Courageous, by Dina L. Sleiman
Book 3 in the Valiant Hearts series
Genre: Teen Fiction
Rating: Four out of five hearts ♥♥♥♥
About:
Inspired by the vision of the Young Lady Sapphira, Rosalind of Ipsworth joins a group of men, women, and children as a defender of the cross, seeking to free captives from prisons near Tripoli. She gladly gives herself to the cause, as she's haunted by a tragic mistake and no longer deserves such joys as marriage and family might bring.
Sir Randel Penigree was reared to serve in the church, but dreams of protecting the innocent as a knight. Joining a crusade to escape humiliation at home, he finds himself drawn to Rosalind as they partner to train and protect a group of young adolescents. When they face political machinations, danger, and an unknown enemy bent on their destruction, they are forced to reconsider their priorities and the very nature of the God they serve.
Description from Amazon.com
My Review:
While this latest (and last) installment in the "Valiant Hearts" series didn't capture my heart (no pun intended) the way the first one did, it still provided a great read and was a good last-novel for the series.
I liked how I could relate to the character's problems and feelings (especially Rosalind, although I don't have exactly the same problems she does in the story) . Rosalind's struggle with feeling that she is not going to be forgiven until she's lived a good life is what I struggle with at times. Randel wasn't as easy for me to relate to, but I did like reading his story and watching him progress. I also enjoyed Sapphira, whose lovely personality and strong faith in God made her one of my favorite characters. I also loved how there were so many kid characters in this story.
The writing was good, and although it wasn't as gripping as I might've liked, I still very highly enjoyed it! Plus, the story plot was good. I'll admit, there were some red herrings I did fall for... And while every good story needs a happy ending, as this one has, like real life, not everything turns out perfectly.
Another thing... while this is the third book in a series, it can be read alone, without reading the first two novels in advance. I kind of liked that, but also wished to see more of the previous characters whom I had grown to love from the other books.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and while perhaps not as intriguing or action-packed as the first book, I enjoyed reading it and also getting reacquainted with Rosalind and Randel.
Note: I got this book free from Bethany House in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own.
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