[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
The forest is Sadie’s favorite place to be. She loves being in God’s creation, listening to the birds and watching the wildlife. It’s her happy place.
Her home used to be a happy place, when it was just her and her parents. Even after they lost her mother, Sadie and her daed were close, making the best of their life. And the early days with Rachel as Sadie’s step-mother were good. But as the years went by without Rachel getting pregnant, her personality changed. She became bitter and resentful. And a lot of her anger was directed at Sadie.
So the forest is Sadie’s refuge from Rachel’s hatefulness. The forest is also where Sadie meets Frederick, an Amish man from a nearby community. He loves teasing Sadie and goes out of his way to spend time with her. But Rachel has her own plans for Sadie. When Sadie feels trapped by her own family and their expectations, she flees to the forest in search of a safe place to hide.
Review
While Ella remains my favorite book in this series, Belle and Sadie are terrific! The author does a masterful job of weaving the classic story – Snow White in this case – into a believable Amish context. I zoom through chapter after chapter to see what elements she’s going to use and how she is going to fit them in.
I enjoyed the character of Sadie. I appreciated her wrestling between generosity and obedience regarding her neighbor and her strong boundaries where she stands up for herself with her family and others. The situation with Sadie’s step-mother built slowly and intentionally to the point where I was holding my breath to see how far Rachel’s manipulation would go. I was completely invested in what might happen to Sadie.
I hope there will be more stories in this series. I have adored each book so far. I cannot recommend this series highly enough!