This is a masterly constructed novel. It was written in dual time, vacillating between present day and the years of the Romanov family reign in Russia. In the present, Ava has been reunited with her estranged father who is dying. He sends her on a treasure hunt looking for a lost Fabergé egg. The author describes the origins of the egg in the past and Ava’s hunt in the present. It really stirred my interest in Russian history and the Fabergé eggs. I thought the plot was interesting and I especially liked how the author connected different themes in both time periods. One of those themes was forgiveness. Other than the theme of forgiveness, I did not detect any other Christian topics in the book, which surprised me. In terms of the characters, I enjoyed all of them and their role except for Ava. For whatever reason, she seemed a bit shallow to me. I also thought the author could have developed all the character’s more, especially Zak. However, I did find Ava’s relationship with her mother endearing. The strong connection between them was evident, despite their very different personalities. The supporting characters were a great addition and complemented the main characters. My favorite part of the book was the section about Alma and the House of Fabergé. The history interested me but also the relationships between Peter Karl Fabergé and his employees and family members. I also liked the mystery surrounding the missing egg and where it went and why. Overall, I thought it was worth reading and would recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy from Revell in exchange for an honest review.
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