"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."
This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty/Briar Rose. Oh, yes. I'm just reading fairy tale retellings like crazy, but I miss my childhood. Oh, those days of reading those sweet stories about true love, Prince Charming, and Happily Ever After. You have to admit that as a child, most people had been compelled to those stories and not just to Disney movies. In my opinion, Disney movies screwed every tale they touched. The stepmother from Snow Queen falling off the cliff? Bah! I like the bloody shoes better. More entertaining, and it shows a lot of character from other characters. Revenge is always a fascinating road, especially for heroes and heroines.
Healer's Apprentice is a bit obvious from the beginning. You probably all know who Rose is from the beginning. I mean, Briar Rose. Rose? That is a lot of empathizing already. It is not even foreshadowing. Anyway, it is a good fairy tale with a lot of twists and turns. Rose apparently likes the wrong guy, but has feelings for the right guy. Oh, my goodness. I'm already talking about the drama in this book. Needless to say, it is going to be very dramatic. It is all crazy and bawls and wailing. Well, if the characters could wail, they will wail.
Rose is a religious girl. I mean religious. But it should be obvious, right? It is a Christian novel. Honestly, that doesn't bother me very much. I guess I have more religious tolerance? I don't know exactly, but that is not the point of this review. Rose is a healer, who is obedient until she meets Lord Hamlin's little brother, who is also a creepy rapist. Ooops. Was that a surprise? Well, there was a lot of hints. Spoilers. Sorry. Anyway, Rose is a girl who annoyingly doesn't put two to two together. I mean, doesn't one plus one equals to ten? Oh, wait. That must be what she thinks. Even Lord... Oh, too early.
Lord Hamlin is also an idiot. They are smart or dumb, because plot demands it. Honestly, it doesn't matter very much to me, because I always enjoy retellings. I have a soft spot for them. Great, now I'm monologuing. Oh, wait. I even fail that sentence. I'm monologuing the entire review. Technically. Well, I'll think about it later. Lord Hamlin is like Disney's Prince from Snow White. I don't even know his name, and apparently neither does Snow White. They are only there for two reasons. 1) Move the plot forward/make heroine fall in love, and 2) Eye candy. And now, I'm done with Hamlin.
Overall, I think the Healer's Apprentice is a good read. It is interesting, with a good synopsis and plot. The writing is good too. I just insult the characters. That is all.
Rating: Three out of Five
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