This is a novel of Russian history at its best. Set at the time of the Russian Revolution followed up by the present time, the core of the book is the hunt for eggs, very special eggs...those made by Faberge. For me, the master craftsman was indeed the author, whose research was impeccable and the writing amazing. Glued to the book, you cannot help but not only read the novel, you inhale it. As I'm reading, I am drawn into the book and become a part of it, as if I really and truly knew the protagonists personally. Kelli Stuart is a skillful author and I am truly glad she shared her talent with us. Russian history is quite complex and on a personal level, my family left Belarus (Russia at that time) and the stories they told of the revolution were haunting. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was okay. I thought it was a little slow, but honestly, that did fit the story. It just wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. Lovely writing though.

This dual time novel will bring the world of Faberge and treasure hunting to life. Rich in history, readers will be transported back into the time of
Nicholas II and the downfall of Russia to communism. Treasure hunters will enjoy the modern day hunt for an unknown treasure left behind. The story of the Faberge Easter eggs being created for the Czar and his family and the mystery of the missing ones after the fall is a fascinating tale. Highly recommended!

"Those who work with excellence always stand the tallest."

This is my first book by Kelli Stuart and I am totally blown away. The author's skill in melding history, fiction, and suspense to create a spell-binding dual timeline novel is truly masterful. I felt like I was living with the Faberges in Russia during the early 1900s and equally felt like I was on an exhilarating treasure hunt with Ava and Nick during the present time. I learned quite a bit about Russian history through the eyes of Karl Faberge and loved learning about the man behind the exquisite creations.

The story is plot-driven and moves at a fast clip with plenty of gasp-worthy twists and turns. Karl Faberge and his wife Augusta along with his employee Albert make up the characters in the past. The present time's cast of characters is large; it includes Ava and her mother, Ava's estranged treasure hunter father Nick, and Ava's neighbor Zak along with several other minor characters. I felt the greatest affinity for Karl, who had the most prominent and introspective voice. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction and dual timeline fiction would absolutely love this incredible journey. This is definitely on my top reads of 2022 list!

I received the book from the publisher via Interviews and Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Oh, the twists! As if the initial story of jewels and historical Russia weren’t enough, Stuart morphs this tale into one of romance and deception and then tosses in a treasure hunt for good measure. Somehow, it all comes together without being over the top and ends up a beautiful story of family, priorities, and secrets. Absolutely marvelous!

I remember the joy of getting one of those Kinder Surprise eggs at Easter from my dad. I didn’t care much for the chocolate, - rather milky, - but I do remember the tiny toys inside that my brother and I collected. While sometimes it was nothing, we thought these little toys were fantastic, and some we kept for years.
The surprise eggs from Faberge are, of course, of a complete other order, but I think that the little surprise hidden in each Faberge egg also caused a lot of admiration and amusement.

Any history-loving art buff knows the story of the Faberge eggs. In the days of their highest popularity, these eggs were the symbol of wealth and prosperity among the tsars of Russia.
Peter Carl Faberge was the brilliant mind behind the design of these Faberge eggs.

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart is a dual timeline novel. set in 1917 in Petrograd (St. Petersburg), on the eve of the Russian Revolution - during which the situation is getting grimmer by the minute, especially when an uprising at the Winterpalace is brutally crushed, killing thousands. The other timeline is set in present day Florida. (Florida has the second largest Russian community in the US), where Ava learns that her dad is dying. On his deathbed, he wants her to go on an egg hunt, in search of one of the lost Faberge eggs. (note: there are eight Imperial eggs lost to the world today).

I have read quite a few books on the ill-fated Romanov family, who are probably among the best documented people in history. I had this book on my radar for a while, and I was so looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, the book proved to be a bit of a disappointment for me.
I felt no connection with the characters in the Florida timeline. What annoyed me most, is the fact that the author opted to use first names throughout the story, Ava calling her aunt and her dad by their first names, and a writing such as ‘and Ava and Carol standing’… instead of ‘Ava and her mum’ standing…. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I find that odd. I also didn’t like the writing style of this part, and I found the dialogues awkward and unnatural.
The two storylines differ too much, and I found it hard to switch between the two of them. I prefered the part in Russia/the House of Faberge, but didn’t care too much about the people in the Florida timeline.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for this arc, this opinion is my own.

I loved this! This is a dual timeline novel set in the present and in early 20th century Russia during the last days of the Romanov dynasty before the Russian Revolution. Usually in dual timeline novels I am fully engrossed in the historical section and skim through the boring present-day stuff, but not here! In this novel, "The Master Craftsman" is Karl Faberge, creator of the priceless eggs. The chapters told during his timeline are fascinating, full of historical detail and information. The present day timeline is also really enjoyable. Ava's estranged treasure hunter father encourages her and her mother to go to St. Petersburg to search for a missing Faberge egg, so the present day timeline is a "quest". Highly recommended!

An amazing story that will grip you from the beginning with a strong attention to details. The author draws you in with clear distinction between two time periods mixing together all the characters.

This is a time split novel, and a treasure hunt. What do we end up looking for, a priceless egg, more precisely a Fabrege' egg!

This is a story of family relationships, and the losses that sometimes happen in family dynamics, we we see it play out here in our search.

The time split puts us back at the time of the Russian Revolution, and then back to the present time. We end up in Russia, where I really wouldn't want to be right now, but then back in the to Florida.

Parental relationships play a big part in this story, in both the past and present, and we see how this really shapes their children's lives.

The author did a great job of making me feel I was there while these talented artists created treasures. We also see what happens when people have to flee for their lives, and the ramifications.

My main criticism of this story is it is not a Christian read, no it is a clean read, but their is no faith displayed here, which I come to expect from the books I read from a Christian publisher.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Master Craftsman was the first book that I have read by Kelli Stuart and I will read her in the future. The Master Craftsman is a dual storyline with Ava reconnecting with her dying father who left the family for treasure hunting. He sends her mother, Ava and their friend Zac to Russia to find what he believes is missing Faberge eggs in Russia. The historical storyline takes us to Russia to learn about the creator of the famous Faberge eggs and his life before the Russian revolution.
I loved this book and was amazed at the research the author put into writing it. I enjoyed the fast pace of Ava's search for the egg and learned so much about Russia's history. Both storylines wanted me to keep reading, often I grow bored of one of them. This will book will become one of my favorites for the year.
I received a complimentary copy of The Master Craftsman, but all opinions are my own.

A split-time novel, a debut author and the mystique of the Fabergé eggs was more than enough for me to desperately want to get this book into my hands as soon as possible. Thanks to NetGalley's digital advanced reader copy, I was able to do just that! If you're looking for a treasure hunt to pull you from the doldrums, this book will do it for you like it did for me!

Ohhh, this book is glorious. And not just because i'm mildly obsessed with Eastern European (more specifically Russian) history--but that is entirely an added bonus!

Stuart does a fantastic job at weaving dual timelines, bringing them to a delicious conclusion I didn't see coming (and frankly is still just the teensiest bit open-ended? Or maybe that's just me not wanting the story to end ...). She avoids the common tropes that can prove fatal to timeslips, keeping the plot fresh and the reader guessing to the end.

Interestingly, as obsessed as I am with Russian history, I hadn't been too familiar with Fabergé before reading _The Master Craftsman_. That probably helped; I knew enough about the events of 1905-6 and 1917-18 to have a general idea of in-country events, but couldn't foresee what would happen with Fabergé himself, his family, or his employees.

I will note, there are two instances of "what the h***"; disappointing, though I can certainly appreciate the gravitas of both situations. Simply a disclosure for my fellow inspy-fic readers.

That aside, wholeheartedly recommended, especially fans of "National Treasure," Russian history, and/or treasure-hunting. One of my favorite reads of 2022, at least Q1 if not beyond!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Master Craftsman, by Kelli Stuart, is an Easter egg hunt of epic proportions. The "epic" is a hunt for one of the famous Fabergé eggs. The author takes us back in time and tells us the story behind the Fabergé eggs and the man (Peter Karl Fabergé) who created them. As Russia edges closer to the overthrow of the Imperial Tsar and his family, Fabergé creates an egg that would be dangerous to his family if ever discovered by the new regime. With time running out, he entrusts it to Alma Phil, a master craftsman in his employ.

Fast-forward to the present, and treasure hunter Nick Laine is looking for that egg. The only problem is he is dying and needs the help of his estranged daughter (Ava) and wife to find it. With many clues to go on, Ava and her mother set out to find the missing egg.

I loved the history and the research the author included in this book. I found myself stopping every time she described an egg so I could look it up online to see what it looked like. While much of the story is a fabrication, the facts are not. Alma Phil was a real woman who worked for Fabergé, and she designed some of the most intricate eggs in the collection. Whether or not Fabergé created an egg that was a danger to him and his family is the mystery this book presents.

I loved the National Treasure type of feel this book had. I half expected Nicolas Cage to stroll in with the egg and say, "I found it!"

While the book is rich with history and intrigue, I was surprised that God was never mentioned throughout the entire book. It would have been nice to see how God played into this story with the fictional characters. But such was not the case. Hence the four stars.

If you like adventure, dual-time stories, history, and treasure hunts, you will enjoy The Master Craftsman.

I have always had a love of Romanov history. I watched all the documentaries that came on History Channel and loved the Anastasia cartoon as a kid. So, when the chance to read this book became available, I was really excited.

This was my first book by this author and I'm not sure if I will read any others. Unfortunately, I got about twenty percent through the book and could not finish it. This is a dual-time and though I have read several dual-times and enjoyed them, this one just didn't hold my attention.

The two biggest issues I had with it:

1) During the past timeline, there seemed to be a lot of repeating the same facts and information within a short amount of time.
2) During the present timeline, the main character, Ava, is with her mom. Except, half the time the author refers to her mom as Carol. It's not "Ava's mom" or "Her mom". It's Carol. Except for sentences like this, "Ava glanced at Carol and offered a small smile as her mom raised her fist and knocked lightly on the door." If you didn't know, you would think there were three people involved in that sentence, instead of just Ava and her mom.

It may seem like a small thing, and it may be to some people, but it kept pulling me out of the story and making it hard to get drawn in or care about the characters.

Again, I DNF this book. Maybe some day I will go back and attempt to re-read it. But for now, it's not for me.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Master Craftsman is a very well written split time novel. Great plot and character dynamics. The author weaves the story line of the different timelines together seamlessly. I received an advance ebook from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

National Treasure meets the Russian Revolution in this new release from Kelli Stuart.

Ava Lane is approached by her estranged father, treasure hunter Nick Lane, with a proposal. Learn the art of treasure hunting from him before he passes. Ava accepts, and soon her team (outfitted by her mother, her tech-whiz neighbor, and the son of Nick's fellow treasure hunter) are bound for St. Petersburg to track down a missing Faberge Egg.

I was so excited about this book, especially after Sarah Sundin endorsed it. The plot did not disappoint. It traveled back and forth between today and early twentieth century Russia. A lot of detail was given to the historical facts, the setting, and the historical figures that make appearances throughout this book. I especially appreciated the little twist towards the end, which I feel like I should have seen coming but definitely didn't.

This book is perfect for people looking for something with a bit of mystery, a lot of history, and something with a bit of a heist feel. Not that there were actually any heists in the book, but the whole assembled team and undercover work in museums felt very heist-y to me.

Wow! This wasn't exactly what I expected -- it was so much better! Fans of Dan Brown or the National Treasure movie series will love taking a treasure hunt across time, through Imperial Russia, in search of a priceless, lost artifact. There are twists and turns all along the way, some intellectual sleuthing, and soul searching for many of the characters. What's the real treasure here? You'll have to read to find out!

When I was in high school I became interested in the romantic side of the Tzar Nicolas and Alexandra story after reading a fictionalized account. I suppose that is what caught my attention when I picked out this book to read. The Faberge connection and the wonderfully artistic eggs were certainly a different side of this multi faceted story.
With the dual time period storytelling of this book I do favor the House of Faberge half of the story. I will have to say the modern-day treasure hunter portion hit me hard in a most unexpected way. Having just cared for my dying from cancer Mom and fresh in mourning the plot was almost too much to take. That was my personal reaction and after I struggled to continue to read, I found it easier after the hunt was underway.
I recognize that the author has done an incredible amount of research. I could almost feel what it was like to be in the building with the talented people at the House of Faberge. I even looked up photos of some of the eggs so I could see the stunning work. It was a much more honest look at what the 'common' people were suffering through during this time period.
The introduction of Nick and all that was going on felt realistic and of course made me very uncomfortable. There were a couple parts of the treasure hunt that were a bit much but because of my own personal reaction I don't want to judge over harshly. Would I read the book again... no. Was it worth reading? A definite yes.
I do want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader's copy. I did love the whole Faberge story. I've lost both parents and my father-in-law to cancer so I just kindly say, if someone is enduring care giving or mourning right now, this may be a hard story to take. This is my personal opinion.

I've always found Fabergé Eggs beautiful and intriguing, so that immediately caught my eye about this book. Stuart's latest takes the reader on a treasure hunt across Russia, Finland, and America for a missing Russian egg. The pace and mystery keep the reader engaged from the start. There was an unexpected twist at the end that I really enjoyed. If you're a fan of history, as well as mysteries, this is a book to add to your TBR pile.