Wednesday, December 11, 2024

About the Book

Book: The Maiden Without Hands

Author: Michelle Redmon

Genre: Christian Fantasy

Release date: March 12, 2022

A mutilated healer with a tender heart, an anguished king with a missing twin, and a maniacal sorcerer who intends to have his way no matter the cost are inextricably connected in this retelling of a little-known fairy tale called The Maiden Without Hands.

When Elia and her parents take in an injured stranger, they have no idea of the chaos he will shortly bring to their lives. The stranger, a sorcerer named Thorn, becomes enamored of Elia. When he is rebuffed, he commits an unthinkable act, leaving Elia maimed, distraught, and separated from her family.

Adam is the ruler of Haven, a role he always expected to share with his twin sister. When the latter suddenly disappears, he is consumed with his need to find her. Will he ever find peace–even if he doesn’t find his sister? How will the disfigured young woman he finds along the way help him? And what will happen when the sorcerer finds them both?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Michelle Redmon is a self described “Jill-of-all-trades”. In addition to being an author, she is a visual artist, award winning vocalist, former children’s pastor, worship leader, homeschooling mom and cat lady. The most important thing that she is, is a follower of Jesus. Currently, she lives in Overland Park, KS with her husband, two kids, three cats and a dog.

More from Michelle

I have always loved fairy tales. From the time I could read, I loved curling up with a book of fairy tales, immersing myself in imaginary lands where kings and queens ruled, unicorns were real, and everyone (eventually) had their happily ever after. As I grew older, the love for fairy tales turned into a love for fantasy novels. My fascination with words in general turned into a love of writing, so, naturally, I began to write fantasy.

The Maiden Without Hands came to be because I had been wanting to retell a fairy tale in my own way. I didn’t want it to be one with which everyone was familiar, so I began reading through old Brothers Grimm books, focusing on their lesser known stories. When I came across the story of a virtuous young woman tormented by an evil sorcerer, I knew I had found my tale. What appealed to me was the fact that there were already some Christian elements to the story. I took the skeleton of the story and fleshed it out, adding my own elements to create The Maiden Without Hands.

It’s my hope that this tale will transport you to the world of Haven, and that the characters will resonate with you as they cry, laugh, dream, and discover their faith. It is also my hope that you will find something stirring in your own soul as you travel through the pages of this book.

So, are you ready? Once Upon a Time…

MY REVIEW

Before beginning this book I decided to skip to the end and read the original fairytale the author provided. I was not familiar with this one at all. After reading it I saw how the book and fairytale were similar. This is definitely not a book from young children because of how graphic it is at times.

The beginning pages show that a man known as Thorn was conceived out of a violent event. His mother hated him which caused him so much anger. When he becomes ill as a grown man he is taken in by Elia and her mother. Elia senses that he can’t be trusted and tells her mother she doesn’t want to be around him.

Day after day she feels his stares and continues to let her mother know how uncomfortable she is around him. I did like how she shared her faith with Thorn. He reacts with anger and wants nothing to do with this God she talks about. Thorn thinks Elia is his soulmate but he can’t be around someone who is a Christian. It turns out that Thorn is a sorcerer and uses magic on Elia .

It is a twisted mind that overtakes Thorn as he does the unthinkable. Greed and deceit storm in the room as Elia stands steadfast in God. Thorn must take away her ability to run away and then she will need him to care for her. Don’t miss this part where God shows Elia that He will send an angel to help her in her distress. God tells Elia, “in our darkest hour we must remember that God is right there with you.”

I adored Adam and how protective he came to be with Elia. He has no idea he is being watched but danger is very near. It was sad to see that his trusted friend was jealous of him and wanted to find a way to stop him from gaining the throne. There is a lot of deceit throughout the story and it is hard at times to know who to trust.

A very emotional moment in the story is when Elia shared her faith with Adam. She tells him, “He loves you, He wants so desperately to be a part of your life, but He doesn’t go where He isn’t wanted. He’s waiting for you to invite Him.” Those words linger with Adam as Elia leaves the room. Will he allow God to show him unconditional love?

This may have been a hard book to read at times, but I’m glad I finished it. Faith was very important in illustrating how God protects us. Evil is everywhere but we need to be sure we are turning to God for help. Each of us has a choice whether to ask Jesus into our hearts. He will show us that He loves us and forgives us.

God performs several miracles in the story and brought joy and trust into lives. Rejoicing begins when we follow His direction. He sets us free from the plans of the enemy and brings us joy.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.