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Heartless (Tales of Goldstone Wood #1)

by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Goodreads Author)

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 856 ratings · 204 reviews

The Dragon King Seeks His Princess—
Who Dares to Stop Him?

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...more

Paperback, 363 pages

Published July 1st 2010 by Bethany House Publishers

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Apr 19, 2011 Erica (daydreamer) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-love, arc, 2010-reads, beautiful-writing, release-in-2010, dragons, i-own, 2011-reads, best-endings, enchanting-reads, endearing-heroes, made-me-laugh, ya, love-love-it

Alright, I loved it :) It’s not a brilliant, epic fantasy novel. But it is beautiful, with a more quiet enchantment, that won’t latch onto everyone who reads it, but it did me, just not in an earth shattering way. I read this a year ago as an arc, and I really liked it then, but I could tell it needed another revision, sharpen up the writing a little, connect the scenes better perhaps. I don’t know how much changed from that early draft I read, I don’t think a whole lot, but for some reason I li...more Alright, I loved it :) It’s not a brilliant, epic fantasy novel. But it is beautiful, with a more quiet enchantment, that won’t latch onto everyone who reads it, but it did me, just not in an earth shattering way. I read this a year ago as an arc, and I really liked it then, but I could tell it needed another revision, sharpen up the writing a little, connect the scenes better perhaps. I don’t know how much changed from that early draft I read, I don’t think a whole lot, but for some reason I liked it better this second time around, even if it still has some flaws, that I’m sure more nitpicky people could find and explain better than I could.

Una, princess of Parumvir, is of age, and suitors come to seek after her hand. One she fancies herself in love with, though not handsome, a prince of high standing and well known and sought after, who ends up not being all that he seems. One who she does fall in love with, a prince in disguise, who she promises herself to, but does not end how she was expecting. And then one, who loves Una with his whole heart, that will never fade, but Una, in her stubborn, petulant way, refuses him, can’t even believe the gall he has of loving her, and caring about her. Later, the Parumvir kingdom is set upon and destroyed by a dragon who wishes to claim Una, and make her become like him. During this ordeal, Una loses herself, believing that no one loves her. Yet Prince Aethelbald never gives up. He goes out to save her, and he does. He saves her life, and her heart, and Una finds herself through his love.

Aethelbald was an endearing character. He reminded me a little of Anluan in Heart's Blood, with his quiet disposition, and his quiet, yet resounding love for Una. Una, well she isn’t what you'd call strong. She’s dependent, and perhaps a bit too brash and ignorant. She doesn’t want anything to do with Aethelbald, and clearly makes it known, despite how it may hurt him. But she changed in the end, she became more understanding and realized who she truly loves. The ending was perfect, melted my heart a bit.

I loved Leonard (view spoiler), the jester. His antics amused me as they did Una. But then he changed, urghh, and lost my respect, but it helped Una realize where her heart truly lies, pun intended.

In the end, I really enjoyed reading heartless. The writing was beautiful, the story was intriguing, and while not everyone will like it, I still found it an enchanting fantasy story with a sweet romance. (less)

15 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2011 Vinaya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bleh, could-have-been-better, maybe-when-i-m-desperate, ya-fantasy

I love fairy tales. I love their deceptive simplicity, the darkness at the heart of them, the violence that coils below the surface, the painted prettiness of the words. So when I see a book that has a fairy tale-style narrative, I get very excited. Sometimes, my hopes are justified, as with The Near Witch. Sometimes, they are horribly disappointed, as with Heartless.

This book took me three days to finish, and it wasn’t even all that long! I couldn’t justify DNF-ing it, because it wasn’t terribl...more

21 likes · like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Avery rated it 1 of 5 stars

For those of you who love to feel the tang of bile wallowing up in your mouth every page, then good news- this book is for YOU!

Alright, here's the basics- there's a girl who's obsessed with falling in love. A very angsty, obnoxious, whiny one that has absolutely no character development, growth, or anything else of the sort relative real about her.

But, lo and behold: a charming prince to save her! Aethelbald (yeah, I gagged every time I even came across his name too, you're not alone) strives th...more For those of you who love to feel the tang of bile wallowing up in your mouth every page, then good news- this book is for YOU!

Alright, here's the basics- there's a girl who's obsessed with falling in love. A very angsty, obnoxious, whiny one that has absolutely no character development, growth, or anything else of the sort relative real about her.

But, lo and behold: a charming prince to save her! Aethelbald (yeah, I gagged every time I even came across his name too, you're not alone) strives through thick and thin to save her, basically because he thinks she's hot. Well, gotta give the author credit on that one. At least it's not like they were eternal soulmates that kept seeing each other in their dreams and they fell in love with their actual personalities, right?

But I think what makes this book so repulsive to me is the fact that, over the course of the book, Una falls in love with maybe fifty different guys, like the author just needs something to fill up the space. It's obnoxious, not 3-dimensional or real whatsoever, and to be honest, poorly plotted.

Good news?

Let's see.

The writing job was decent. The characters were blah, the plot blah, the world building blah, but luckily Stengl managed to drive me to the end of the book with her scene development. For this reason alone, this gets two stars instead of one. I believe that this would be a great, great author if she focused on development and structure more, and I'm being completely serious here.

Rarely is it that I finish a book with characters and plot as repulsive as this, so if you like sappy, desperate damsel-in-distress type books with tons of different love cycles within the book, hey. Go for it.

ULTIMATELY, are you:

A) A lover of intense plots, real characters, and a fiery wage between life and death as the book goes on, or

B) Someone who enjoys lots of different internal battles with love, and doesn't care much about the plot or the characters so long as there's someone wanting to make out with someone?

If you chose A, scram. Immediately. Do not you dare read the first page of this book or you, like me, will find yourself pulling a garbage can next to you every time you read. If you chose B, well... Go ahead. But be careful. It's a very desperate, angsty, lovey-dovey path ahead. (Read : DANGEROUS)(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: coulda-been-better, fantasy, christian, fantasy-lite, young-adult

Well tear my brains out and strike me blind! Aren't I the dumbest reader in the world? I finished Heartless and read a few reviews and ... ... this was supposed to be a Christian allegory?? Now that I know better, --wait, no. It's still not obvious to me. The twelve men sent out by Prince Lionheart to help Aethelbald? Were they supposed to symbolize the 12 disciples? Because ... apart from the fact there being twelve of them, nothing else really struck me as similar. Well, they left Aethelbald t...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, kindle

Apologies to the author, I read super fast and skimmed many paragraphs to ensure that I could finish without stealing too much from my sleep.
Even so, I nearly cried at the beauty of a couple scenes near the end.

The first few chapters each gave me a different impression of what kind of book it was, but a once a certain character entered the story, he pulled the rest of it together and I loved it from that point to the end.
I loved that I could figure out so much of the story, but still be surprise...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book:). It's not perfect in its transitions at times and a couple of the suitors were not as developed in character as I would have liked but still as a whole it was really good. I particularly liked the spiritual allegorical elements. Such a fantastic picture of how Christ loves his bride as well as the realities of the spiritual world. It has dark elements but Satan IS dark and I found them necessary to depict the dragon for the evil that he is. Suitable for middle sc...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, teen, kindle

It's not often that I come across a book that I really couldn't stand to read (of course, most of the time it's because I'm able to flip to the end - with my Kindle, unfortunately, I had to read through it if I wanted to know the ending). Unfortunately, "Heartless" falls into this category.

None of the characters were likable, especially Princess Una. She was rude, shallow, and juvenile, with absolutely no redeeming qualities. She's not very intelligent, courageous, or kind, and this doesn't cha...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 30, 2012 Meagan Myhren-bennett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: allegory, dragons, drama, family, fiction, friendship, monsters

Heartless
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Una is princess of Parumvir and she is anxious to be sought by nobility who desire her hand in marriage. But all too soon
Una gets her heart's desire in the form of three very different suitors.. But little does Una realize that her choice will determine
not only her future but also the fate of her very soul.

When Prince Aethelbard of Farthestshore declares his love to Una and his desire to marry her she refuses him. Then Prince
Gervais of Beauclair seeks her hand, a...more

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May 01, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was okay. I got it free and so I figured I'd give it a try. The premise was good, the writing was excellent, but there were places I was really, really confused.

Una, Princess of Parumvir has just come of age and suitors seem to be coming out of the woodwork, asking for her hand. First and foremost is Athelbald of Farthestshore, whom Una cannot stand. Despite Athelbald's warnings, not to give her heart away, Una does. Little does she know that a dragon intends to make her his.

OK, like I...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Bluerose's Heart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, clean, fantasy, favorites, gender-neutral, little-no-romance

Heartless is the first book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. I read Veiled Rose not too long ago, and while I loved it, I realize now how much more I would have gotten out of it if I'd read Heartlessfirst. It took my appreciation of the series to a whole new level. Even though Veiled Rose goes back in time, I highly recommend Heartlessfirst!

Heartless is a perfect fairy tale filled with dragons, fairies, knights, and a princess. Since I mentioned knights and all, I do want to point out that...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 Jess Haines rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This is a sweet, enjoyable book. I first saw the cover for this on the Book Whispers blog many moons ago, and when I saw that it involved dragons, I knew I had to read it. Thanks to my crazy schedule and monstrous TBR pile, it has taken me forever and a day to get to it–but I’m glad I finally did.

Young princess Una does not really know what she wants in a suitor–but it certainly isn’t the boring, somewhat strange Aethelbald. What she does want is someone handsome, brave, charming, and who she lo...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Susie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, ya

I am one of those people who can't see an allegory that's staring me in the face. I like to read books to read a book, and watch movies to watch a movie. So, it's possible that if I hadn't already read that this book was a Christian allegory, I might now have noticed it. But I don't think so. Seriously, I can read right past allegory in all sorts of things, but this was So Obvious. So obvious that it interfered with my enjoyment of the story.(view spoiler)...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Molly Evangeline rated it 4 of 5 stars

As most of my book reviews and blog posts can attest to, I am huge fan of Christian fantasy so I’ve been looking forward to reading Heartless for a long time. At last I had a chance to get it and read it.

When I first started reading, Heartless didn’t grab me like some books. I had a difficult time liking Una. She’s pretty much a spoiled, whiny princess, which is actually great for the beginning of a book because it sets up for a lot of great character growth, but I need to feel something for the...more As most of my book reviews and blog posts can attest to, I am huge fan of Christian fantasy so I’ve been looking forward to reading Heartless for a long time. At last I had a chance to get it and read it.

When I first started reading, Heartless didn’t grab me like some books. I had a difficult time liking Una. She’s pretty much a spoiled, whiny princess, which is actually great for the beginning of a book because it sets up for a lot of great character growth, but I need to feel something for the character at the start despite their flaws so I want to see the growth. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t like her as I would have liked. However, I did have compassion for her by the end.

For the first half of the book, the one thing that kept me interested was Prince Aethelbald. I adored him. I hated the name (lol), but I think that was kind of the point, that and his completely ordinary looks. I wasn’t drawn to him for any outward reasons, but because of his character. I couldn’t wait to keep reading about him. He was mysterious, yet kind and compassionate. He was the perfect illustration of true, Christ-like love. That was one of the best parts of this book, the sweet, pure romance. It was very well done.

Heartless didn’t turn out as I was expecting at all. It was a little darker and more intense than I thought it would be, but I like intense stories. I wasn’t sure about the whole fantasy world at first. Despite being a huge fan of fantasy, I’m not big on worlds with fairies and such (being more of a fan of truer to life realms like Middle-earth), but by the end I didn’t think about it so much.

To sum it all up, I read 310 of the 363 pages yesterday afternoon and evening, and I would have finished if I hadn’t needed to get to bed in preparation for work in the morning. I don’t read any book that fast if it doesn’t capture my attention. I even found myself thinking about it often while I was at work. So despite an uncertain beginning, I found I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it certainly sparked my imagination. I highly recommend it to readers of Christian fantasy and look forward to reading the next in the series.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Jeanna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, religious

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was originally going to begin this review by commenting that it was sad for me that such a gorgeous cover contained a book that didn't really work for me. Or, more specifically, it contained a romance that came so close to being very cool but then fell short and, quite frankly, didn't make a lot of sense to me.

And then I read a bunch of other people's reviews.

And I thought, "Wow, so much for my English major and all that practice at reading for symbolism." Never have I felt so completely blind...more I was originally going to begin this review by commenting that it was sad for me that such a gorgeous cover contained a book that didn't really work for me. Or, more specifically, it contained a romance that came so close to being very cool but then fell short and, quite frankly, didn't make a lot of sense to me.

And then I read a bunch of other people's reviews.

And I thought, "Wow, so much for my English major and all that practice at reading for symbolism." Never have I felt so completely blind to the obvious after reading an entire novel. (That's not strictly true; I did feel pretty spacey after reading Make Lemonade and not once wondering about the characters' ethnicities.)

So, here's my new and improved review:

A bunch of other people have commenting on how glaringly obvious the Christian allegory is in this novel. Apparently it was so glaringly obvious that I entirely failed to notice it. But truthfully, the allegory was sort of screamingly obvious after I had it pointed out to me, and I felt pretty dumb for not seeing it beforehand.

These same reviewers, however, mentioned that they thought the allegory was a definitive drawback of the whole story. I, on the other hand, thought it made the whole novel make so much more sense! I'm not sure that I liked it much more just on a personal level, but now I could see that the things that I didn't like about it were part of the allegory. So they worked so much better seeing it in that context. Three cheers for being a space cadet!

And now, on to what I did and didn't like. The two are halves of the same whole. The male lead, whose name is admittedly atrocious (Aethelbald) has the potential to be the kind of character that I find really endearing. He's fairly ordinary and not terribly flashy, but he's obviously a great guy. Plus, he loves his gal despite difficulties, which is always charming. So he could have been great, but he fell a little flat. There were so many times that I just wished he would have said something or made some sort of outward effort or just sort of metaphorically slapped Princess Una upside the head and said, "Get a brain!" But he didn't. So, for me, he was a little too much of a wet blanket.

The real problem, though, was that I kept expecting to find out that there was some magical explanation for why Aethelbald was so certain he loved her even though they'd never met. Like, perhaps, he could have been sent dreams about her. Or he could have been watching her kingdom (in a non-stalkery way, thank you very much) for years and fallen in love. Or... something. But when it comes down to it, we find that he loves her simply because he was told to. Too flat for me. Even then, I think something could have done to make it work better. After all, I'm a strong believer that loving someone is a decision you make, and I would have been in favor of him expanding on that. But the way it was carried off just didn't work for me.

Of course, now, with the allegorical layer on the story, I see that he's the Christ figure sent to redeem a spazzy Una and her kingdom, etc., etc. Which suddenly means that I get it now.

Unfortunately, I still don't particularly like it. But that's the joy of so many books out there, right? Someone will like it, but it doesn't have to be me.

Rating: PG, I suppose, because the dragon is pretty scary (and hello, the *dragon*? I really didn't see the allegory there? Was I asleep through the whole book?). (less)

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Feb 09, 2011 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy, young-adult

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book: it's young adult (sort of, I think it works well for adults too), is set in a medieval world with the usual round up of princesses, faeries, kingdoms, and dragons. It sounded like a standard fantasy, but I was pleasantly surprised. The writing has a lovely flowing style that entertaining, and at the same time incredibly easy to read (I tore through this book in two days), and the characters all have their own traits and quirks that had me...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I got this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. I was excited to read it, it looked right up my alley. Over all it was an okay book, some parts were unique but the heroine left a lot to be desired.

Princess Una lives near Goldstone woods. When she comes of age suitors begin arriving. Una wants a romantic suitor and when Prince Aethelbald of Farthestshore arrives he is anything but romantic; despite the fact that he claims to love Una. A variety of suitors parades through Una's life...more I got this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. I was excited to read it, it looked right up my alley. Over all it was an okay book, some parts were unique but the heroine left a lot to be desired.

Princess Una lives near Goldstone woods. When she comes of age suitors begin arriving. Una wants a romantic suitor and when Prince Aethelbald of Farthestshore arrives he is anything but romantic; despite the fact that he claims to love Una. A variety of suitors parades through Una's life, each more dreadful than the last. That's when Una gives her heart to a different type of Prince. Una's worries over marrying are suddenly overshadowed when their kingdom is attacked by a fierce dragon. Una is the only one the dragon wants kept alive. Why is Una kept alive? Will the Prince to whom she gave her heart save her? Which Prince of all her suitors, if any, will rescue her?

There were a couple things I liked about this book. The idea behind how dragons are created was unique and interesting. Prince Aethelbald and the realm of fairy were mysterious and intriguing. I really wanted to learn more about both Aethelbald and fairy. Unfortunately you don't really get to learn a whole bunch more about those things in this book.

There was a lot I didn't like all that much about this book. The world itself was not well built and was a bit confusing setting wise. For example everything is set up like medieval times with princesses and kings, nothing is modern. Then at one point Una is running around in jeans...it just seemed odd. Una herself switches between using very princess-like stilted language and then suddenly is thinking/talking in modern slang. I just thought that the setting and speech were very inconsistent and I had trouble forming an image of what the world was actually like

The writing style itself is pretty easy to read and well-done; if you can ignore the inconsistency in speech patterns and stuff you should be okay. The characterizations are also okay but a bit weak. Aethelbald is by far the best character in the story and he isn't in the story all that much, you also really never get to learn what drives him.

It takes a long time to set up the story. Over half the book deals with Una lurking around the castle lamenting her choice of suitors. The good part, when the Dragon King enters the scene, doesn't happen until the second half of the book. So while the first half of the book is pretty boring, the second half felt too rushed.

Una herself is not an admirable heroine. She spends all her time mooning over the perfect romantic man and can't seem bothered to take any action to make anything happen in her life. The whole book she is a victim. Never once does she help herself or rescue herself. Even when she is fleeing the castle she tries to depend on former suitors to guide her path. I didn't enjoy her as a character at all and most of the time was just sick of listening to her whining and pleading.

The book is summed up nicely and ties up all the loose ends of the story. If this book had't been part of the Tales of Goldstone Wood I would think it was a stand alone. This is very much a romantic fantasy; but by romance I mean the strictly non-sexual kind. This book contains some violence but other than that it is very PG. If you are into princess/dragon/romance type of fantasy you might enjoy this story. The book didn't offend me, but I didn't think it was all that great either. There were just too many inconsistencies. Overall it was okay. I probably won't bepicking up anymore of Stengl's books though.(less)

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Aug 15, 2010 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, christian, ya

--Book Description--
Princess Una of Parumvir has turned 18 years old, and princes and nobles from neighboring kingdoms are coming to court her. The first prince, Aethelbald, arrives with a magical faerie market. Una resents his interference when he removes her from a situation she doesn't realize is dangerous, plus she finds him too practical. What she wants is a prince who will sing love songs about her beauty. The next prince to arrive does just that, but she's disappointed when reality still...more --Book Description--
Princess Una of Parumvir has turned 18 years old, and princes and nobles from neighboring kingdoms are coming to court her. The first prince, Aethelbald, arrives with a magical faerie market. Una resents his interference when he removes her from a situation she doesn't realize is dangerous, plus she finds him too practical. What she wants is a prince who will sing love songs about her beauty. The next prince to arrive does just that, but she's disappointed when reality still fails to match her romantic dreams.

Then Prince Aethelbald receives word that the Dragon who has been destroying Southlands is on the move. He warns the king that the Dragon is coming to make Una one of its own. Una's father dismisses the danger, so Prince Aethelbald leaves to deal with the Dragon as does another prince. But the Dragon still arrives, accompanying an invading army. He takes Una captive and chases her father and younger brother away. Can she, her family, or any of the princes save her from the Dragon before he breaks her to his will with lies?

--My Review--
"Heartless" is an enjoyable fantasy novel for young adults and adults (though teen boys probably won't find it quite as interesting since the teen girl gets more point-of-view time than her brother).

The world-building was excellent, skillfully immersing the reader in a unique and fantastical world without bogging the pace down with long descriptions or hard-to-pronounce names. The characters were engaging and complex. The princess and prince were occasionally arrogant, but overall they were admirable and brave.

Initially, the tension was created by wondering who Una would choose to marry, but I mainly kept reading because of the enjoyable humor woven into the story and the charming writing style. Then the story shifted into adventure mode where the tension was created by physical dangers but also by the question about whether or not the princess would chose to trust the right person. I had a hard time putting the book down once the adventure section began.

There was an underlying Christian allegory that I found very moving. The allegory wasn't overt, and I think the story would still be quite enjoyable and exciting even if the reader didn't realize the allegory--though they might think Prince Aethelbald's love for Una wasn't realistic (at least, for a human, so it's a good thing that he's not precisely human).

There was no sex or bad language (that we'd call bad language). Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written novel as engaging, clean reading. I look forward to reading this author's future novels.

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher. (less)

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Jul 18, 2010 Carly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fairy tales and fantasy books are not usually the types of books I reach for, but every once in a while, it’s good to branch out from the usual and see what Christian writers in different genres are writing about. Once again this is a debut novel, and debut novels are my favorites. Now Heartless is among my favorites. This book is vibrant and colorful and full of interesting characters in a world that comes straight from the author’s active imagination.

I have been going through a stressful time...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Ixris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wanted very badly to love this book. Stengl has a easy, well-practiced voice, rather like a bedtime story you might expect to read to young children. I think that voice, more than anything, is what carried me through this book.

This book is the story of the courtship of a young princess named Una. During the course of her courtship by various suitors, she rejects each of them for various reasons. Aethelbald is "too stodgy" for a princess looking for romance. Gervais wants her money. The Duke is...more

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Jill Interesting review. I liked the book, but I appreciate your views and insights on the story. The next two books add a lot of depth and insight to this...more
Mar 29, 2012 07:18pm

Ixris Jill wrote: "Interesting review. I liked the book, but I appreciate your views and insights on the story. The next two books add a lot of depth and in...more
Mar 30, 2012 07:58pm

Jill Sure--that's the fun of Goodreads! :-)
Mar 30, 2012 08:07pm

Mar 11, 2013 Carolyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, fantasy, romance, wvreads150

A Christian fantasy novel featuring a Jesus-character as the romantic lead may strike some readers as sacrilegious, although Heartless is not a terrible read aside from that strange decision. Princess Una of Parumvir longs for romance but foolishly gives her heart to someone who breaks it. Meanwhile, dragons maraud the far south, but surely Parumvir is safe – isn’t it? Christian themes like being redeemed by undeserved love will resonate with readers of the faith as well as others looking for a...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Kaitlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was great. I picked it up at the library because it was one of my goodreads recommendations and the description was intriguing. I had a heads up there were Christian undertones but they weren't really noticeable to me until the latter part of the book.

Princess Una is of age (meaning suitors can come to try for her hand in marriage). There is one that comes, Prince Aethelbald, from a far away kingdom that is plain and boring to Una - not the romantic type that she had always...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book in the fantasy section of the library, and picked it up because of the title and the cover art (I skimmed the back of the book blurb, too, and that piqued my interest).

I enjoyed the story, but the telling of it seemed very simple. The style left me in mind of a young adult, or middle grade novel. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I expected.

I was a little disappointed with the lack of character development/ depth - especially with the secondary characters. Una, the princess w...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Emily Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-star-books, kindle-books, books-i-will-review

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I kinda didn't like the beginning of the book because it wasn't that great to me. After reading about 300 pages the book started to slowly get better.

I was completely turned off by Una, the princess and main character. She was whiny, annoying and bad tempered, pretty much crappy. She was just generally, a very difficult person to like. There are many characters that are bad tempered in many other books I've read, who I liked, but this character Una's bad temper didn't fit into her person. If th...more I kinda didn't like the beginning of the book because it wasn't that great to me. After reading about 300 pages the book started to slowly get better.

I was completely turned off by Una, the princess and main character. She was whiny, annoying and bad tempered, pretty much crappy. She was just generally, a very difficult person to like. There are many characters that are bad tempered in many other books I've read, who I liked, but this character Una's bad temper didn't fit into her person. If that makes any sense. If the author would described why she was the way she was, or why she would explode at some people then the book would bee more believable.

Many times Una made fun of a prince called Aethelbald because he was pale and didn't like the way he looked. She also made fun of his name. The Prince to tell you the truth, was extra nice to her, and at one point asked her to marry him and she said no. Although I understand why she said no, because she simply wasn't in love with him and it didn't matter how much money the prince had, or how big his kingdom is she just wasn't in-love with him. That's understandable.

Then two men came into her life. One of them was an attractive prince who was tall stronger and very beautiful who she liked very much. She fell in love with him. So she thought. This prince almost asked for her hand in marriage, but to make the long story short, the guy turned out to be a big jurk and ended up leaving and never returned. Her father found out that he wanted Una for her money and princes status and was thrown out of the palace. This is a guy who she met about 3 days ago, she was more than willing to marry this guy but not the Aethalbald prince she claimed she didn't want to marry because she didn't know him. Does that make sense?

She met the another prince who also left her never to return again. I found out several pages later that he married another girl and forgot completely about her.

"That's what she gets. what goes around comes around."

Not once did she give Aethal a chance, she didn't want to speak to him, at all when he tried to talk to her. There something in the prince that she just didn't like, what this was, I really don't know.

Una ends up being curse and ended up becoming A dragon. The two people she carried about didn't want anything to do with her because they found out she was a dragon and practically ran away from her terrified. The only man who loved her and was welling to risk his life was Aethal who came to her rescue. I couldn't find many reasons why the brave, like Prince Aethal would pursue her to the ends of the earth to rescue her from the evil dragon. The man who ended up with this Una was Aethal. It felt like if Una had no other choice but to stay with Aethal. Which was wrong.

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Aug 19, 2011 Margaret Metz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-young-adult

This one was a surprise on many levels. It's darker than a lot of the YA novels I've read - but it's still clean. There is no "hooking up" in this book. The romance is more about her dreams for romance and waiting for her prince to return for her.

Usually the books I read are character focused and a lot of work goes into developing and focusing on them. In this case the story is king. I would say at least ... two thirds of the story have strong elements of allegory. Although a Christian can read...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, fiction, ya

This reading choice is not typical for me, but I saw it reviewed in one of those Christian Book catalogs that appear regularly in the mail and thought it looked interesting. So I ordered it from the library, more or less on a whim, and read it over about 24 hours. My feelings about it are mixed...

I greatly enjoyed the writing, for the most part. A couple of bits felt stilted, but the author does a lovely job working in moments of beauty and humor. The characters, for the most part, were enjoyabl...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Suzanne Earley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fantasy, young-adult

I think I got this as a free Kindle book. I started it once or twice, and it didn't quite grab me. I'm trying to read things that I've already got, and not look for new, so I kept pushing through. There was a lot to like, the world-building was interesting at first, very fairy-tale-ish. At the same time, though, I find myself wondering why I bothered. A lot of the plot was really convoluted and confusing, and the heroine wasn't really all that likeable. The hero just sort of showed up exactly wh...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Jennifer Nelson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books, christian-fiction

When thinking about how to describe this book, the word cartoonish keeps coming to mind. If you like that sort of thing, and I don't always mind it myself, then you might like this book. The sad thing is I don't think that the author really meant it to feel that way and I found that her two-dimensional world tended to almost obscure the glimmers of depth that shone through momentarily.

I think the idea of the story is a great one: an allegory that parallels the relationship Christ has with His c...more

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May 30, 2011 Heavensent1 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Heartless is book one of 'Tales of Goldstone Wood', debut novel by author, Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

Princess Una of Parumvir has just turned eighteen and is excited about her suitors that are soon to apply for her hand in marriage. Her father, King Fidel, has promised she can marry whomever she wishes. Una dreams of a charming Prince, riding up on a white charger, proclaiming his undying love and devotion. However, when Prince Aethelbald of the mysterious kingdom of Farthestshore, does just that, U...more Heartless is book one of 'Tales of Goldstone Wood', debut novel by author, Anne Elisabeth Stengl.

Princess Una of Parumvir has just turned eighteen and is excited about her suitors that are soon to apply for her hand in marriage. Her father, King Fidel, has promised she can marry whomever she wishes. Una dreams of a charming Prince, riding up on a white charger, proclaiming his undying love and devotion. However, when Prince Aethelbald of the mysterious kingdom of Farthestshore, does just that, Una is appalled and threatens to never marry him, ever.

Among her suitors, is Prince Gervais, whom Una is sure is THE one, however, it comes to her father's attention that Gervais has been thrown from his kingdom by his father for gambling debts. He is a cad of the best kind and is only looking for Una's hand for the dowry she would bring.

The Duke of Shippening is old, fat and arrogant and is looking for a young bride to have as a trophy. He cares nothing for Una and only wishes to use her to become king. When the Duke doesn't get his way, he declares war on the kingdom of Parumvir.

Leonard, the jester and court fool, has also won Una's heart and after learning his secrets, she promises to wait for him. However, she comes to learn that he isn't all that he says he is and Una must come to terms with their relationship.

The Dragon King is also on the hunt for Una, he can feel her and needs to make her one of his own. The Dragon King joins forces with the Duke and together, the two wreck havoc, death and destruction on all the kinsmen of Parumvir. Its up to Una's brother Felix, her cat, Monster and the magic of the Goldstone Wood to save the day.

I wasn't un-impressed with the overall story, it has enough mystery and suspense to keep you reading, however, I did have a problem with Una, the heroine. I found her to be whiny, ignorant, naive and childishly head-strong. I think Prince Aethelbald could have taken the time to explain himself to Una, I feel she deserved the truth and not to be lied to nor manipulated. I really enjoyed Felix and Monster, they brought life and comedy to the story and I hope to see more of them in the future books.

I enjoyed the combat scenes, they weren't too graphic in nature, and I feel young readers would probably really enjoy this book~!! It has all the components of a good fantasy novel, including magic, love, combat, dragons, fairy land creatures and so much more. I liked the flow of the story, one doesn't have to backtrack to stay focused, as well, the descriptive aspects of the narrative were well written and imaginative. Each character is believable, except perhaps, The Dragon King, I expected more from him, instead he was a bit stereo-typed and cliched. I'm also unsure why this is labeled as a Christian-fiction, for there was absolutely no mention of God nor were any Christian aesthetics involved. All in all though, the book was a good read and I'm sure YA fantasy lovers will enjoy it and want to read more!(less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Charity rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was ok. Interesting plot, interesting characters...it just wasn't executed well. The writing has left something lacking that I can't put a finger on. I enjoyed the story, but quality in the way it was written didn't live up to it's potential.

I did not like the main character. The other characters seemed shallow and one dimensional. It took a long time for anything to actually happen--I feel like the immaturity of the main character drags out for way too long. Tons of questions were left unans...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Janna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love a good speculative fiction book, this particular book I would even classify as allegorical. It is original and unique. The characters are a parade of contradictions and exaggerations and the setting is a very interesting world. I really liked Princess Una and her brother Prince Felix along with their father King Fidel, the other characters filled in around them nicely. The story started along very nicely with Una turning 18 and accepting suitors, then it got a little long in the middle wh...more

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About Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, 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. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MO...more

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Veiled Rose (Tales of Goldstone Wood #2)

Dragonwitch (Tales of Goldstone Wood #5)

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Quotes from Heartless

“If a man has to ask for your trust, it's a sure sign that you should not give it. Trust should be earned inherently, without any verbal demands. Trust is knowing a man's character, knowing truth, and relying on that character and truth even when the odds seem against you.” — 12 people liked it

“I listened long to your story,
Listened but could not hear.
When you chose to walk that path so overgrown,
I remained alone with my fear.

Cold silence covers the distance,
Stretches from shore to shore.
I follow in my mind your far-off journeying,
But I will walk that path no more.” — 6 people liked it

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Heartless (Tales of Goldstone Wood #1)

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