Disclosure: I received this book to review; this post contains affiliate links. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Move over, Tolkien. When I saw the cover for Dragonwitch  I knew it was a book I HAD to read! Fairies and myths are not just child’s play.  I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and went to see each one in the theater, but only after I finished reading them.  I found Tolkien’s books to be fascinating yet difficult to suffer through.  The names and tedious descriptions of the landscape seemed to go on for miles.  The story itself was intriguing, though, and totally worth the ride.  If you’re in the same boat, pick up some books by Anne Elisabeth Stengl.  She has the same mind for legends but writes in a much more readable way.  Although this is the 5th book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series (and I haven’t read any of the others) it works as a standalone.  I do plan to read the others in the series, starting with Heartless  which is currently FREE for Kindle. Grab it before the winds of Amazon change! 

Dragonwitch has the same longish names that most Middle Earth books have.  I’m not sure why that’s a necessary element in these books but it is.  If you can get past that and keep the characters straight, the rest of the book is easy to follow.  This would make a fantastic movie, with the ever-present battle between good and evil.  One of the main characters in the story, Alistair, suffers from cryptic nightmares that seem to have a meaning that reach beyond his grasp.  Fans of Harry Potter will enjoy the shape-shifting and mystery that shroud the events in the story.  I stayed up several nights in a row reading this book.  I just honestly couldn’t get the story off of my heart.  The characters seemed so real and meaningful to me, even down to the wretched queen-in-waiting Minthe.  This book will be passed along to my sister who will love it, I just know it!!

Dragonwitch is appropriate for anyone in the family.  It would be perfect for kids in middle grades, as long as someone helped them with the tougher words, and up.  I hope you’ll give this series a try!