Review - Moonblood

Moonblood
By: Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 9780764207815
Pub Date: 2012 
Pages: 373

In book three of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series, Prince Lionheart must regain the trust of his people, in doing so he must banish one of his most trusted allies, his servant Rose Red. He sends her out into the deadly realm of Arpair, where her own father, King Vahe, who is an evil goblin, kidnaps her.

The Prince is heartbroken of what he had to do to his servant and vows to bring her back. He heads out into the strange Goldstone Wood to find Rose Red, but there are many dangers and trials that he must face, including goblins, a tiger, and even a unicorn.

King Vahe had been patiently been waiting for the right time to take thrown for himself. The night of the Moonblood is coming to a near and King Vahe is planning to release the Dragon's children upon the kingdom.


In order to overcome the odds against him, Prince Lionheart must have faith to save Rose Red and his kingdom.

Despite being published as a Christian book, Moonblood is heavily written as a fantasy adventure in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have never read the first two books, Heartless and Veiled Red, and I struggled to figure out who was who and what was what. Once I got an understanding of what was going on, I became addicted to the unique world that Anne Elisabeth Stengl has created. The basic plot is simple, good VS. evil and the author does a remarkable job creating interesting characters. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, but I am now interested in reading the first two books. If you like fantasy adventures, then you should give the Tales of Goldstone Wood series a chance.

*Disclaimer - I received a review copy free of charge from the publisher. 

About the Author

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, Moonblood, and Starflower. Heartless won a 2011 Christy Award.