Are you familiar with the beautifully crafted Russian Faberge eggs? Have you ever wondered why those special Russian eggs were created? Or who these incredibly talented jewelers were? This new novel, The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart, will take you back in history to an unsettling time period in Russia when the people were struggling, and the monarchy was not meeting the needs of the people they ruled. Yet, in spite of the unrest, there was a group of highly talented individuals that worked for a man by the name of Peter Karl Faberge. And for him, they would create one-of-a-kind masterpieces that we still "ooh and aah" over today.
From the Back Cover:
In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in the House of Faberge, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history--an unknown Faberge Egg that Peter Karl Faberge secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial tsar's family. When Alma and her husband escaped Russia for their native Finland in 1921, she took the secret with her, guarding her past connection to the Romanov family.
Three generations later, world-renowned treature hunter Nick Laine is sick and fears the secret of the missing egg will die with him. With time running out, he entrusts the mission of retrieving the egg to his estranged daughter, Ava, who has little idea of the dangers she is about to face. As the stakes are raised, Ava is forced to declare her own allegiance--and the consequences are greater than she could have imagined.
My Thoughts:
I love it when I sit down to read a book by an author I'm unfamiliar with and walk away thinking, "Wow, I loved that story!" This was my first time reading a book by Kellie Stuart, and now I'm wondering what else has she written. This book was so good! Who doesn't like a good treasure hunt for lost artifacts that involves some danger. The writing, the story line, and the characters were all wonderful. I was fascinated by the history that was shared as the characters hunted for the missing egg. Then, I had to venture online to see what these eggs looked like. This story will definitely pique your curiosity to find out more history about them. Russian history is fascinating to me since my parents were missionaries in Russia for about 10 years, and it was fun reading all of the Russian words the author used in the story. While the story is fiction, the history is interwoven into the story in such a beautiful way. The Master Craftsman is a book you are going to want on your shelf. So make sure to pick up this new book for your summer reading. It will be a great addition to any library!
My Rating: ★★★★★
*I received this book from Revell Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Kelli Stuart is the author of the Carol Award-winning Like a River from Its Course, as well as A Silver Willow by the Shore and Life Creative: Inspiration for Today's Renaissance Mom (with Wendy Speake). Stuart has written for The Huffington Post, 5 Minutes for Mom, Tonic.com, Disney, American Girl, The MOB Society, Extraordinary Mommy, God Size Dreams, Short Fiction Break, and (in)courage. Kelli is a storyteller at heart, fluent in the Russian language, and has spent the last two decades studying the Russian and Ukrainian culture. Kelli lives in Tampa, Florida, with her husband and five children.
Visit Kelli's website by clicking here.
