Kristy Cambron: The Lost Castle

By Kelly Bridgewater

Broken-down walls and crumbling 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 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 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 the 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 of an enchanted castle that stood witness to it all, inspiring a legacy of faith through the generations.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really enjoy Kristy Cambron's lyrical writing, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on her book The Lost Castle. From the cover to the synopsis, the story captured my imagination, begging me to dive into the lives of the three heroines and follow them as they told their story. With The Lost Castle being a mixture of historical and contemporary romance, I knew what I was getting into when I opened the novel. I knew the story would take place in the past, but I also knew the story would have something to do with a lost castle, and all three time lines would intertwine around that castle.

The writing is clear and concise. Like I mentioned earlier, I enjoy Cambron's writing. Her writing sings with imagery and flowery prose. I have no problem admiring her sentence structure and ability to capture a wonderful story as she writes. She is a wonderful painter with her words. The story is told in three different perspectives in three different time periods, so it could have been hard to follow, but not with Cambron subtitling the chapters with the time periods.

As for the characters, they are different with each of them wanting noble conquests. Aveline Sainte-Moreau, the heroine from 1789; Viola Hart, the heroine from 1944; and Ellie, the heroine from present day. Aveline, at the beginning of the story, tries to do what is expected of her. Viola, tries to be a heroine during World War II with her linguist skills and the SOE. Whereas Ellie, tries to save her beloved grandmother before she disappears from her life all together. Each individual character is on a journey of self-discovery, which centers around the castle in France.

The plot mingled and intertwined with each other. In time slip novels, there is always something connected the different time periods together. In The Lost Castle, it is surprisingly enough the abandoned castle in the outskirts of France. All three stories centered around the concept and the meaning of the burnt out castle. The plot was completely unique, and I have never read anything like this novel. The Lost Castle gripped my attention, and I honestly couldn't wait to see how the three story lines would end up.

The spiritual element isn't too preachy either. It is subtle, but I enjoyed pondering about it long after I closed the book. We all our beautiful, wonderful creatures modeled by God, but things happen, and our walls crumble, then we build up new ways to keep from being burnt again. But sometimes, it takes allowing God to fully come in to change and make us beautiful again. (I could be far-reaching here!) I really enjoyed the idea. Very timely for this world.

Overall, The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron is a wonderful thought out story with a unique setting. With vibrant characters, Cambron invites me into the lives of three strong heroines with a sweet fairy tale story of a castle needing to be brought back to life. I really can't wait to read the next two books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars