"The Crown Rose"

I discovered this book at my local library when I was in high school. Since then I have read this book at least once a year, I just finished it again for the umpteenth time and it's just as good as the first time I picked it up. I've put off sharing "The Crown Rose", by Fiona Avery, because I didn't know what to say about it. It kind of makes me nervous to put this book on here because it's almost like putting my own child out there for the world to criticize. "The Crown Rose" follows the true story of princess Isabelle of France, but the author takes some creative liberty of course. Isabelle is an amazing young woman who decides that the life of a princess is not the life she really wants. She doesn't want to get married off to whoever her mother chooses and play the part of a proper royal. She has bigger plans. She wants to help people, and do good. She wants to take people off the streets, help them get back on their feet, and start a new better life.

Her family doesn't take her seriously. To show them just how serious she is, she decides to join the church. This puts her family in an uproar, but there is one person she knows who would understand and possibly be proud of her. Him. The man that saved her from a rabid dog when she was a child. He had so much raw power about him, yet seemed so in control and at peace. Neci, her governess, knew about Him, yet she had made Isabelle promise never to speak of him. Just because she can't tell anyone, doesn't mean that she doesn't think about him. No man in her eyes could ever live up to that. He made her feel so safe.

Then, years later, Jean Adaret Benariel comes into the royal family's lives. There is something about him that is so familiar to Isabelle. It couldn't be Him, could it? He wouldn't have aged a day. Yet he has that same peaceful power to him. Jean stays with the royal family and helps them through many trials, including the war with England. He has a great influence on the royal family, especially Isabelle.

This book has some religious content in it, which is part of why it's so dear to my heart. This is the type of book that makes me want to be a better person. The characters are inspiring and they will stick with you for a long time after you have finished the book. I'm not saying what is in this book is true, that's for the reader to decide. Whether it's true or not doesn't change the fact that this is an absolutely amazing book. It is written incredibly well and will suck you in and won't spit you out until you have finished it and pondered it for a few days. It is a thicker book and will take a few days to get through, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than high school age simply because some of it is hard to understand. All in all this is an amazing book and I very highly recommend that you read it.