Review: A Dream Not Imagined

My internet is back (for now at least; storms, huzzah…) so I can blog again — yay!

Hmm, I haven’t done a review around here in awhile, so let’s get to it! 🙂

A Dream Not Imagined

by Shantelle Mary Hannu

A MAID, a PRINCE, and a DUKE. A GARDENER, a STEPMOTHER, and a SECRET…

Ellie Abbington, a beautiful yet unassuming young woman, quietly longs for her life to change. Too privileged to associate with the servants—too underprivileged to associate with her own family; she dreams a dream of a prince and a happily ever after.

But it could be that her own stepsisters, conniving Dezmarie and easily-influenced Adelaide, are dreaming the same dream…of the same prince.

In the end, are dreams even all they’re made out to be? Especially with deep and long-hidden secrets about to be unearthed?

A Dream Not Imagined is a non-magical fairytale novella based loosely on the classic tale of Cinderella.

My Review

5 stars!

I absolutely love fairytale retellings, so I jumped on the chance to read this one!

A Dream Not Imagined is a lovely retelling that at first feels very like the classic Cinderella… and yet! Those twists! My goodness, I did not see them coming! At first I was so worried and could not see how it could work out all right. But then it surprised me by turning out better than I could have imagined! I was so impressed that it could turn that around and I ended up extremely happy with it. I just loved this book. 🙂

The whole story has an intriguing mystery lurking around the edges, weaving throughout. It was so fun to try to piece together the hints and clues, and then stunning when all the pieces fell into place and the whole picture was made clear–that conclusion! I’ve always said that fairytales and mysteries are my favorite genres for shorter stories–they just seem to fit–and here this is both!

It’s a novella, so it’s a very quick read, but far from making it feel rushed, it felt like just the right size. It was amazing how full of depth and detail it was for its length. The writing has a sweet fairytale-like quality, while at the same time feeling fresh. Miss Hannu is an author to keep an eye on! It’s beautifully written and I could see everything so vividly–I love the “feel” of the setting.

I loved Ellie–she was quite relateable and all I wanted was for everything to turn out well for her, the poor dear! My heart broke with hers, and sang when hers sang… In fact, all of the characters were portrayed with a startling depth and clarity–I felt like they were all quite real, which again was impressive with the brief length of the book. And there is one young man in particular who captured my heart… 😉 He was awesome.

I loved the beautiful romance, which was my favorite part of the story. There is some heartache, but ultimately it was adorable and sigh-worthy. It was sweet and appropriate, so no fears there, and it wasn’t the whole of the plot either, so even if you’re not the biggest fan of romantic plots, I think you’ll still find the rest of the story worth reading.

It’s a non-magical retelling, but it was cute to see how the roles sometimes played by the Fairy Godmother and/or mice in some versions were carried out in this.

There were also some lovely moments about faith and about God writing our stories that were particularly beautiful.

I loved the dancing, and the final scene before the epilogue was awesome. And now I want to eat some apple-tarts… The whole conclusion and ending was perfection itself. ❤

A Dream Not Imagined is a beautiful story with lovable characters, a thrilling air of mystery, a thread of faith, a sweet romance, and some surprising twists. If you like an enjoyable quick read, or a good retold fairytale (and who doesn’t!), do consider giving this lovely one a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! 🙂

(NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the author in return for my honest review. It was not required to be positive. These opinions are entirely my own.)

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A Dream Not Imagined will be released in June 2015. That’s next month, y’all! Keep an eye out for it! 🙂

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