The Master Craftsman Book Review
About the Book
In 1917, Alma Pihl, a master craftsman in The House of Fabergé, was charged to protect one of the greatest secrets in Russian history–an unknown Fabergé Egg that Peter Karl Fabergé secretly created to honor his divided allegiance to both the people of Russia and the Imperial Czar’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 treasure 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.
This modern-day treasure hunt from award-winning author Kelli Stuart transports you into the opulent and treacherous world of the Russian Revolution to unearth mysteries long buried.
My Thoughts
I have struggled for weeks to write this review. On the surface, a historical novel about the House of Faberge is extremely intriguing. The exquisite detail of the eggs, the backstories of the artists, and the interactions with the Russian royals were fascinating to read.
What I didn’t care for –
There is NO mention of God in this book – anywhere. The Master Craftsman is published by a major Christian publishing house, but this book reads like a mainstream novel. If the author was aiming for subtle mentions of God, even those were absent because I did not pick up on them. There are also a few mentions of inappropriate language. Hugely disappointing for this publisher.
Ava is 26 years old, and a grown-up spoiled brat. I did not care for her character at all. And even though Star Wars lingo is spoken frequently in my household (thanks to my hubby being an extreme fan), the term “padawan” was overused to the point of annoyance. Once, twice…that would have been plenty, but it was closer to a dozen and did not add positively to the story.
I love split time stories. They’re some of my favorite ones to read. In the case of The Master Craftsman, this author should have stayed firmly in the past to tell this tale. The present day portion as a whole was not enjoyable, except for the scene in the museum where Ava had the opportunity to learn more Faberge history.
I’m sorry that I am not able to rate this book more positively, but there were too many negative issues for me to ignore.
2 Stars
I received a review copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews. A positive review was not required.
