"Moonblood" by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

"Moonblood" is the third book in the "Tales of the Goldstone Wood" series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. In this Christian fiction series, Ms. Stengl brings us characters like Rose Red, Lionheart, King Vahe, Beana, Hawkeye, and Daylily. In the world of magic, talking goats, unicorns, witches, and dragons dwell; and the threat of cowardice and defeat always seem close by.

Rose Red has been faithful to Lionheart, yet the people feel he is bewitched. While looking for any good excuse to kill her, a dragon is seen in the town and the villagers almost complete the brutal act. Banishing Rose Red breaks Lionheart's heart, but what else can he do? He is supposed to marry Daylily and become the Eldest some day. Isn't that worth any price? To Lionheart's credit, his answer is no and he begins his search for her in Goldstone Wood. What will become of Rose Red and Lionheart? Will Lionheart finally fight the dragon? Will King Vahe waken the children of the dragon? Is there more to this story?

This is the first book of the series that I read, and I will now get the other two and read them. Ms. Stengl definitely has a way with words and writing fantasy. I enjoyed the story and characters, although there were times I wished I had the background information of the other books. That said, I recommend this series to readers of fantasy everywhere. I received my free review copy from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review.