The Captive Maiden

By Melanie Dickerson

ISBN: 9780310724414
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: November 23rd 2013
Number of Pages: 302
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: Gisela's childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father's death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela meets the duke's son, Valten--the boy she has daydreamed about for years--and learns he is throwing a ball, she vows to attend, even if it's only for a taste of a life she'll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten's eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.

My Rating:  

This is a fairy tale retelling of Cinderella (with some guest character appearances from other fairy tales) that has a Christian twist. I don't normally read Christian fiction, but I do love fairy tale retelling. 

We meet Gisela aka Cinderella in a situation we all know - girl becomes servant to stepmother & stepsisters after father dies. Instead of a prince though, we have the heir to a dukedom - Valten, whom Gisela met as a child when his father bought him a horse from her father's stables.  

"Evfemia wouldn't even allow me to have a fire in my chamber. When I was very young, sometimes I would build a fire in my fireplace anyway. And then when she made me put it out, I would sleep inside near the coals for warmth." - The Captive Maiden, 212

Valten has been off for two years fighting in tournaments and making a name for himself. After running into Gisela in town, she is invited to come watch in fight in what he has decided will be his last tournament. In addition to Evfemia (stepmother) and stepsisters Irma & Contzel, we have Valten's archenemy Ruexner and the lady Rainhilda (who is considered a shoo-in for Valten's chosen wife) as villains. Ruexner is an interesting character, very evil but then he surprises us sometimes with small allowances towards Gisela. Rainhilda doesn't really play a big role, but she does try to trip Gisela up. 

The story progresses pretty quickly and we have a few twists at the end. It is filled with adventure and has a little suspense. Valten & Gisela seemed to fall fast for each other and have the usual aspects of the obsessive young love. As I mentioned above, there is a Christian aspect to the story. The characters talk of putting themselves in God's hands and they encounter a monk that is spreading "the good news." I personally was not bothered by this, but it was noticeable. 

I liked the character of Ava as the "godmother." I wish we had more of her! She is mentioned as Gisela's friend, but there is no mention of her until Gisela needs a ride to the tournament. 

I'm interested in reading Dickerson's other books, one of which is a re-telling of Snow White - who makes an appearance in this book as Valten's betrothed but then ended up marrying his younger brother. "The Fairest Beauty" tells their story.


Nice quick read for fairy tale lovers and perfect for those that are fans of Christian fiction.