Book Summary (Goodreads): She lost everything to an evil conspiracy . . . but that loss may just give her all she ever wanted.
Since meeting Steffan, the Duke of Wolfberg, at Thornbeck Castle, Lady Magdalen has not been able to stop thinking about him. She knows—as a penniless lady with little to offer in terms of a dowry—she has no real hope of marrying such a highly titled man, so it comes as a great surprise when she receives a letter from him, asking for her hand in marriage.
But all is not what it seems at Wolfberg Castle. Steffan has been evicted by his scheming uncle, and his cousin has taken over the title of duke. Left for dead, Steffan is able to escape, and disguised as a shepherd, hopes to gain entry to the castle to claim the items that will prove he is the true Duke of Wolfberg.
Journeying to the castle, Magdalen has no idea what awaits her, but she certainly did not expect her loyal maidservant to turn on her. Forcing Magdalen to trade places with her, the servant plans to marry the duke and force Magdalen to tend the geese.
Without their respective titles—and the privileges that came with them—Steffan and Magdalen are reunited in the shepherd’s field. Together they conspire to get back their rightful titles. But they must hurry . . . or else they risk losing it all to the uncle’s evil plan.
Since meeting Steffan, the Duke of Wolfberg, at Thornbeck Castle, Lady Magdalen has not been able to stop thinking about him. She knows—as a penniless lady with little to offer in terms of a dowry—she has no real hope of marrying such a highly titled man, so it comes as a great surprise when she receives a letter from him, asking for her hand in marriage.
But all is not what it seems at Wolfberg Castle. Steffan has been evicted by his scheming uncle, and his cousin has taken over the title of duke. Left for dead, Steffan is able to escape, and disguised as a shepherd, hopes to gain entry to the castle to claim the items that will prove he is the true Duke of Wolfberg.
Journeying to the castle, Magdalen has no idea what awaits her, but she certainly did not expect her loyal maidservant to turn on her. Forcing Magdalen to trade places with her, the servant plans to marry the duke and force Magdalen to tend the geese.
Without their respective titles—and the privileges that came with them—Steffan and Magdalen are reunited in the shepherd’s field. Together they conspire to get back their rightful titles. But they must hurry . . . or else they risk losing it all to the uncle’s evil plan.
My thoughts...I'm not very familiar with the goose girl fairy tale, so I can't really say how closely this novel followed or connected with that story. I would also mention that I'm reviewing this novel with the Young Adult (YA) categorization in mind, as I feel that this novel is more relevant for that age group.
The overall storyline of The Noble Servant was entertaining. I liked the plot twists and the way that different characters were posing as other people, so there were always different consequences happening as a result of that. The lies and corruption were not glamorized, so I felt that this was a good moral lesson that was shown in the story. It was also a very clean novel. While there was some mild romantic tension, I thought it was appropriate for a YA novel. Magdalen and Steffan's moral character grew through the story, as they learned humility through their circumstances. For those reasons, it is a novel I believe my young daughter would enjoy.
The only things that, in considering it's a YA novel, that concerned me was the way that murder was the constant threat to the characters. It seemed to be the only option in dealing with those who stood in opposition the evil characters plotting against the more virtuous one. For example, one character consistently told Magdalen if she didn't do something, she would be killed and her friend would be killed, If someone came to her aide, they would be murdered. Basically all the "good guys" were threatened to be killed. At one point even Magdalen herself found pleasure in the idea of murdering her adversary in her sleep by stabbing her in the heart. While very few killings actually took place, and the ones that did were in self-defense, I found that aspect a little intense for a YA reader. For an adult, not so much. I've read several YA novels, and many of the mainstream books in this category can be much more intense. With Christian fiction, I tend to be a little stronger with my critique.
**I received a free copy of this novel to give an honest opinion, which I did.**
The overall storyline of The Noble Servant was entertaining. I liked the plot twists and the way that different characters were posing as other people, so there were always different consequences happening as a result of that. The lies and corruption were not glamorized, so I felt that this was a good moral lesson that was shown in the story. It was also a very clean novel. While there was some mild romantic tension, I thought it was appropriate for a YA novel. Magdalen and Steffan's moral character grew through the story, as they learned humility through their circumstances. For those reasons, it is a novel I believe my young daughter would enjoy.
The only things that, in considering it's a YA novel, that concerned me was the way that murder was the constant threat to the characters. It seemed to be the only option in dealing with those who stood in opposition the evil characters plotting against the more virtuous one. For example, one character consistently told Magdalen if she didn't do something, she would be killed and her friend would be killed, If someone came to her aide, they would be murdered. Basically all the "good guys" were threatened to be killed. At one point even Magdalen herself found pleasure in the idea of murdering her adversary in her sleep by stabbing her in the heart. While very few killings actually took place, and the ones that did were in self-defense, I found that aspect a little intense for a YA reader. For an adult, not so much. I've read several YA novels, and many of the mainstream books in this category can be much more intense. With Christian fiction, I tend to be a little stronger with my critique.
**I received a free copy of this novel to give an honest opinion, which I did.**
