This is well-written and completely absorbing historical fiction with a dual timeline that works well. The historical part of the book is set in St. Petersburg, Russia during the last years of the Tsars and at the time that the House of Faberge was creating unique eggs for the ruling family. The current time includes engaging characters Nick Laine, a treasure hunter, and his estranged daughter Ava whom he convinces to go to Russia and find a missing Faberge egg. Because of his ill health, Nick cannot go so he sends Ava along with Carol, his former wife, and Zak, a computer guru who is secretly in love with Ava. Once there, Ava meets her Russian helpers, Xander and Anatoly, who are to help her solve the mystery of what happened to the missing egg. The historical details included in this book are fascinating with many details that kept me thoroughly enthralled in the story of how Faberge acts were created. There is mystery, subterfuge and family devotion all rolled up into one neat package in this well-written and intricately developed plot. The characters are almost all likable and relatable and even those whom I did not like were well-developed and multi-faceted. My favorite characters were Zak because of his quirkiness and Ava because of her determination to please her father. The themes of understanding, forgiveness and love are the foundations of this wonderful story that is memorable as well as educational. I learned a great deal about Russian history, the revolution that overthrew the tsars and the Faberge family that was caught in the middle. The mental images presented in the book are vivid, but I also found myself seeking real images on a search engine of what the various Faberge eggs looked like. The intricate details in the eggs is matched by the author’s brilliant and insightful descriptions that placed me right there in St. Petersburg, seeking the treasure alongside of Ava. This is a remarkable story that had an intriguing mystery, a love story and a well-researched story to tell. I highly recommend this captivating book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction that is profound, thought-provoking and well-crafted.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Kelli Stuart is a new-to-me author; the beautiful cover and premise of this book drew me in. I wanted to like it, but I never felt connected with the characters in either timeline. The treasure hunt in the present day seemed a little unrealistic to me, especially towards the end. Even so, I did enjoy learning some history about the Russian Revolution and Fabergé eggs. I know that many readers loved this story, so if you enjoy treasure hunts and early 20th century history, this book might be for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Revell!

I have had the pleasure of reading other books by Kelli Stuart in the past. I was excited to have the opportunity to read her latest release, The Master Craftsman. I was far from being disappointed. It is by far my favorite I have read by her to date. I was fascinated by the unique storyline and loved learning more about the history of the Faberge'. I liked following along trying to find out what the characters will learn and able to solve the mystery. I loved every single page.

The Master Craftsman will be getting a very well deserved five plus stars. Readers who enjoy reading historical fiction and those with dual time lines will definitely want to pick this one up. I will be looking forward to more like this by Kelli Stuart in the future.

I received a paperback copy of The Master Craftsman from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Interesting concept and fun idea. creative historical fiction with a mystery and romance all wrapped up in one. I enjoyed this one a lot very interesting and totally unlike everything I’ve read .

The novel opens in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1917. The name Faberge is well known, especially for their jeweled eggs. There were a limited number of eggs created, but the story focuses on the one that was never seen by royalty or the public. In the present day, we meet Ava who is the daughter of an adventurer and treasure hunter. Unfortunately, her father has been mostly absent from her life. Ava and her mother have been summoned to his death bed. As a result of this meeting Ava and her mother embark on the adventure her father could no longer complete. They will try to find the egg.

In this work of historical fiction, the tumultuous times of Russia in the early 20th century are skillfully brought to life as is the magic that was produced in the Faberge workshops. The descriptions of St Petersburg are so vivid readers are immersed into the setting. There is a varied cast of characters. Some are not who they first appear to be. The story is told both in the past and the present and this adds depth to the narrative. There is suspense, intrigue and danger as the story races to a surprising conclusion. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed the historical part of the book, learning more about the House of Faberge.
and Faberge's family. I have seen Russian exhibits of a few eggs and other creations and found the descriptions very authentic. The treasure hunt was not as interesting in terms of characters and improbable plot. Worth reading for the history though.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

The blurb and cover for this book originally caught my attention. They sounded and looked, respectively, so intriguing to me. Had I known that Alma Pihl, the historical-era lead, was a real-life person, I would have known not to request this book. Reading about real-life leads is not my thing, as I do not typically enjoy fictionalized versions of real people’s stories. There are rare exceptions on occasion.

This was not such an occasion.

There were inaccuracies and inconsistencies throughout the first hundred pages (I DNFed at page 101). I also was not comfortable with the scenes that depicted the strain of Mr. Fabergé’s marriage. Those details, particularly the ones that shared how his wife and he felt about each other and their marriage, seemed completely fictionalized rather than based on facts gleaned from historical accounts. Perhaps I’m wrong, and I hope I am, but it made me uncomfortable enough to lose interest in Mr. Fabergé’s thread in the book.

I found it difficult to connect with the characters in the historical thread because there were too many history dumps. In particular, there were dumps about dead master craftsmen who had been replaced. This was unnecessary information that cluttered up the pages so that I couldn’t find a sense of the present action within the scene, as it was often interrupted to share more details about some person who would not play any role within the story as they were long gone already. At times, the history dumps were so dense and lengthy it felt like I was reading a history textbook rather than a novel.

While the Fabergé eggs were described in beautiful detail, I found the placement of these descriptions awkward and disruptive to the flow of the scenes.

It was also difficult for me to connect with any of the contemporary-era characters. The lead in the present-day scenes acted like a rebellious teenager rather than the twentysomething she was. It was unsettling that she used bad language, and especially right on the pages of a Christian fiction-labeled book. Her mom acted even less mature, holding on to hurts she’s had a lifetime to work through (but apparently didn’t). I understand that sort of thing, but I don’t understand still being on a teenage level in the way she spoke and acted toward the people around her. The dad was way too passive for a treasure hunter type of person. With the personality I saw on the pages, cancer and looming death notwithstanding, he didn’t seem the type to abandon his family in order to seek treasures.

It was difficult for me to keep track of all the leading ladies. There were three POV ladies and all of them had names that began and ended with A. I understand now that Alma Pihl and Augusta Fabergé were real-life women. Their names were pre-decided, then. But why did the fictional lead have to be named Ava? I don’t know how many times in 100 pages that I got confused between Alma and Ava because the names were too similar. There were also secondary characters mentioned whose names were Amalia and Albert. That’s a lot of A names to keep track of.

“Actually, I don’t think you owe him an apology, Mom.” Actually, she did. No matter how he had treated her in the past, her using verbal abuse against him was not okay. Verbal abuse is never okay. Yet, here it was given the easiest of excuses and then rubbed in his face that she knew she didn’t need to apologize for it. This behavior does not encourage healthy relationships, and it largely contributed to my lack of connection with these characters.

Inconsistencies and contradictions popped up on occasion. One in particular was quite shocking. A single photograph was described as detailed (being able to see “some flecks of black sprinkled” in a white beard), unclear (“wasn’t clear enough to make out his expression”), clear (a woman’s “soft smile turned up her lips”), and unclear again (the expression in the woman’s eyes was hard to make out). These contradictory descriptions were unsettling and made it difficult to imagine this photograph.

The first 100 pages had feminist overtones that prevented me from connecting well with the story. In the author’s note at the back of the book, it was said that Mr. Fabergé was “a master craftsman whose creativity and vision is [sic] almost unparalleled in history.” Yet, within the story, Alma’s two eggs were “thought to be the most innovative” of all of Fabergé’s eggs. Was Mr. Fabergé or Alma the greater designer? This book provided two different answers to that question. There was becoming a large focus on the fact that Mr. Fabergé “employed several women as master craftsmen,” but lists I found online only showed two or three female master craftsmen who worked in his shop. Two is a “couple”; three is a “few”; I don’t see “several” in any of the lists I found online. There were other niggling comments that were slid in that hinted at a feminist movement sort of thing, and that is not a favorite theme of mine to read about.

Certain things were over-emphasized to the point of ad nauseam. “Padawan” comes to mind, for one example. The first couple of times were cute and a great idea. Once it piled up to be a dozen or more times within about 20 pages, I was worn out on the subject.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the Fabergé eggs. I felt they were out of place at times, as they were often part of the history dumps, but they were very well described so that they were well seen in my imagination.

I’m sad to not be able to finish this book, because I was really wanting to spend some time virtually traveling to Russia and Finland and perhaps other countries as well through this story. I typically love stories that make the settings come alive so that I feel like I was actually there while reading. I don’t know if this book does that or not, as the contemporary thread still had not ventured to Europe by page 101 and the historical thread mostly took place in Mr. Fabergé’s shop or home through that same page.

The cover was beautiful, and I really liked that one of the Fabergé eggs was added near the bottom. That was a really nice detail.

Content: expletives

Are you ready for an intriguing history lesson and a grand adventure? If your answer is yes, grab a copy of this book and settle in for some reading enjoyment.

Russian history has always fascinated me and while reading this book, I was invited to spend some time in Russia, during the early 1900’s. The House of Faberge was creating exquisite, unique pieces of art while a revolution was brewing. This revolution would change everything.

At the same time, another story is being told in present time. An unsolved mystery involving a missing Faberge masterpiece is the catalyst for an epic adventure of treasure hunting.

Clues were followed from Florida to Russia to Finland. This exciting quest was filled with mystery, suspense and even some danger.

I always learn new things whenever I read historical fiction. I learned about the House of Faberge and about the Bolshevik revolution. Absolutely fascinating! Oh, and I also added a new word to my vocabulary…Padawan.

I received complimentary copies of this book from Revell Publishing through UpLit Reads and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I liked this one! Really enjoyed the historical aspect and learning more about the Romanov eggs. I never connected to the modern day storyline and found myself wanting more from the historical storyline, but the bulk of the book was the modern characters. I understand the treasure hunt aspect was a major piece of the plot, but I just wanted more from the historical characters. Overall I would recommend this to lovers of historical fiction who are looking to learn something new!

There was a lot to love in this story, although some parts of the book annoyed me. The historical portion was spot-on, as far as I can discover, and I loved learning about Karl Fabergé, his business, and the beautiful creations he and his craftsmen came up with. Seeing the Russian Revolution through his eyes was an experience in itself, and I appreciated being able to see a little of how that developed as the story went on. The historical section was definitely my favorite part of this book!

The present-day sections were a bit of a disappointment, though. People’s attitudes toward each other annoyed me, several characters’ crushes on other characters came up relatively frequently, and the climax felt somewhat dramatic. I did LOVE how the treasure hunt brought a broken family together again—that was beautiful! I also loved seeing the mystery side play out—it was fairly easy to guess what would happen next, after reading the historical side, but I loved seeing how the characters went about looking for clues.

This wasn’t my most favorite book of the year, but I am grateful I got to read it. There was a lot to enjoy here. Please note, however, if you’re looking for a Christian story, this isn’t it—it’s relatively clean, but I didn’t pick up on any faith elements in the story.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

DNF at 25%

I was just never in the mood to pick this up. The premise was interesting, but I found myself caring less and less and the story progressed. I think the main issue is that the two timelines bogged each other down. We spent so much time on each that neither one could take off and get interesting.

I do enjoy many books with a slow start but this was too slow.

In this dual timeline historical fiction, Alma is a master craftsman at Faberge right before, during and after the Russian revolution. In the present day, Ava’s father recruits her to finish one last treasure hunt for him - find a missing previously unknown Faberge egg.

What I liked: I’ve always had an interest in imperial Russia, so for me, the past storyline was the most interesting with a detailed look at the workings of Faberge’s workshop.

The mystery of would they find the egg kept my interest in the present day story. While the egg is fake, the author wove in facts about Alma, a real person, and Faberge/Russia with ease.

What didn’t work for me: Some of the dialogue was awkward, for me, this was most noticeable in the present day storyline. On a related note, some of the present day characters felt like stereotypes, for example, awkward but lovable nerd in not so secret love with the main character.

The end of the treasure hunt storyline felt a little unbelievable and wrapped up pretty quickly.

Who should read it: If you think a movie that combines Anastasia with Indiana Jones or National Treasure sounds interesting this book may be right for you.

Thank you uplit reads for my gifted copy

4.5 stars

This book was fascinating! I had no real knowledge of Fabrege eggs so this was all new territory for me and I loved every minute of learning. Kelli Stuart has added so much intrigue into the discussion of how many Fabrege eggs were really created and where are they all.

Set in the early 1900’s and present day, Stuart creates a tale that will give the reader a lot of background into Russian history in general and Fabrege in particular and also a current timeline with a fractured family trying to be restored.

I love when a novel combines my favorite genres! This book alternates between current day and the early 1900’s Russia with the history of Fabergé Eggs. Current day Ava and her ailing father are on a time sensitive quest to find one egg in particular. This treasure hunt will take them down a dangerous path across continents to uncover. This is a fast paced book with loads of suspense & action.

"The Master Craftsman" is a dual-time period novel, alternating between Russia at the end of the Romanov dynasty and the present. I was attracted to the novel by the description that it would deal with the Fabergé family and the eggs they created. The story deals with a search for an undiscovered egg, going back and forth between the circumstances of its creation and trying to discover where it was hidden.

The storyline is engaging. The modern-day component delves into the world of a mom, her shiftless twenty-something year old daughter, and the estranged dad dying of cancer who abandoned them for a life of treasure hunting. The mom and daughter are called to his deathbed and take up this last quest of the dad to find the missing Fabergé egg. We go back in time to the life of Karl Fabergé to see why he created and how it got out of Russia in the face of the revolution. While there are definitely plot holes, it was an enjoyable story.

There are two major issues I had with the novel. First, character development was a bit lacking. We are given people without truly understanding their underlying motivations other than father issues for many of them. Side characters are incredibly flat and the main ones not much deeper. The other issue is that while this book was published by a Christian publishing division, there is zero mention of God or any form of a spiritual life in the book. I found this confusing. Is this meant to be a Christian book or simply a "clean" novel? In fact, the ending moral of the book parallels that of the movie "Encanto." Even the wording is quite similar to that expressed by Abuela in the end of the movie.

The novel was a fast, light read. I received an ebook review copy from the publisher.

Kelli Stuart is a new author to me, but this certainly won’t be the last of her books that I read.
One is drawn into the story from the very beginning, there is no gradual introduction – instead the reader is right there in the thick of the action. The dual timeline was very well-handled, with changes clearly labelled & dated which was most helpful. I also liked the parallels between the conclusions of the two stories. Whilst I had expected to enjoy it – history, Faberge, mystery – ‘The Master Craftsman’ far exceeded those expectations & I can wholeheartedly recommend it! (PS I thought I knew how it would end, but I didn’t...) 4 1/2 stars

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN is a non-stop thrill ride. I love treasure hunt stories and this one does not disappoint. The author takes the reader to some mind-blowing historic sites and weaves hints of danger and tension throughout the compelling narrative. At times I was not sure who to trust, which kept me turning the pages. The descriptions of the scenery are very evocative and the ending provides a satisfying conclusion.

I love a good historical fiction especially one that looks at something in history I don't know much about so a book that ties in the Russian Revolution and a missing Fabergé Egg modern day treasure hunt sounded fun!

I'enjoyed both storylines and liked that it is a historical fiction with a fun mystery too! I love learning more about the Fabergé eggs and the craftsmanship.

The Master Craftsman
A Novel
by Kelli Stuart
Pub Date 05 Apr 2022
Revell
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction


I am reviewing a copy of The Master Craftsman through Revell and Netgalley:



In 1917,Alma Phil 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. After escaping England for their native Finland , she took the secret with her, guarding her secret connection to the Romanov family.




It’s three generations later, when Nick Laine a world renowned treasure hunter 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.




If you’re looking for a book full of history, secrets and even treasure hunts then I recommend The Master Craftsman!



Five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I read a book by Kelli a long time ago and loved it so I wanted to read this one and see what she was up to.

This is a very interesting story and you get to travel to Russia. Which, in light of the current climate there, is rather interesting. I doesn’t sound like a beautiful country and many wonderful things to sightsee.

I was interested in Zak and wondered what was up with him. Could we really trust him? I had my doubts but I won’t tell you if I was right or just totally off base, you’ll have to read to found out.

This is a non-stop adventure. I adored and Ava and her mom and I really wanted Ava to mend her relationship with her dad. Again, all things you’ll have to read for yourself and I highly recommend you to.


A copy of this book was given to me through the publisher. All opinions are my own.