Synopsis Princess Una of Parumvir has come of age and will soon marry. She dreams of a charming prince, but when her first suitor arrives, he's not what she'd hoped. Prince Aethelbald of mysterious Farthestshore has travelled a great distance to prove his love—and also to bring hushed warnings of danger. A dragon is rumored to be on the hunt and blazing a path of terror.
Una, smitten instead with a more dashing prince, refuses Aethelbald's offer—and ignores his cautions with dire consequences. Soon the Dragon King himself is in Parumvir and Una, in giving her heart away unwisely, finds herself in his sights. Only those courageous enough to risk everything have a hope of fighting off this advancing evil.
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Summary
Heartless is a Christian allegorical, fantasy story written by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. It is a beautiful tale showing us how we must kill the ‘dragons’ inside us and embrace the love of God, but told in a way that even those who do not want an allegorical read could still thoroughly enjoy it.
Heartless is Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s debut novel and I just have to say this author has so much potential. Her writing is gorgeous and story telling ability enchanting. This is my second read through of this book and it is easily put up there as one of my favorites.
Plot
The story starts out with Princess Una ‘coming of age’ and suitors arriving at her kingdom to seek her hand in marriage. Most of the first half of the book covers her turmoil with the suitors she is visited by. Being a romantic, she is not so keen on the plain looking Prince Aethelbald and seeks out the more charming ones.
Because of her foolishness, tragedy strikes when she gives her heart away to the wrong man. Before she even knows it, a great dragon, the very Dragon King, has threatened her entire kingdom and destroys her very life, herself included.
Una goes through great tragedy as she discovers what true love is actually about and how important giving your heart to the right One really is.
Characters
I very much enjoyed the way the characters were done in this story. Their parts brought everything together just as it needed to be.
Princess Una is of course the main character. I personally did not have many complaints with her but I can see how people would. She is your stereotypical, spoiled princess only caring about the whimsical romantic part of life, which blinds her from everything that truly matters. I find this actually important to the story’s plot. She has to learn and grow from her many mistakes, giving us a perfect example of how our own mistakes in life can cause great tragedy. I actually learned a lot from Una’s foolish ways and enjoyed how she is portrayed.
To save from too many spoilers I will not cover all the characters, but each one played their roles perfectly, bringing the story alive and showing a wonderful picture of our walk in life. I really have no complaints characters-wise.
Appropriate Ages
From the beginning of the book, Heartless seems like it would be acceptable for any age. But as the story progresses, quite a number of horrific occurrences take place that might disturb younger eyes.
The books seems to me to be written for teenage girls, probably from about 15 years old onward.
Conclusion
Heartless is written beautifully and tells a story that kept me utterly engaged, even during the second read through. It has a very fairytale vibe to it but with unexpected twists veering away from your classic fairytale.
If you enjoy fairytales, a whimsical tale, and inspiring stories, I highly recommend Heartless.
