is in hiding from a wicked man who threatened her with a curse. Lord Hamlin also fights his attraction to Rose.
In the meantime, Rose tries to convince herself Rupert is the one for her. Because he isn't in line for the throne, it is feasible that he may ask her to marry him. And what girl wouldn't want this catch?
There ends up being a lovely mystery involved, easy to solve, but still quite charming. Rose is a delightful character. She prays throughout the book and I really liked this about her. There were a few nice little twists, or side stories, that kept the book flowing. I didn't want to stop once I had started the tale.
I did find it somewhat annoying at the end of the book at how things were resolved. I thought the book ended up a little too much on the preachy side when the theme of God and his path for your life was perfect through the first portion of the story. It was there but it wasn't too preachy. The end was out there. The last third or fourth of the book was weird. The fabulous characters really didn't take action. Others have said it on their reviews and I hoped they were exhauggerated but nope. They just prayed and prayed and didn't take any kind of action.
I talked about this with my husband and he said it reminded him of the story that tells about a stranded man at sea. He could drown or starve but he has much faith in God to save him. Two or three boats come across the man and ask him if he wants a ride and the man declines saying "Nope, God will save me". So the man drowns. When he reaches Heaven he said "God, why didn't you answer my prayers?" and God says "Well I sent three boats to save you!".
I believe God is a guiding hand in our life, as the book states. However, its ridiculous to not work with God and use our free will to help ourselves.
Even with this complaint I can't give the book less that four stars. I truly found it deightful. And of course its clean and sweet and perfect for your younger teens to enjoy as well.
63 of 75 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
2.5 stars; starts out wonderful, degenerates into preachiness and inactivity
November 29, 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. This looked like a wonderful book, a great historical romance with a bit of fantasy flare to it. It was okay, in fact the beginning of the book was pretty good, but it declined from the middle of the book on. Keep in mind I approached this as a historical fantasy, I was not aware that the publisher was a Christian fiction publisher....so when characters started setting aside action to wait for God to save them and then the Duke of the realm used his divine right as a leader to banish demons I was confused and irritated.
This is the story of Rose. Rose is apprenticed to the Healer of the realm. When the Duke's sons come for a visit; both of them are drawn to her beauty. Rose knows her place in the realm and, as a Healer's Apprentice, does not want the attention of either brother. When one of the brothers, Wilhelm, is injured Rose heals him. Wilhelm and Rose are drawn to each other's personalities, but it cannot be. Wilhelm is betrothed to a Princess whose identity will not be revealed until the evil mage is defeated. Meanwhile Wilhelm's younger brother, a rogue of sorts, has started courting Rose. Wilhelm struggles to keep his feelings for Rose under wraps while trying to hunt down the evil mage that plagues the realm.
This book started out pretty good. It had a lot of a fairy tale feel to it, with a definite German tone. You can't help but love the characters in the beginning they are all so sweet, pure, and innocent. Rose is determined to be good and to have a life as a healer. Rose can get to be a little much at points; she is pure to the point of not exposing her arms, not touching a man's hand, or wearing makeup. But that seemed to be mostly cultural, so went well with the story. The writing is fairly well done and engaging; there are beautiful descriptions but the dialogue between characters is a bit stilted. I was really enjoying this as a sweet historical romance with a bit of a fantasy flare to it...then we get to the second half of the book.
Keep in mind I did not know this book was released by a christian fiction publisher, so readers beware. As the book continues God is mentioned a lot (I mean a lot a lot) and scripture is quoted. Wilhelm is especially religious; all of which I don't have a problem with. The problem comes in when the characters decide to stop taking action and sit on their bums praying for God to save them. I was like "what is going on here?"..."Why are these wonderful characters waiting around for God to do their work for them rather than taking positive action themselves?"
Then suddenly things get even stranger; Rose is haunted by demons and speaking in tongues. Wilhelm enters to save the day by using his power as a Duke to cast the evil forces out of his realm in God's name. It all got very weird, was very predictable, and made me very uncomfortable. I couldn't figure out why the author would drop such a sweet positive story and turn it into some weird parable of religious text.
Overall I loved the beginning of this book. The characters are positive, sweet, and likable. The romance between Rose and Wilhelm is well-founded and they have great chemistry together. I hated the ending of the book, I thought the overpowering use of God as a solution to the characters problems and Wilhelm's sudden ability to make use of divine intervention were strange and distasteful. So just be warned; this is a Christian fantasy and gets very preachy towards the end of the book. If that's not your thing pick up a different book with sweet characters and wonderful romance; I recommend Crown Duel (Crown Duel / Court Duel) by Sherwood Smith or The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. This book is appropriate for all young adults and older.
This is the story of Rose. Rose is apprenticed to the Healer of the realm. When the Duke's sons come for a visit; both of them are drawn to her beauty. Rose knows her place in the realm and, as a Healer's Apprentice, does not want the attention of either brother. When one of the brothers, Wilhelm, is injured Rose heals him. Wilhelm and Rose are drawn to each other's personalities, but it cannot be. Wilhelm is betrothed to a Princess whose identity will not be revealed until the evil mage is defeated. Meanwhile Wilhelm's younger brother, a rogue of sorts, has started courting Rose. Wilhelm struggles to keep his feelings for Rose under wraps while trying to hunt down the evil mage that plagues the realm.
This book started out pretty good. It had a lot of a fairy tale feel to it, with a definite German tone. You can't help but love the characters in the beginning they are all so sweet, pure, and innocent. Rose is determined to be good and to have a life as a healer. Rose can get to be a little much at points; she is pure to the point of not exposing her arms, not touching a man's hand, or wearing makeup. But that seemed to be mostly cultural, so went well with the story. The writing is fairly well done and engaging; there are beautiful descriptions but the dialogue between characters is a bit stilted. I was really enjoying this as a sweet historical romance with a bit of a fantasy flare to it...then we get to the second half of the book.
Keep in mind I did not know this book was released by a christian fiction publisher, so readers beware. As the book continues God is mentioned a lot (I mean a lot a lot) and scripture is quoted. Wilhelm is especially religious; all of which I don't have a problem with. The problem comes in when the characters decide to stop taking action and sit on their bums praying for God to save them. I was like "what is going on here?"..."Why are these wonderful characters waiting around for God to do their work for them rather than taking positive action themselves?"
Then suddenly things get even stranger; Rose is haunted by demons and speaking in tongues. Wilhelm enters to save the day by using his power as a Duke to cast the evil forces out of his realm in God's name. It all got very weird, was very predictable, and made me very uncomfortable. I couldn't figure out why the author would drop such a sweet positive story and turn it into some weird parable of religious text.
Overall I loved the beginning of this book. The characters are positive, sweet, and likable. The romance between Rose and Wilhelm is well-founded and they have great chemistry together. I hated the ending of the book, I thought the overpowering use of God as a solution to the characters problems and Wilhelm's sudden ability to make use of divine intervention were strange and distasteful. So just be warned; this is a Christian fantasy and gets very preachy towards the end of the book. If that's not your thing pick up a different book with sweet characters and wonderful romance; I recommend Crown Duel (Crown Duel / Court Duel) by Sherwood Smith or The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. This book is appropriate for all young adults and older.
40 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am not a huge fan of historical fiction but I had agreed to read and write a review on this book. Imagine my surprise when I read the first line and realized the book was set in 1386. But I boldly went forth and began to read the book. Two hours later, I'd read approximately one-third of the book and the only reason I put it down was to sleep. This book went with me everywhere for the next two days (if I had not had to work, I would have finished in one day). I have just finished "The Healer's Apprentice" by Melanie Dickerson. Spell-binding. Page-turning. Can't-put-it-down. I am now hooked on early historical romance fiction.
Although this book is considered YA, adults will enjoy reading it, too. I give this book my highest recommendation.
Although this book is considered YA, adults will enjoy reading it, too. I give this book my highest recommendation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book both mother and daughter can read.
It was a good book, my daughter read it first and told me to read it. It had mystery, suspend and the main characters kept God first in their lives. I enjoyed it.
Published 21 hours ago by Carol Tawney
5.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic Fairytale
I love historical fiction, so this was a slight departure from the norm for me. I was concerned that the storyline would be a little hokey based on the popular movies of the day,... Read more
Published 6 days ago by Virginia Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really liked it.
I really liked this book for a quick read. If your taking a car ride or want to pull an all-niter than this book is perfect. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Kimonos4me
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Healers Apprentice
The Healers Apprentice was a great book and a quick read with clean language that has that classic fairytale feel with Christian references.
Published 25 days ago by Landon
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read
A very well written book. It kept you guessing all the way. Couldn't put it down. Please read and enjoy!
Published 28 days ago by Doris Parsley
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of my favorites
I have liked all of Dickerson novels so far and I think this is one of my favorites. A good read.
Published 1 month ago by kjarett
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a little hope....or anyone just looking for an entertaining read.
Published 1 month ago by esperanza
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not terrible
While this book was not a terrible book, it was extremely predictable and very cheesy. As a Christian who loves to read I thought that I would like this but I couldn't even finish... Read more
Published 2 months ago by amin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best and first of the three
I think this first book is the best because the romance takes more than a day to develop. The characters are fleshed out and you get a sense of mystery as well.
Published 2 months ago by agallen
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Healers Apprentice
This book is a very good book. I think that it is the first in s series. I read this before and now I would like to read it again
Published 2 months ago by southernlass
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