The Piper's Pursuit
by Melanie Dickerson
Book 10 of the Hagenheim series
Rating: 4/5

Warning: you may lose sleep if you start reading this book. Also, this book can be read as a standalone novel. It's more fun if you read the previous books, but it is not necessary for understanding.

Melanie Dickerson has some of the best retellings out right now with a Christian perspective. The writing is well done and the characters are authentic. I am such a huge fan and was impatiently waiting for this book to be released. When I saw a chance to review an ARC, I knew I had to take it. You will not regret picking up this book (or buying it online) because it's that good.

A reimagined fairytale of the Pied Piper, this book is full of action, love and adventure. Our heroine, Kat, is on a mission to take down the Beast of Hamlin and will do whatever it takes to save the children that have been disappearing from their village. Steffan arrives in Hamlin looking to make a difference so he can return home to Hagenheim and his family without disgrace. He is obviously fascinated by Kat and must join her on this quest to figure out what is happening in Hamlin.

Kat is a strong female lead who knows how to use her crossbow and is extremely intelligent. She has her own problems and issues to deal with like you and me. She struggles with trusting others due to past hurts. Sound like anyone you know?

Steffan is the black sheep of his family and so remorseful over his past deeds. Can he learn to forgive himself and trust in God's forgiveness? How often do we struggle with forgiving ourselves when God has already extended his grace and forgiveness?

I loved the main characters and the growth they show throughout the story. I took one star away because the ending seemed a bit short to me. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and cannot wait for the next one!

I highly recommend this book for those that enjoy fairytale retellings with a strong female lead and clean romance incorporating faith.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

(4.5 stars) – an exciting twist on the classic fairytale

PTSD/PARENTAL WARNING ***Though not graphic, this story does contain a threatened rape scene***

The book has a very beautiful, eye-catching cover that did a great job grabbing my attention!

Katerina is trying to save her town and Steffan is trying to reclaim his honor. Things are not as they seem though. Kat’s stepfather says he’s a Christian but he’s not. He’s actually pretty cruel, and she wants very much to get away from him.

Kat and Steffan don’t get along so well at first, but they eventually learn to work together as a team. They also learn about trusting in God, forgiveness and mercy. There’s a lot of action and suspense, which was good, but I liked the romance and wouldn’t have minded a little more of it.

Ironically, the rats seemed secondary, almost like an add-on to the story in order to tie it to the original tale.

There were a few surprising twists and a few not so surprising. All in all, it made for an entertaining read! This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it so much that I am looking forward to exploring the rest of her works.

*Clean romance level: sweet kisses

*Religion: Christian and natural to the story

3.5/5
I don’t typically pick up historical fiction romance stories, but this one was interesting! It is a fairytale retelling of the Pied Piper while following the story of Katerina and Steffan. The village of Hamlin is being plagued by a host of rats in the village while a mysterious beast outside the walls kidnaps children and kills townspeople. Katerina’s step-father is the mayor of Hamlin, who seems to have a dark secret, and Katerina is determined to figure out what the root cause of the troubles in her village.

I enjoyed Katerina as a character as she wields a crossbow and doesn’t submit to men or the societal role women are placed in. She is headstrong with an iron will and follows her heart to do what is right. Steffan is the son of the Duke, who owns the land of Hamlin, and is trying to atone for his past sins. He is protective and shows strong character to aid Katerina in her quest. They embark together on the pathway to answers and that’s where action, secrets, and romance ensues!

An updated retelling of the classic fairy tale of THE PIED PIPER OF HAMLIN but this one involves a tough heroine who must place her trust in a nobleman's son. We have all the classic themes here - mean stepfather, lovable but misunderstood nobleman's son, tough gutsy female heroine who doesn't need a man to take care of her business and a beast who is abducting children. The mystery of who and why is another matter and with that, we also have the potential romance between these two unlikely hunters. Romance driven young adults will enjoy this as well as older middle graders who enjoy twisted retellings of old tales. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Y’all, there was no way I wasn’t going to love this. Everyone knows that I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings, especially good ones, and this did not disappoint! Also, it turns out that this is actually part of a series of books set in the same universe – this is actually book #10! – but it looks like the books can call be read as standalone books as well. This one definitely could. There were some hints about events that happened prior, but none were needed to follow Katerina’s story.

Speaking of Katerina, let’s dive into our main character. She. Is. Awesome! I love a strong female character who isn’t about to let men dictate what she can and cannot do! She loves the people of her town so much and is willing to risk her life to help save them from her lecherous stepfather, who is the mayor of the town. She’s a tough girl, which does make it hard to fall in love, but when you have someone like Steffan waiting for you, you just can’t help yourself. Steffan was a lovely counterpart to Katerina. Definitely not perfect. He had a past that was full of all sorts of bad things – betraying his family, killing people in battle needlessly. He is fascinated by Katerina and definitely falls for her, but he is also patient, especially when he realizes what her stepfather and his men have put her through.

Speaking of the stepfather, UGH! Hennek is a terrible, terrible man, one who truly believes that he is following the will of God in all of his terrible pursuits. Enslaving children. Stealing from the town. Terrorizing the women in his household. In short, an excellent villain that you desperately want to be defeated. His end was quite satisfying.

I definitely enjoyed the writing in this book. It was simple and elegant, very fitting for the fairy tale setting. I also liked the fact that even though it was a fairy tale retelling, it was very realistic – no magic or magical items. Even the beast has a real world explanation. All in all, it was just a very charming read. Very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it. I would also recommend checking out the other books in the Hagenheim series, as I’m sure they would give the story world even more depth and beauty.

Dickenson takes the tale of the Pied Piper and transforms it into a story of forgiveness and trust. It was so refreshing to have a strong heroine to follow through the story. She is a wonderful balance of strength and softness. The chance to catch up with Steffan was also well worth the read.
The book combines compelling characters with a wonderful story line that will leave you reading well past your bed time. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have to admit that I have never read the original story of the Pied Piper so I felt a little behind on where the story was coming from. But that did not make it any less of a good read. The redemption arc of Steffan was something that I really needed. If you have read any of the other books you know that poor Steffan has had it rough and made a few wrong choices.

I was excited to read this one, and easily found myself captivated by Katerina's story! I have limited to no fore knowledge of the Pied Piper, I just knew it involved a plague of mice, but I found that this story does a wonderful job of telling the story and keeping readers interested, while also telling a story of a strong young woman, who's story is full of thrilling adventures full of action and mystery, the promise of danger, suspense, romance, redemption and love.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book, besides some kind of romance. According to GoodReads this is book 10 in a series, but it is definitely possible to read this as standalone! I have not read any of the other books, and I had no problems whatsoever, if I didn’t know it was a series I wouldn’t be able to tell!
This book was such a pleasant surprise! I was very invested and read the whole book in one day! (I didn’t have anything else I had to do haha)
In the beginning of the book there was some kind of ‘mystery’ with missing children, a beast and an untrustworthy mayor. I thought solving this was what we were going to read about during this book, but actually we know the answers already halfway through the book, and the second half was solving the problems coming from this. Which was different from what I had expected, and I liked that!
I quite enjoyed the main character, she really could fend for herself!
There were quite some predictable things, the romance for example, but in this book I didn’t mind too much since there were also enough unexpected things. And this ‘balance’ made me continue reading, ‘just one more chapter’!
The reason why I took a star is the ending. I think it was a bit too long, definitely could have been 20 pages shorter! Also one of the last chapters felt very random and unnecessary. I definitely think that could have been left out easily!
I do really like that this was a retelling of Pied Piper of Hamelin! I don’t think I’ve seen that before!

When Steffen traves to Hamlin and learns of the beast terrorizing the people, he knows that he must stop it. Unfortionaly, to do that, he must work with Kat, the daughter of the mayor. They start hunting the beast and learn more than they could ever imagine, resulting in their lives being in danger.
Oh boy, so much of this book was phenomenal and I'm not quite sure where to start.
The plot was so intriguing that I could not put this book down, choosing to read it in one sitting instead. Everything about the plot and characters seemed more real than the previous books in the series. The characters struggled with forgiveness, their pasts, and what God has to say about that.
However, the writing seemed a lot more similar to Dina L. Sleiman's fairy-tale retellings as opposed to Melanie's typical book.
Overall, this was the best Dickerson book that I've read yet and I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates a clean fairy-tale.

Rating: 5 Stars
Content: 5 Stars

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

This was such an interesting read! I personally never read the original story of the Pied Piper -- I only know a little bit about it and definitely plan to read it after having read this amazingly written re-imagining. Melanie Dickerson is such an awesome writer. The way she weaves in the word of God in her books is simply amazing.

This story follows Katerina in Hamlin during the time that they are suffering from three horrifying things: 1) an outbreak of rats, 2) a mysterious beasts that attacks the people and 3) missing children. Katerina is not your typical "princess" as she is headstrong, hunts and fights back against evil. She does not bite her tongue for anyone. I love how much she cared for the people in her town. She was a very prideful character and cut off all men. She seemed very mean at first, but as the story went on and her story was revealed things began to make sense. I enjoyed her snarky remarks as well. She was amazing -- almost as "loud" as Mulan.

Steffan is also featured in the this story. He's the brother of Wolfgang from The Warrior Maiden. I didn't care for him much in that book, but this book is definitely his redemption. I adored him in this book. He is a very sweet guy that protects those he loves. He doesn't let women and children fend for themselves, he helps them whenever and however he can. He doesn't flaunt his power and authority, but he can be stuck up about his looks. Seeing more of his heart in this book made me really come to like him. That reunion with his parents towards the end was amazing.

The romance was everything! Slow-burn, angst and comical. You could see they were both attracted to one another immediately but it was more of Steffan chasing Katerina and her pushing him away. I adored their banter with one another. I enjoyed seeing them work together. They were the cutest thing ever...my second fav couple after Wolfgang and Mulan.

I could not stand the Hennek -- he annoyed me. He was an evil twisted man that treated those beneath him like trash. He was a horrible mayor, despicable man as a father and husband. He was simple pure evil. So concerned with money and wealth and not the hearts of the people. His idea of godly was so wrong. As for Hans, I was disappointed and hurt by his mindset and actions towards the end of the story. What he did was completely unforgivable, but he got what he deserved!

The whole outbreak with the rats was connected to the missing children. The whole beast situation shocked me when things are revealed about the beast and the "owner" -- I was just shocked the whole story and cracked up a lot from the silliness of Steffan and Katerina.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next installment to this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC!

I have to admit, I've never read any of the other books from the Hagenheim series. That being said, with The Piper's Pursuit the author makes it easy for new readers to jump in.

Despite me not knowing this was Christian fiction, I still found myself enjoying it despite being a bit wary towards religious fiction in general. The Piper's Pursuit is a loose retelling of the Pied Piper, a retelling I didn't know I wanted until I started this novel.

The two main characters, Katerina and Steffan, go through a lot of character development, and I felt that each thing that made them 'broken' were believable. I have a pet peeve when a character seems troubled or has something deep going on- but for the silliest of reasons! This was not the case. Katerina and Steffan hurt in ways that were so very human.

Anyway, the ending was very satisfying and all in all I really appreciate the women power vibe that comes from Melanie Dickerson's work. After reading The Piper's Pursuit I am more than inclined to check out the rest of Hagenheim.

***This will not be getting full marks due to the fact that It is Christian Fiction, which I was not made aware of when I requested this title***

3.8/5

The Piper’s Pursuit follows along the rest of Melanie Dickerson’s fairy tale retellings. It’s predictable, straightforward, and a little cheesy. But there are merits to the story and characters that some readers can benefit from.

Like The Warrior Maiden, The Piper’s Pursuit has a little bit more action than the previous books in the Hangheim series. Katerina is a hunter and Steffan a soldier, so the two of them head into the woods to find and fight the Beast of Hamlin. There is also a fair bit of running, hiding, escaping, and fighting in the latter half of the book as the danger unravels. This higher tension gives the story a little more edge than some of the previous books.

While the books are set during a time when women didn’t have a lot of rights or options, Melanie Dickerson always makes her female characters independent and strong. Katerina is no exception. She is determined to do whatever it takes to help her town, no matter what the men around her say or do. She doesn’t give into their desires but fights hard to protect herself and her mother against her abusive step-father.

Steffan’s story, however, is just as moving as Katerina’s. Drowning in guilt from his past as a soldier, Steffan is like the prodigal son and when he returns home, he learns the power of forgiveness. This is a Christian book so the forgiveness aspect ties in with God’s forgiveness. The character lean heavily on their faith throughout the book, but I never felt it was overwhelming or unrealistic.

The Piper’s Pursuit is supposed to be a retelling of the Pied Piper and while some aspects (missing children, piper, rats) were present in the story, I didn’t think it was that focused to be a retelling. It was more along the lines of a story inspired by the Pied Piper.

As always, I recommend Melanie Dickerson’s books for a younger audience itching to read YA books or anybody who wants a straightforward historical romance with a dash of fairy tale aesthetics and a PG rating.

This should come as no surprise - as Melanie Dickerson is one of my favorite authors and I have loved this entire series - I also loved this story and it is a nice addition to this fairy-tale retellings series. This one is a retelling of the Pied Piper's story - one that often gets overlooks by the more popular tales. This has everything that one looks for in a great story (fairytale retelling or not) - adventure, a dash of romance, and plenty of action with a few twists throw in.

Katerina Ludken doesn’t trust men. Living with an overbearing stepfather who frightens and manipulates her mother has taught her to mistrust men. Especially haughty and arrogant men. When a stranger rides into town and asks to see the mayor Katerina judges the young man in an instant—just another man like her stepfather. When the young man tries to flirt a little, Katerina knows she can’t trust him. Nor does she have time for silly flirtatioGerstenbergns.

Katerina’s beloved town of Hamlin has a mysterious rat invasion, a beast lurks outside the city gates, and more than 40 children have disappeared in the past year. She has mysteries to solve and a mother to protect. She has no time for idle flirtations.

Steffan Gerstenberg of Hagenheim has spent the past year repenting of his follies. Broke and not wanting to return home until he has performed a heroic deed, he ends up in the town of Hamlin. When he hears of a reward for killing the mysterious beast roaming in the forest outside the city, he thinks he has found his quest.

The jovial mayor offers his room and board while he hunts the beast. Steffan hopes to return home to his parents with good news attached to his name. Although he failed his quest to become a knight, he can still comport himself with chivalry.

What he sees and hears at the mayor’s house convinces him the situation will prove worthy of his time and skills. And the longer he stays, the more convinced he becomes that the mayor’s stepdaughter needs a knight at her side.

Dickerson once again peoples her pages with a strong female protagonist who proves that femininity doesn’t exclude strength—of person or character. Teenage girls will cheer for Katerina as she struggles to help her mother and outwit her domineering stepfather.
Teenage boys will also enjoy this book. Steffan provides a perfect role model for young men as he learns the difference between knighthood (the title) and true chivalry.

I love the way Melanie puts her spin on fairy tales and she has done another wonderful job with The Piper’s Pursuit! It was an interesting storyline about a town that has been plagued with problems. There is a mysterious beast attacking people, an abundance of rats have overtaken the streets, and children keep disappearing. It is up to Kat and Stefan to take care of all three problems. Kat and Stefan made a wonderful team and had great chemistry. I love that Kat wasn’t just a hopeless damsel in distress but was tough with a determined personality. Overall a very enjoyable read!

Melanie Dickerson has once again transported us away to a magical realm in The Piper’s Pursuit! In the Piper’s Pursuit, we meet Katerina and the people of Hamlin as both Katerina and Steffan battle their pasts and hopefully learn to trust and love again.
Melanie Dickerson weaves the tale flawlessly, interconnecting the past books with this present one with ease. While it may be a bit too intense for younger kids in scenes, this book is written for a young adult level of maturity, and I feel it does not overstep the bounds. I am mid-30’s and love this series!
If you like fairy tale retellings, this one is superb. God and Christian values are woven into this in a way that helps the reader apply scriptural truths to situations in a way that is not too preachy.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own, and I was not required to give a review.

Technically I would give this 4 1/2. The only reason for that is the beginning took me some time to get to. The main characters were interesting and very real. They had problems that we all struggled with in some form. The author brought in Gods forgiveness in such a way that it touched my heart and my spirit. This is only the second book that I have read in this series, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything with my lack of knowledge. I’m gonna read them all.

As far as a fairy-tale retelling go this book had a brilliant idea for a plot. But the way the story was put together it just didn’t stick the landing.
Others seems to really enjoy it, and I can agree that Steffan and Katerina was interesting characters. It's a shame we didn't get to see more of them than the "I'm taking no shit, I'm a badass female" and the somewhat guilt struken guy, gotta pay for all those sins... Both had potential but was just so simple in their characters. There was no depth to them.

The biggest letdown was the was the story itself. At first I found the story interesting and couldn't wait to spend the next 300-ish pages unraveling the mystery of the disappearing children of Hamlin. Except it became painfully obvious what was the cause of the children's disappearance not even 40 pages in. Sure the story could have continued on well even after that since knowing that caused the disappearance doesn't equals them actually founding them and defeating the wrong-doer. Except they do all of that and everything is basically solved not even 100 pages in. Yeah...
The next 200 pages is basically just boring fluff, there to stretch out a story that could have been a good 100 pages shorter. Instead it just drags on and on, not wanting to finish but not giving me anything proper to get the steam back in the story. It's not even a cat-and-mouse game at this point, it's just a character that comes back here and there to cause some trouble as a way to drag out the story a little bit more. The character just comes back and Oh, Boy what a twist! Not really...

'You aren't worthy because of what you've done, son. Because no one can ever do enough to be truly worthy. You're worthy because God gave His Son to make us worthy.'

I recall vividly my mama reading bible stories and fairy tales to my little brother and me as we were growing up. I have never stopped loving fairy tales. And Melanie Dickerson has a way of taking an old fairy tale, breathing new life into it and turning it into a wonderfully fresh and new fairy tale which honors God! I love her work.

I have always loved the Pied Piper of Hamlin story and she does wonders with this one! I was captivated from the very beginning and read it in one day. Highly recommended.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.