Anne Elisabeth Stengel writes another fantastic book in this series! Just when I think her novels can't get any better and are the best yet, she surprises me and does even better with the next novel! "Dragonwitch" was definitely no exception!
I'll admit that for a while in the beginning I was lost and confused. I had read the entire series previously, but I felt there was a lot going on and it took me a while to catch up. However once I did, the story really took me off on an exciting journey!
All the mortals were extremely flawed characters and were so easy to relate to. They all struggled with some kind of doubt concerning the realness of Faerie stories they had learned from a child. They would eventually have to face their ideas/beliefs when meeting these people of legends. Are they going to believe their words of truth or are they going to be so full of doubt that their eyes won't open to the power of their words? This is a question that the characters struggle with throughout "Dragonwitch," with some of the characters believing in what they thought didn't exist and others not really seeing the true light!
Something that has blown me away with each one of Anne's novel is the powerful message she writes throughout the series. Someone might ask "How can any fantasy novel have a Biblical message?". Well Anne definitely answers this question with a big YES throughout Tales of Goldstone Woord. The message in "Dragonwtich" left me tear-eyed, which was Jesus is our living water and has called us to a greater purpose. There are other inner lying messages, but this one was superior to them all. People might view themselves as a person of no beauty, worthless, different, doubtful, and many other negative thoughts that the devil wants us to believe. The reason being is because he knows if we live and believe these thoughts then we will never truly embrace the calling that Jesus has spoken over our lives and won't be able to walk the path He has laid for us. He died on the cross so that we may have living water, but we as people have to believe and trust in Him. It doesn't matter if He calls/tells to do something that would seem impossible to not only us, but everyone around. He makes us a new creation through our faith in Him so that we truly can do the impossible through His name and fulfill the purpose He had for us since the beginning of time.
I strongly encourage anyone to read this novel who loves the typical fantasy of goblins, dragons, and a beautiful unicorn because not only are the characters unforgettable, but the storyline has a message that will not be easily forgotten as well.
