Veiled Rose (Tales of Goldstone Wood #2) by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Epub)

Description

Rose Red trusts no one with her secret. She hides in the forest, her face veiled in rags, shunning the company of all save her old father and her nanny goat. Her life is bleak and lonely. Until she meets a privileged young man sent to spend his summer in the mountains. Leo, a lonely lad, befriends Rose Red, and together they begin hunting for the Mountain Monster which, rumor says, stalks these lands. But the hunt which began as a game holds greater risk than Leo supposes. Rose Red can scarcely guess at the consequences should he insist on continuing his search. Dare she trust him with her secret? Or tell him what dwells at the top of the mountain in the cave only she can find? Above all, when Leo asks Rose Red to leave the mountain and follow him to the low country, dare she agree and risk the wrath of a Monster that is all too real?

User’s Reviews

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood, and Starflower. Heartless, Veiled Rose, and Dragonwitch have each been honored with a Christy Award. Learn more at anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Veiled Rose is Book Two in the enchanting Tales of Goldstone Wood series, and most effective and satisfying when read after Book One, Heartless. This fascinating allegory fantasy will have you diving into an exquisite tale of memorable mortal and mythical type characters, evil dragons, intriguing and unique settings, and with an inspirational and phenomenal storyline!Throughout this story, you’ll also feel God’s beautiful and ceaseless love portrayed. Additionally, you’ll be prompted to think about the darkness that may seep into our lives when we don’t `follow the light’ by putting our trust in Him during life’s adversities.In Veiled Rose, we view the individual journeys of the enigmatical veiled girl Rose Red and the kind and humorous, yet fallible Prince Lionheart. We also experience the epic battle between good and evil throughout, and ultimately the tug-of-war for our souls.The wonderfully mysterious Rose Red lives on a forest mountain behind a village, hiding from the villagers and wearing a shroud of veils. She has only her father who works all day and her nanny; a goat named Beana for companionship, and therefore is terribly lonely. When a young lad called Leo who is spending the summer holidays at Hill House at the bottom of the mountain, ventures up the mountain to fight the `monster’ that he’s heard the villages whisper about, he meets the odd but interesting Rose Red. They spend many hours playing adventures and so began a deep and abiding friendship. Eventually she acquiesces to show him the monster in the cave. Who and what is the mystery of this monster? And can she trust her friend with this secret? Leo returns five years later, and when he discovers that Rose Red’s father has died and she is barely eating, he brings her home with him to Southlands, having revealed he is in actual fact Prince Lionheart of the Southlands.The horrifying Dragon King, who believes Rose Red is the Beloved of his Enemy, is furious to see her leave the mountain, and him. He gives her a year and a day to return or he will come for her. When she didn’t return, the Dragon attacked Southland setting everything on fire and causing great destruction across the kingdom. And even when the fires died down, the lingering poisonous smoke continued to affect the citizens and their minds making them weak and causing dark thoughts. Lionheart sets off to find a way to be able to kill the dragon and save his family and kingdom. However the Dragon King’s sister, The Lady of Dreams, plans to ensnare Lionheart by manipulating him to choose a dream that will go against his will, his new love, and to enslave him. Follow Lionheart aka Leo the Jester as he disguises himself while on his courageous quest to rid his kingdom of the evil. Likewise, join Rose Red in her own journey of grave danger and self-discovery.I genuinely enjoyed this ingenious tale and recommend it highly for everyone! It’s especially encouraging for those who are going through difficult circumstances and finding it difficult to place their whole trust in God. And if you are feeling lonely or just different, you’ll relate very much to the character of Rose Red.Wrapping up this review I’d love to share some words of God’s amazing love from the Thrush Songbird in Veiled Rose. “I want you for yourself. I want you to be everything you were intended to be before the worlds were formed. Everything this death-in-life has prevented you from becoming. Yes, we both want your loyalty… I will never take something from you that you do not wish to give.”Thank you Anne Elisabeth Stengl for this treasure!

⭐ How are we perceived by others and by ourselves? The second installment in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series beautifully examines this theme in a compelling manner. I especially loved how Mrs. Stengl skilfully interweaves instances from her first novel, Heartless, into this second book. We as readers get to see events unfold from another character’s perspective. However, even though certain scenes overlap in both books, each story stands perfectly on its own.Leo spends summers at Hill House with his studious and priggish cousin, Foxbrush. There are rumors that a monster lives within the mountains that rise above Leo’s summer dwelling, and the eleven-year-old is determined to pursue this malevolent force. On his first excursion into unknown and potentially dangerous territory, Leo encounters a mysterious young girl swathed in veils from head to toe. Thus begins a summer of adventure unlike any Leo has ever experienced. The girl, (Rose Red), leads a secluded and lonely life in the mountains, her only companions being her nanny goat, a brusque but kindhearted gardener whom she calls Father, a mysterious “Imaginary Friend,” and a manipulative and seductive “Dream” that nightly insinuates itself into her sleep. Rose Red relishes Leo’s company; finding within him the possibility of companionship and adventure she has never known. However, two seductive yet malicious dragons pursue both Rose Red and Leo, and they must make momentous decisions that will change their lives and the destinies of those around them.This story is enthralling and beautifully written. The character of Rose Red truly resonated with me. Her profound sense of isolation and her loyalty to Leo moved me to tears. Her character reminded me of Leah in the Old Testament, (the often overlooked yet ultimately loved woman whose son is in Christ’s genealogy), and of Eponine in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. As a blind individual, I appreciated the reminder that, despite our limitations and unworthiness, and despite a world that is often fearful and hostile, we as human beings are loved by Someone who pursues us and constantly entreats us, “Beyond the final water falling, The song of spheres recalling, Won’t you turn to me”?All the characters are truly engaging. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Leo, (who was first introduced in Heartless), was given more depth. His motivations for decisions were easier to understand.Stengl’s use of the Christ figure in this installment was more subtle than in Heartless, but the scenes with his character were truly heartwarming and beautiful. Also, the Dragon King and his sister were extremely frightening in this installment. Evil is presented in its true form, and its manipulation and malice truly permeates the pages of this novel. A mesmerizing read that deserves to be enjoyed. I hope that one day, this series will be available in an audio format. Please give this novel a chance. God bless you all.

⭐ Lionheart, or Leonard the jester, was an interesting character from the first book. He disappointed me then, and he continued to disappoint me in this book. I don’t mean this in a negative way. All of the characters in this series have their faults, their imperfections. It’s what makes them human and relatable. He was a believable human being, victim to the follies of youth and the chains of duty. He desperately wanted to be free, but freedom wasn’t what he thought it would be. I couldn’t help but love him, cheer for him, and hope for him. He disappointed me so many times, yet I continued to wish him success and happiness.Rose Red was a beautiful character. She also had her faults. Most of which had to do with her fears and her lack of trust in others. But she was brave and selfless. She gave everything to the prince she adored and the woman he was supposed to marry. I wanted her to find happiness, and in a way, I think she did.The ending was different. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I’ll just say that it surprised me, yet it didn’t. It’s not typical, yet it was a perfect fit for this story. I’m interested to see where this series leads next.The only downside to this book was the length. There were times I got impatient (just like in the first book), but for the most part, I loved it. Anne Elisabeth Stengl captured an adventurous boy’s spirit perfectly. I adored the friendship that developed between Lionheart and Rose Red as children and continued through adulthood.Content: some fantasy violence, but still very clean.

⭐ _Veiled Rose_ comes before most of the events in the first book in the series, _Heartless_. That shouldn’t deter readers. The book stands on its own, with a different point of view. It could be read and enjoyed without reading the first one, even though there is significant character overlap, and the events are related.As a long-time reader of fantasy fiction, by such authors as McKillip, Le Guin, Vance, Lewis, Tolkien and others, I believe that Stengl’s work is as good, or almost as good, as theirs. She writes well. She describes various settings admirably. Her characters are memorable, and some of them have important pasts. The plot is not predictable. Although these books were published by a publisher known for publishing fiction aimed at evangelical Christian women, I see no reason why a non-Christian, or a male, wouldn’t like, and be impressed, with Stengl’s work. The books are not preachy. There is no mention of God, religious conversion, the Bible, and other elements often found in works by this publisher.It’s fantasy. There is an enchanted realm, impinging on the ordinary world. (The ordinary world is relatively standard sword and sorcery — no gunpowder, electricity or combustion engines.) There are evil, and intelligent, dragons. The main character is a girl, or perhaps something else, who wears a veil. We aren’t really told why. One of the themes is loyalty. Rose Red is loyal to Lionheart, and he is not completely loyal to her. There are some fine three-dimensional characters. One such is Daylily, who is supposed to marry Lionheart, but tells him to go after Rose Red after Lionheart expels her from his father’s kingdom. Daylily is enigmatic, and even though her father has programmed her, the reader isn’t always right about what she will do.Let’s put it this way. After reading Stengl’s first three books (another is on the way in November 2012) I have gone back to re-read them, and am glad that I have.I do wish that there had been a map, of the human realms — the fairy realms, as described, would have been impossible to map, because they don’t entirely exist in the same world, or dimension, as the realms of mortals.The Kindle edition is well produced, and easy to navigate.

⭐ The Veiled Rose is a great sequel to Stengl’s Heartless. The story centers around Leo and Rose Red. Leo is the prince (Lionhart) from Heartless. The great thing about this book is you begin to see Lionhart’s perspective, and understand why he did what he did in Heartless. Rose Red and Leo from a friendship one summer. Once the summer is over Leo takes Rose Red back to the palace as his servant, and from there the story begins to unwind. I picked up this book and couldn’t put it down. I finished it in less then and days time, and eagerly reached for the next one.The nice thing about this series is it’s written by a Christian, but it doesn’t contain any scripture. She doesn’t try to incorporate Gd and Christ figures into her book series (which would be difficult considering this is a fantasy series). Instead she uses Biblical themes like sacrifice, love, forgiveness, and grace to get the gospel message across without actually using the gospel. I can clearly see parallels between this book and the Bible.

⭐ If you are looking for a series that you can read more than once, this is your series! The books are not so much sequels as reverse prequels, and all tie in together. I never wanted to re-read a fiction book (except for Lord of the Rings) until I read Veiled Rose, now I find myself going back to read Heartless again and still loving it.These books have a little action, some adventure, definitely fantasy, and a bit of non-steamy romance. I’ve let my children read the series and they have enjoyed them, too, especially my daughter.I love the non-conventional ending to Veiled Rose, so if you get tired of predictable endings to books, try out the Goldstone Wood Books!

⭐ Veiled Rose is the second of 4 books so far in this series. This may not be the authors intention but I saw what happens to people who are not as good looking as other people and how they are treated. In this book it refers to the Rose being a monster.This book is best understood by reading the next book in the series.If you are looking for a book in the fantasy genre that doesn’t stoop to sex, violence and other things that don’t help the plot then here is the series.A great book to be read to younger children and to be read by all ages. It has enough depth for the more intelligent to receive a positive lesson on how to treat others.

⭐ Wow, Elizabeth this typologically deep! Some of the fantastical pictures she draws are absolutely exquisite. I think she is especially worth reading for Christian young people who are dealing with issues of the heart.She demonstrates, using her fantasy in a way that is very winsome, how well-meaning young people can be derailed by Satan’s wiles.If you want to follow my thought further, you should read the book! And you should also read the 1st book, “Heartless” before you read this book.

⭐ We are reading the Tales of Goldstone Wood, as a family. We enjoyed the first book and the second book is just as good.

⭐ A wonderful sequel to Heartless! I was hooked from the first page to the last! Rose Red is an amazing female main character and Lionheart is not far behind. I enjoyed this book way more than the first. The story continues with the dragon brother and sister. Both are fighting for their “prizes” that they won in a game. I liked how the book tied into the first book at the end. This book takes place a few years before the Dragon reached Princess Una in Heartless.

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