The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

 

A missing Faberge egg and a global treasure hunt across the centuries was more than enough to draw me into Stuart's new historical fiction The Master Craftsman. However, when I got into the pages I found more of a mixed bag than I anticipated.

The highlight of this book, for me, were the historical plot sections. Stuart takes a fascinating premise in her idea of an unknown missing egg and weaves together the social and personal events that might lead someone like Faberge to create such an item.

While I am familiar with the Faberge eggs I was less familiar with Faberge himself and, well recognizing creative license, appreciated the approach took exploring the possible mindset of the craftsman watching the events unfold that led to the ends of the Romanovs. The development is believable and the fascination of the eggs was enough to make me rabbit trail through old history books again. Stuart really shows their research well weaving in well known landmarks, historical events, and establishing the timeline of the Romanovs fall.

It was the modern sections that fell flatter for me. 

Ava has real promise as a lead and honestly if Ava and Zak got their own treasure hunting series I would read the next installment without question. 

But I felt the modern sections relied too heavily on stereotypes. The commentary on Xander's appearance felt so over the top I never was able to take the character seriously which made the climax less impactful. The possible love triangle felt out of place given Nick's illness and really left Zak as an underutilized character which was a shame given his potential.

I think Stuart really captures the pacing and excitement of a global treasure hunt it just fell flatter on the emotional/relational plots which Stuart had set up with such potential. Another surprising element, in my opinion, was the lack of any memorable faith elements in the plot. I'm honestly scratching my head looking back to recall any mentions of faith, God, or pray in a significant manner as I normally would expect from a Revell novel but it seems notable absent in this plot. Regular Revell readers may want to note that if it's a significant factor in the books they pick.

Overall, this book feels insufficient as a stand alone and I truly hope it's just the beginning of Ava's adventures.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.