👑💎 “The Master Craftsman” (2022) 💎👑 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800740424
ISBN-13: 978-0800740429
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“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 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 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.”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell Books (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through JustRead Publicity Tours. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and what a stunning introduction it was. I originally got it as part of a Bookstagram tour, and I ended up reading it as part of the April Revell Beyond the Book selection. As a result, I read the assigned portions within a few hours of the corresponding week, and finished the entire book in under four (4) hours.
The late review isn’t a reflection of the book, but rather due to some uncontrollable events between April to now that prevented me from posting the review.
With that out of the way …
This is a dual/split time novel that has NO chapters at all – not by name or number. The author relies on place and year. Some chapters are short, some are quite lengthy. The past covers from the years 1904-1925. The story bounces in location from New York, Russia, Finland, and Switzerland.
In this standalone novel, Stuart takes an integral and fascinating part of Russian history and combines it with a modern-day treasure hunt.
Although I can’t see why someone would be – but, those unfamiliar – Fabergé is mostly known for his Imperial eggs (Romanov family). There were 52 in total, of those, only 46 survive today. The eggs, in their own right, have achieved a cult-like status which inspires films, TV shows, documentaries, and even stories like this one.
The cover features a TINY Fabergé egg, which alludes to the story and mystery. And, I was also tempted to read it because of a fascination with the Romanov history as well as my appreciation for the Fabergé eggs. I’m not into art at all, so being interested in them is AT LEAST a step in that direction.
There are some readers who have a problem with actual people being fictionalized in a book. It can be a contentious and a rather audacious move to include them, particularly as main characters. I am one that it depends on the story and portrayal – is it reasonable they’d be involved, and is the character portrayal realistic to what is known about them.
The idea of Fabergé having an affair could be problematic for some readers. Though there is no evidence he did or didn’t.
The actual characters will be Alma Pihl (one of Fabergé’s master craftsman), Peter Carl (Karl) Fabergé, and his wife Augusta Fabergé. There is, in this novel, a hint of infidelity on Karl’s part. I don’t know if this was a real rumor or if that was fictionalized for the novel. The book uses Karl, when according to research, his name was Carl.
Those figures tie into the story that features Ava, her mother Carol, her father Nick, best friend Zak, and Ava’s aunt Sylvie.
Ava, Carl, Zak, and even Sylvie find themselves caught up in one of Nick’s last treasure hunts for a missing Fabergé egg. Nick has been mostly absent from his daughter’s life; he’s hoping this will bring them together.
But, the egg that Nick sends his ex-wife, daughter, and Zak on – isn’t an egg that is “known” – it is more suspected because of designs and notes that were found. In addition, his grandmother knew Alma and there is evidence the egg did exist.
The Master Craftsman is told from four (4) different POVS: Ava in the modern day; Karl, Augusta, and Alma as voices from the past.
This has elements of suspense, intrigue, some reference to “language” (though it isn’t used), as well as a cancer diagnosis. This does have a few violent scenes.
As it mostly takes place in Russia, this could be a bit sensitive due to what is going on in Ukraine.
Dual-time and split time books are, while interesting to read, difficult to review for me. For this review – I’ll start with the past, then present day storylines.
1904-1925:
The Master Craftsman begins in 1917 St. Petersberg, Russia as Karl Fabergé is handing Alma a box, which includes an egg that only he knows about. His reference is to Bloody Sunday (series of events on Sunday, 22 January [O.S. 9 January] 1905 in St Petersburg, Russia, when unarmed demonstrators, led by Father Georgy Gapon, were fired upon by soldiers of the Imperial Guard as they marched towards the Winter Palace to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia). That key event is one that will lead to the Russian Revolution later on in 1917.
As of note, what goes on in the “past” – has a lot of real history in it, and it is a bit violent. Also, the problem with the past – “spoilers”.
After the “prologue” of sorts, the past goes back in chronological order from 1904, towards the end it bounces between 1920 and 1925.
In 1904, Alma Pihl is brought into the House of Fabergé. She herself is talented and becomes an asset to Karl. This is also the time when the commissioning of eggs for the royal family is put on hold. In addition, Karl and Augusta’s marriage is “questionable”.
By 1905, the people are upset with the Russian family. What is supposed to be a peaceful petition turns into Bloody Sunday which, over the next 12 years becomes the active phase that leads into the Russian Revolution of 1917.
From 1905-1906 the story focuses on Fabergé’s family and the eggs. Each chapter of the past covers a year. From 1906 it jumps to 1914. And goes in two (2) year increments. From 1920 to 1921, then leaps to 1925 before bouncing back to 1920 which has a stunning reveal.
Stuart is careful to avoid the revolution year of 1917, but she portrays a stunning story of what led up to it and the aftermath of it.
PRESENT DAY –
Ava Laine gets a call from her mother Carol – Ava’s father; Nick Laine, famed treasure hunter; is dying.
Ava hasn’t had a good relationship with her father, having finally giving up on the idea of having a father. The problem is – the idea of him being gone permanently, is hard for Ava to deal with. There are somethings she needs to talk to him about. Although she thinks it will be that simple – it is far from it.
Ava is also down on her luck – just about anything that could go wrong for her, does. While she could tell her mother and have the issues fixed – Ava doesn’t have a good relationship with her either.
Her mother, Carol, is trying to come to terms with the fact that Nick chose treasure hunting over them. But, despite the past – Carol and Ava visit Nick.
There is one last treasure Nick wants to find – the unknown 53rd Fabergé egg. He’s fairly certain it exists, and there is something special about it – why Fabergé hid it. Ava agrees to be Nick’s “padawan”, letting Nick guide her in searching for it, something to bond them and so she can understand who he was. And, the tempting history of the egg is all too enticing.
She won’t be alone though – her mother Carol, bestie Zak, and Aunt Sylvie will be backing her up. Of course, she’ll also have an international team – a bodyguard (Xander) as well as a liaison/driver (Anatoly).
Nick has an advantage – his grandmother knew Alma in Finland. He’s not sure where the egg is though. However, he is going to teach Ava the nuance of the search.
Ava and company are led to St. Petersburg where Fabergé did most of his work.
With disguise and some sight-seeing, Ava begins to enjoy the search and gather clues. As much as she likes Zak, she is beginning to see Xander in a different light.
The treasure hunt excursions even encompass the Fabergé museum, and Ava finds some evidence there WAS an egg. But, that isn’t all Ava finds. She finds deception as well, and a betrayal.
Ava also learns what they’re looking for may not be found, but learns to cherish what she has found and may have lost.
Stuart weaves a captivating and exciting tale that is rich with history among a sad and tragic backdrop of family, love, and loss with stories spanning from 1904 to present day.
The fictional characters were definitely a different group, but they worked well together. Watching Ava and her mom re-bond was also a bonus.
In total, it took me less than four (4) hours to read this. The writing was descriptive and informative. The author definitely drew the reader right into the story, almost to the point of making them feel like they were there.
I didn’t anticipate the element of suspense towards the end, but I have to admit that it definitely made the story far more interesting than a regular fiction story. Although I had a feeling about certain characters, it was interesting to see how the author put it all together.
While the past scenes were interesting, and very educational, I do feel there was too much space taken up with them. There was stuff I didn’t feel was necessary to the modern-day storyline.
One thing that might be a make-or-break deal for the readers – the ending. I will confess I was expecting one ending, got another. And, either one would’ve worked. Though the current ending made a definite impact.
I loved the Star Wars padawan reference. If you haven’t seen the prequels (The Phantom Menace and/or The Attack of the Clones) you won’t get it.
There were some loose ends at the end of this. While it is a standalone, I would definitely be interested to see a sequel or a follow-up in another book, if just to tie up the loose ends.
Those who are fascinated by the history of the Romanov family, Fabergé eggs, and treasure hunts are sure to enjoy this novel. It also has a slight DaVinci Code vibe to it. And, speaking of a movie – this story definitely has movie potential.
Don’t expect this to be a romance. There are slight elements, but the storyline isn’t centered on it.
While distributed by Revell, which is primarily a Christian/faith themed publisher, this has very few references of the Christian faith in it. It is, for the most part, a clean read.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
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.
She can also be found on the following social media networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellistuartauthor/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kellistuartauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellistuart
Website: http://kellistuart.com/
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