Like every Melanie Dickerson book, this was one was amazing.
She is an amazing story-teller, and I can always lose myself in the worlds she creates.
Can highly recommend!

Melanie Dickerson writes stories for young adults/teens that rework old fairy tales. This particular book takes on the Pied Piper of Hamlin, and I must say that she did her research well. I looked up the story of the Pied Piper and found some really disturbing things about the story and when I compared those things to the story Melanie wrote, everything she wrote could be plausible.

Katerina is the step-daughter of the burghermeister of the small town of Hamlin, which is overrun by rats and is also missing many of its small children. When a small child comes out of the forest, Katerina finds a clue as to where the other children are.

Steffan is the son of the duke over the area, and sees what's going on in Hamlin and what the burghermeister is doing. He wants to get his father involved in the situation, while Katerina's step-father is trying to destroy both of them at every turn.

There is plenty of intrigue to compel the reader to continue on with the book. This is a great book for teens/young adults, but adults will enjoy it as well. It is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a silver mine under the town.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read for this review.

This was a great retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, with romance and redemption. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more of Ms Dickerson's books. I love fairy tales and this hit the spot. Hope her others are as good as this one!

The Piper's Pursuit picks up where The Warrior Maiden leaves off. Stephen and Wolfgang have made peace and Stephen is traveling towards home seeking to cover his dishonorable deeds in book 9 with better, more noble choices. He comes upon Hamlin and discovers that rats have infested the township, children are missing, and a beast killing the people. There is a reward to be had by the warrior who can kill the beast; just the deed that someone like Stephen is seeking to prove his worth! Katherina fears for her people and seeks to find the lost children. She has not intentions of being a reward and hunts the beast herself. Stephen and Katerina have the same goal, but find themselves at odds until they realize that the enemy may not be a beast, but the one person who should be protecting Hamblin from danger! Good story, well paced, with plenty of action and a dash of romance! Melanie Dickerson's female characters have strength and courage while remaining feminine and honorable. This is a great series for teens and young adults!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Melanie Dickerson has done it again. Strong protagonists, an interesting and adventurous plot and fantastic character development.

I was hesitant on the choice of fairytale and how it could be written in well (due to the nature of the plot) but I should know by now not to doubt Dickerson. Even though I am not Christian myself, I thoroughly enjoy this series and the time in history it takes place, which I gather the people back then we’re most likely very devout - though sometimes it could be toned down a little.

The Pied Piper follows Steffan and Katerina in the town of Hamlin. Hamlin has a crisis of missing children, an apparent beast and a mayor that wants everything hushed a little too much. Katerina and Steffan make a good team and I am glad to see Steffans growth from the previous book.

As someone who knew the very basics of the Pied Piper story, I though Dickerson did a good job on this retelling as it's a tricky one. My only criticism would be to tone the religious scenes slightly, and perhaps the realistic aspect of 52 children missing and the town still being okay with the mayor ‘keeping under wraps’ while and entire generation is missing.

But all up, 4.5/5. A feel-good and quality read as always, I’d definitely recommend this book, as well as the rest of the series.

This was my first attempt at an audiobook through netgalley and I’m both excited and disappointed. The clip itself was engaging and was a great hook for the rest of the book. It was a bit slow and I wish I could have a little more to go on to really get a feel for the book. I have read one other novel by Dickerson and it appears that this would follow suit and be an enjoyable fantasy read.

3.5- An interesting rendition of the tale of the pied piper. It's a nice, clean romance for young adults (the romance got too cheesy for my taste). The writing paints a vivid picture in your head, and it's fun to catch a glimpse of characters from previous books who make minor appearances/mentions in this story.

Note- some kissing, verbal/physical abuse, alcohol use, violence

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
From the very beginning, this novel had non-stop action. There is also mystery as the main characters try to solve why the children of the town of Hamlin are disappearing. Melanie Dickerson writes strong female characters, which is exactly what I want my daughter to read as she is always looking for a new book to dive into. In the case of Katarina, she has to learn to trust again as she has been hurt by those who were supposed to protect her. The positive and spiritual messages that were conveyed through the journey that Katarina went on were so well written. I also liked that despite the wounds of her past, Katarina did not use it as an excuse to be bitter and withdrawn...she was brave and never gave up fighting for those who weren't as strong as she was. Life lessons were not only taught through Katarina's story, but also through Steffan's story. In Dickerson's previous book, Steffan makes an appearance as a selfish younger son who tries to bring fortune and fame to himself through some bad choices. "The Piper's Pursuit" shows Steffan's journey is one of humbling himself and pursing forgiveness from those that he has hurt. He also realizes that there are other ways that one can go about being brave and strong. As I read the book, I tried to see it through the intended audience, which is Young Adult. There is a wonderful balance of age appropriate action, romantic tension, and addressing situations that are difficult but described in just the right amount of detail. On a personal note, I love that my daughter (who is 12) and I can share in our love of books together through authors like Melanie. Thanks for another great read!

**I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to share my honest opinions, which I did.**

The last time we saw Steffan Gerstenberg, he had realized the error of his ways and was returning home with a humble spirit. When he passes through the town of Hamlin, he is struck by the plight of the citizens there. Children have been disappearing for months, and a plague of rats has taken over the streets. Sensing an opportunity to atone for his wrongs, Steffan offers to help the local mayor.

The mayor's stepdaughter, Katerina, trusts no one after what she's seen from the mayor and his henchmen. She's determined to find the missing children, and she certainly does not need help from the Duke of Hagenheim's prodigal son. But as Steffan sticks around and stubbornly proves to be of assistance, Katerina begrudgingly begins to welcome his company.

I thought this retelling of the Pied Piper was very well done. Steffan makes a compelling hero, and Katerina's resilience made it easy to cheer for her. The narcissistic mayor was portrayed in an incredibly realistic manner. I read through this book quickly, anxious to see if the children could be found and returned to their homes, as well as to find out how our two main characters fared. I would recommend this to fans of fairy tale retellings.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

The Piper's Pursuit, the tenth installment from Melanie Dickerson's Hagenheim series. I enjoyed this book and gives it four stars.

This was an entertaining read that pulled at my heartstrings. Katerina is an independent young woman that learned to be strong while growing up. I loved reading about Katerina's character. She loves her village and wants what is best for her people and she knows that her step-father is not that person. Her step-father has everyone fooled, thinking that he is a doting father. Behind closed doors, Katerina sees the monster that he becomes. Steffan enters the town broken and humbled. He is struggling with his past and is looking for a way to redeem himself. Steffan sees Katerina and wants to help her help her village. Both learn to trust each other as they work to save the village children and get rid of the plague of rats in the town. The book has several different plots that are all intertwined and had me cheering the characters on. I had to keep reading to find out how Katerina and Steffan would overcome all the obstacles in their path. Along the way, a delicate relationship develops between the couple. I recommend this book to those that love historical romance with a lot of action and adventure.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

A thrilling take on The Pied Piper.

Katerina is the stepdaughter of an evil Mayor. Steffan is the son of a duke.

After Katerina’s experiences with her stepfather, she cannot allow herself to trust any man. When Steffan shows up, his perceived arrogance immediately put him in a bad light. Throughout the story, Katarina will not only have to save her village, she will have to save her heart.

Steffan is carrying a secret that has colored every experience since he was eight years old. His guilt and recklessness drove him from his father’s house and straight into danger. Now he seeks to make restitution.

Told in classical Melanie Dickerson style, The Piper’s Pursuit combines strong heroines with the heroes they need just at the right time in their lives. She includes elements of God and faith while weaving a story filled with action and deep character arcs.

For the YA genre, this book is a good read. Be aware, however, that Kat does discuss some abuse that happened to her as a child.

Katerina knows she needs help to take down the beast hunting their villagers, and Steffan is a well-trained soldier. What could make a better pair? After first reading about Steffan in The Warrior Maiden, I was looking forward to learning more of his story.

I requested a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I went into this book with the wrong expectations, which I fully admit. It was pitched as a gender-swapped Pied Piper retelling and I just went ahead and downloaded it because THAT PREMISE. I didn't pay enough attention to the publisher and since the book was tagged as Teen and Romance, I was unaware that it was Christian fiction. Still, I gave it a fair try, reading until about 35% in.
It was quickly apparent that it's not exactly a Pied Piper retelling, nor is it genderswapped. The rats are a subplot, with missing children and a mysterious Beast who's presumably taking them and killing people as the main plot. The heroine is feminist and fierce, the hero is trying to reclaim his honor after aligning himself with a cause he didn't understand before going off to war. They ally pretty quickly and it's clear who the Bad Guy is equally quickly. Rather than being a mystery (though the rats remain a mystery for a while), the plot is mostly one of how to defeat said Bad Guy. The setting is rare, 1400's in the area we now call Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
I'm sure a lot of people will really enjoy this historical retelling/fantasy/romance mashup, but I ended up not clicking with the author's voice and as a non-Christian it didn't work for me. (I will say it's not the sort of religious story that assigns gender roles and is mostly focused on being a good person.)

Can each be the hero/ine the other needs?

I knew that when I cracked open a new Melanie Dickerson fairytale retelling that I was in for a treat. What I didn't realize was just how quickly and completely I would be pulled into the retelling of a story that I haven't read since I was a schoolkid. That tale is The Pied Piper Of Hamlin. Suffice it to say that when I read the original story I was much closer to the YA target range of The Piper's Pursuit than I am now. Now, don't mistake me, I LOVE Melanie Dickerson's fairytale retellings partly because they are so appealing to more than just a YA audience.

The Piper's Pursuit was a perfect example of that broad age-range appeal. There were some darker tones in it that I don't remember in some of the previous books. But, those darker tones, actually more like difficult topics, were what made the story both unique and so engrossing. Melanie Dickerson handled those things with grace and an honesty that I truly appreciated.

I will be honest, when I started the book I was a bit unsure how to be sympathetic to the hero. I flat-out disliked liked him in The Warrior Maiden. But both Katerina and Steffan won me over from the start. Sure, he had some lessons to learn, as did Katerina, but they were both made from the same stuff as heroes. I genuinely liked them both, flaws and all.

The Piper's Pursuit was a wonderful story, filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance. Melanie Dickerson's distinct style of storytelling shines bright in this book. The rich historical and regional details leap off the page in vivid color, leaving the reader completely immersed in the 15th century storyworld. You will love characters and hate the villains. And, I'm sure, like me, will be unable to put down The Piper's Pursuit for even fire, famine, or flood. Your family will just have to wait for dinner...or join in the adventure themselves...

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

I have devoured every single one of Melanie's series, loving each book as much or more than the last. The Piper's Pursuit was such a great take on the matching fairytale and I really fell in love with these characters and their stories. Highly recommend this book to everyone who asks for fairytale retelling recommendations!!

I really enjoyed seeing Steffan's path to redemption and getting to know Katerina- these characters really came to life as they worked together to solve the mystery of the beast and the disappearing townspeople and children. Katerina is complex, with major trust issues and a defensive exterior, while inside she is full of compassion for those being abused and willing to fight for them. We see Steffan's rebellious nature in The Warrior Maiden, but in this book we begin to understand where his head was and why he made the choices he did. I liked him much better as he seeks to become a better man and realizes the folly of his past. There is plenty of suspense and action, and the romantic tension slowly grows as Steffan proves himself worthy of Katerina's trust. I wish I could have envisioned the setting better, and would have loved more description of the town especially. Overall, an exciting and satisfying escape into this creative retelling of The Pied Piper.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This book is the 10th book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. The book is about a young woman named Katerina, who is at the mercies of an evil stepfather, who is the mayor of the small town of Hamlin. With the death of people at the hands of a beast, who plague the town as well as a growing number of missing children and a plague of rats, Katerina has no choice but to take on the hunt of the beast and try to solve the mystery of the missing children. One day a young man named Steffan, who is the youngest son of the Duke of Hagenheim. He has be away from his family for over a year and is on a journey back home to make amends with his father and his family, when he meets Katerina and hears of the reward of riches and the hand of marriage to the mayor's stepdaughter to whoever successfully kills the beast. While Steffan is welcoming to the reward of riches, Katerina is determined to kill the beast on her own and win her own freedom from her stepfather. Will Steffan and Katerina find healing from their troubles from one another?
Overall, I have enjoyed each and every installment throughout this series and this book is just as good as the others. I enjoy the writing style of this author! Each book has a good use of language and allows the reader to develop interest in the outcome of the main characters and their relationships. The pace of the story was well balanced with enough action and backstory to help the story move along. I was hurt by some of the characters and the choices they made (Hans). I enjoyed how strong Katherina was written and how while she was wary of Steffan at first, she grew to allow herself to see past his gender to the heart of the man. On the other hand, I liked Steffan's character and patients with Katerina throughout this book. I liked the characters from the previous books making cameo appearances within this book, I liked how the author took a classic children's fairy tale of the Piped Piper and gave it a new twist! Overall, I would recommend this book to those who would like to read a clean romance set in the medieval period. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I thoroughly enjoy retellings of old fairy and folk tales, and this version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin does not disappoint. Dickerson has taken the bones of the story about the piper who leads a horde of rats out of the city of Hamelin by enchanting them with his piper music and added some very interesting twists that engage the reader right away. That’s about as much of the original tale that survives and that’s just fine, because Dickerson has added several characters (good and bad) who turn this into a cracking good adventure. Primary characters Katerina and Steffan tick all the boxes - strong-willed, independent smart, and capable female, angsty but charming, loyal, and smart male who eventually unite against the villain and fall in love - while the bad guy is really reprehensible. Well done.

As always, Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale retellings do not disappoint.

This is the story of...you guessed it--the pied piper!

I liked Katerina almost from the first page. She's a young girl caught in a hard spot in life. She's feisty, strong, and determined. She's protective of her village, and believes she will be the one to kill the terrible beast that has been terrorizing them.

It's obvious that Kat has a hard life, her stepfather is a bad man. As her story  is revealed, bit by bit, we see why she has such a problem with trusting men.

At first I wasn't quite sure what to think about Steffan! His reasons to help are not all together noble, at the beginning, at least. He's made bad choices in the past, and now he wants to prove himself, show his father that he can do something good and be a hero after all.

This story has all the delights of a fairy tale, and yet, there's so much more to it. I love how the author weaves into a timeless tale as this one important character values and shows growth.

A fight between good and evil. We are given the choice-what is good, and what is evil.

And of course, there is a bit of romance here.
There is also a mystery....I enjoyed the twists and turns as it is uncovered.

If you are a lover of fairy tales, be sure and read this one!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

This is my fav one of her books! so good, even better then the last book... which was Mulan! Yes! I will be reading more of this series, I think I'll do the Aladdin one next and then perhaps the second book since I already read the first one in the series!