Skip to main content

An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund: A Book Review

An Uncertain Choice
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: YA, Christian, Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Zondervan
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 252
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis: Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice--if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

     Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the convent is the best place after all. If only one of the knights--the one who appears the most guilty--had not already captured her heart.

     My Review: An Uncertain Choice is a medieval Bachelorette. Lady Rosemarie is forced to enter the convent when she turns eighteen. She is reluctantly prepared for her life as a nun, when her godfather, the Duke of Rivenshire finds a new alternative to Rosemarie’s fate. If she can marry for true love before she turns eighteen then she would not have to enter the convent. The duke then brings Rosemarie to his three knights hoping that she will fall in love with one of them. Each of the knights court her until Rosemarie can find which knight is her true love. Can Rosemarie escape her destiny to enter the convent or does God have something else planned for her?

     I did not really like Rosemarie all that much. She seems like an undeveloped character. All we know is that she cares for the poor and is really beautiful. Other than that, she comes across as a selfish person. She thinks about herself all the time. She does not seem to care for other people or ask the knights and the duke for what they want. She does not ask them what she will do for them, rather it is what they will do for her. I really did not see her as a caring person. Instead, her compassion for the poor seemed to be rather shallow, for she is wanted to be seen as a great lady to her people. I also did not think that she was smart, for some of the choices she made were not bright. Also, Rosemarie was a damsel-in-distress and always needed saving. Thus, I found her to be a weak character and was not given much depth.

      Overall, this book is about love and choices. The message of the book is that it is our hardest trials where we see God’s love. The characters were one-dimensional, and there was not really much of a plot in this novel. Instead much of the story revolves around her courtship with three men to see whom she likes the best. The story was also very predictable. Another thing that I did not like about this book was that the ending had an unnecessary cliffhanger. For those of you who are looking for a light, quick, Christian medieval  love story, you might enjoy this book. However, this book falls short with other YA, Christian medieval romances. I recommend Melanie Dickerson’s or Dina L. Sleiman’s books instead. 

Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Silenced Muse: Emily Hale, T. S. Elio, and the Role of a Lifetime by Sara Fitzgerald: A Book Review

The Silenced Muse: Emily Hale, T. S. Eliot, and the Role of a Lifetime  Author: Sara Fitzgerald  Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 336 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The first full-length biography of the longtime secret love of the celebrated poet T. S. Eliot, Emily Hale, called "heartbreaking" by Publishers Weekly .        In January 2020, the largest and most eagerly awaited cache of new materials written by the Nobel-Prize-winning poet T. S. Eliot was finally opened: the 1,131 letters he sent Emily Hale, his little-known American love. But even as Eliot scholars explore Hale's impact on Eliot's work, a tantalizing question has not been fully answered: who was Emily Hale?        Sara Fitzgerald's The Silenced Muse: Emily Hale, T. S. Eliot, and the Role of a Lifetime is the first full-len...

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh: A Book Review

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea Author: Axie Oh Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Pages: 336 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Axie Oh's The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale "The Tale of Shim Cheong," perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away .      Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.       Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village...

Interview With Carolyn Marie Wilkins

      Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing, Ms. Carolyn Marie Wilkins. She is the author of the  Psychics and Soul Food Mystery series. Her first novel, The Murder at the Wham Bam Club , features a psychic named Nola Jackson as an amateur sleuth. Her sequel,  Let the Murderer Say Amen , has just recently been released. In this interview, we discussed her inspiration that led her to writing Let the Murderer Say Amen . We also discussed why she decided for Nola to have psychic abilities as well as her love for the mystery genre. Thank you, Ms. Wilkins! (Photo Credit: Sally Cooper) What inspired you to write the Psychics and Soul Food Mystery series? I am a practicing psychic medium.  I talk to the dead, read Tarot cards and attend seances, so this book was a natural for me.   I also love reading and writing about African American history.  And of course, I love Soul Food.  Writing this series gives me the chance to combine several of my ...