A Magical New Book from a Favorite Author | Review: The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron

The Lost Castle

by Kristy Cambron

About The Book

 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.

My Thoughts

I consider Kirsty Cambron to be one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her stories just work their way into my heart and I always thoroughly enjoy reading them. I was so excited when I heard about her new series set around castles. I love castles and I love Kristy Cambron, so it seemed like the perfect book for me. While I did enjoy this book, I didn’t love it the way I had expected to. I think the main reason for this was because of the three different story lines. It became somewhat overwhelming trying to keep up with three different stories and at times it just felt like there was too much going on. Plus, Aveline’s story didn’t seem to tie in with Viola and Ellie’s story very well. That said, I did enjoy the stories separately and the characters therein. I love the French setting and reading about the castle in its different states during the French Revolution, WWII, and present day as Ellie travels to France to uncover the truth behind the photo she found of her grandmother and a mystery man during the war. Viola was a very courageous heroine who’s story of love and loss was heartbreaking. And even though her story didn’t jump out at me the way Vi’s did, I still liked Aveline and found it interesting reading about her life at the castle during the French Revolution.

All in all, while this wasn’t my favorite book by Kristy Cambron, I still really liked The Lost Castle and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.