The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron – Book Review

Many books these days take place in two time periods. Not time travel. Telling a story that combines past and present that interconnect. Some do it well, some don’t. The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron does it quite well. I thank TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy at no charge for my honest review.

About The Lost Castle:

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 6, 2018)

Broken-down walls and crumbled stones seemed to possess a secret language all their own. What stories would they tell, if she finally listened?

Ellie Carver arrives at her grandmother’s bedside expecting to find her silently slipping away. Instead, the beloved old woman begins speaking. Of a secret past and castle ruins forgotten by time. Of a hidden chapel that served as a rendezvous for the French resistance in World War II. Of lost love and deep regret . . .

Each piece that unlocks the story seems to unlock part of Ellie too—where she came from and who she is becoming. But her grandmother is quickly disappearing into the shadows of Alzheimer’s and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family’s history. Drawn by the mystery surrounding The Sleeping Beauty—a forgotten castle so named for Charles Perrault’s beloved fairy tale—Ellie embarks on a journey to France’s Loire Valley in hopes that she can unearth its secrets before time silences them forever.

Bridging the past to present in three time-periods—the French Revolution, World War II, and present day—The Lost Castle is a story of loves won and lost, of battles waged in the hearts of men, and an enchanted castle that stood witness to it all, inspiring a legacy of faith through the generations.

About the Author:

Kristy Cambron has a background in art and design, but she fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. She is the bestselling author of The Ringmaster’s Wife, named to Publishers Weekly Spring 2016 Religion & Spirituality TOP 10. Her novels have been named to Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books and RT Book Reviewers’ Choice Awards Best lists for 2014 & 2015, and received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations. Kristy’s first Bible studies, THE VERSE MAPPING SERIES, will release in 2018.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing, and has 15 years of experience in education and leadership development from a Fortune-100 Corporation. Kristy lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, and could probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good read.

Visit Kristy online at www.KristyCambron.com, Twitter: @KCambronAuthor, Facebook: Kristy-Cambron-Author, Instagram: KristyCambron.

My Opinion:

The Lost Castle drew me in from the first page and from there I had a hard time putting it down. The tale involves a young woman named Ellie who was raised by her grandmother who is now in the late stages of dementia. As her grandmother slowly declines she suddenly seems agitated about something. Something she can’t fully express or explain to Ellie. She starts talking about a past that Ellie knew nothing about. A past that seems alien to the grandmother that Ellie knew. Ellie ends up with a photograph and a story about a man that was not her grandfather. The photo is of a small castle in France. So off Ellie goes to try and unlock what her grandmother is trying to tell her.

Ellie is the kind of character you can get behind when reading a book. You want to root for her in her search. The book toggles back and forth telling the story of Ellie’s search for answers and her grandmother’s experiences during the War. It was a part of her history that she didn’t share so Ellie does not know what she will find as she searches. It leads her to a winery with a history that is even deeper. It’s story winds into the telling and ends up answering a question that had lingered for quite some time.

This is a story of revolution and war. Love and hate and passion. The reader needs to just let it happen for full enjoyment of Ms. Cambron’s writing. It is a little silly at times but just ignore your brain when it’s telling you that. The joy of a book like this is the romance and the road to answers. The Lost Castle takes the reader on a trip that is full of that joy and passion as well as loss and pain but you end up in place that brings a true happiness at the end.

Rating:

4.5

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