Starflower (Tales of Goldstone Wood #4) – Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Starflower Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Also by this author: Golden Daughter, Shadow Hand, Dragonwitch, Moonblood, Veiled Rose, Heartless, Fallen Star: A Short Story of Goldstone Wood, Draven's Light
Series: Tales of Goldstone Wood #4
Published by Bethany House on November 2012
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Fantasy
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five-stars

When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps fairest Lady Gleamdren, the Bard Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.

But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?

The Dragonwitch seeks the Flowing Gold of Rudiobus, and none save King Iubdan, Queen Bebo, and Lady Gleamdren know of its secret…and Lady Gleamdren would be the most easily captured and most likely to be persuaded to give up the secret of the legendary treasure.

Eanrin, the catlike Faerie poet from the previous Tales of Goldstone Wood, is smitten with Gleamdren, though her affections are more toward herself than any man. Even when the Dragonwitch kidnaps her, she sees it as more a game than a serious situation. A hundred suitors will come to my rescue! Truth be told, there are only two: Glomar and Eanrin. But along the way, Eanrin gets distracted by a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep in the Wood Between. One magical kiss later, she awakens to tell a beautifully tragic back story of a raging god and a blood sacrifice.

I dare not say any more for fear that I reveal too much. Anne Elisabeth Stengl begins the second cycle of Tales of Goldstone Wood with a wonderfully, brilliant new tale. If you’ve started at book one, you know Eanrin well. Stengl has alluded to his affections for Gleamdren in almost, if not every, book to this point, so it’s only natural that she go back and fill us in on the interesting history of her characters. We learn how Eanrin became a knight of Farthestshore, how the hound of Lumil Eliasul drew him in. We learn the origins of another important character in the series.

Stengl’s imagery in this novel is beyond magnificent, but I can’t really talk about them without giving away key plot points. It’s fair to say that each book in The Tales of Goldstone Wood is better than the last. Starflower is a novel that both fans and new readers are sure to adore.

five-stars

About Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, NC, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University.

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