Mary-Claire Helldorfer

Opening on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve, this beautifully-told and gorgeously-illustrated original fairy-tale follows a young boy named Finder who sets out on a journey to see the king. The recent war had ended, but Finder's father had never returned from the fighting, and now he and his mother and sisters were starving. Taking his father's ring, he set out through the snowy woods, determined to obtain help from the monarch his father had served. Becoming lost instead, he meets up with an show more old blind man, troubled in body and spirit by the wounds of war, who is seeking the magical white stag. Pressed into helping the old man on his quest, Finder is witness to the beauty and majesty of this cervine prey, and the way in which it allows itself to be wounded, in order to offer healing to the old man. Cured by the stag's blood, the old man leads Finder to the king's palace, where a surprise awaits him...

A breathtakingly beautiful picture book, Night of the White Stag was originally published in 1999, and is a title I have been meaning to track down for many years. Yvonne Gilbert, sometimes credited as Anne Yvonne Gilbert, is a masterful artist—her version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans is one of my favorite fairy-tale picture books of all time—so I knew I would love the visuals here. In this regard, I was certainly not mistaken, finding her work every bit as enthralling as expected. There is a dreamy, ethereal quality to some of the scenes, that contrasts wonderfully with the melancholy of the tale, in which survivors of terrible trauma struggle through a wintry world. I loved the use of color here, with a palette that is deep and lovely, but also somehow muted, and I was engrossed by the tenderly expressive faces of the human characters, throughout. This is certainly a masterpiece, from a visual perspective, and deserves to be better known.

What I didn't expect, and what elevated Night of the White Stag from a four or four-and-a-half star book to that rare five-star title, was the story, which was more than just a fairy-tale. Author M.C. Helldorfer's brief afterword about her sources mentioned a number of folkloric inspirations, including the legend of St. Eustace, in which a hunting saint pursues a stag with a cross between its horns; as well as medieval literary antecedents such as Chaucer's Book of the Duchess, in which a knight finds consolation after the death of his wife in a vision he has while on a hunt. A more recent source was the 1642 Huron Carol, which offers a Native American retelling of the Nativity Story. This wealth of association is certainly interesting, and I can see how each is tied to important themes in the tale, from the sacred nature of the eponymous stag to the healing offered by a sojourn in the wild. For me, the most powerful was the way in which the stag was clearly a Christ stand-in, given the Christmas Eve setting, and the way in which he was described, with eyes that were "dark and old as night, gentle as love," and the way in which he permitted the old man to harm him.

With a powerful and deeply-felt tale, and artwork that is simply gorgeous, this is a book I would highly recommend! It mystifies me that it seems to have slipped into an undeserved obscurity, and I hope it is soon republished. show less

Well, I liked this book better than book 5, however it left me a bit unsettled. If I were smart I'd probably wait a bit to write my review and give myself time to digest, but the details become fuzzier for me when I move onto another book. So here goes...
I love that Beth is ok in this one, I didn't like viewing her as a villain in the last book. I also love the feelings blooming for her here. It felt right. I also like that we talk to Phillip a little more in this book than in the last one, show more I love that kid. And combining the two villains was a good move I think. I was less than satisfied at the ending, I understand that it came full circle and what was meant to be is finally achieved but I couldn't help but hope for a more "happy ever after" ending for Tristan and Ivy. All in all, it did wrap up the series quite well. show less

I really do love these books. There is always so much going on with the way Ms. Chandler writes, that is just keeps you entertain and hooked. The reader is first introduce to Anna who comes along after her uncle's death to help her aunt. Anna, is the type of girl who when a tragic incident strikes she will drop everything and help you. I adored her willingness and strength to help put her aunt.

What I like most about this book or rather this series, is how the past comes back to haunt them. I show more like how well Ms. Chandler uses a past incident that still haunts them today. Either it be accidental death, revenge, or just plain ol' jealousy, I love that it is the base of this series. Ms. Chandler connects the past with the future generation that a secret that they must solve in order for the family to be a peace.

The love interest in this book has me angry. Zack at first was a real jerk. I am glad that Anna called him out on it and made him look like a fool. I like that Zack even though was wrong, he fought for Anna. He decided to find out what the real truth was and did his own investigation. After he did that, I decided that he wasn't as bad as he seems. Though he did put on being jerk real good.

The Dark secrets series has once again captured me. I love reading this series for it never lets me down! show less

The Back Door of Midnight is the long awaited newest instalment in the Dark Secrets series. This instalment came out six years after the previous books. As someone who read the earlier books when they came out, the long wait made for a bit of a let down when I actually read the book, as I am no longer an age appropriate reader. The book follows the same format as the previous books, girl with some sort of paranormal ability ends up in some sort of mystery, and with help of boy solves it. show more Other than the long wait, the book was very good. Anna O'Neill Kirkpatrick goes to stay with her aunt and uncle for the summer before college. Upon arriving, Anna learns that her uncle was killed in a fire the week before, something that she dreamt about the night it happened. Determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her uncle, Anna begins looking for answers, and along the way she discovers the truth about her family and what really happened to her birth mother when she was a baby. Anna accomplishes this with the help of Zack, the boy next door, who she just can't help but have feelings for. show less