Books for Christian Girls: "The Lost Castle" by Kristy Cambron

About this book:

“A thirteenth century castle, Chateau de Doux Reves, has been forgotten for generations, left to ruin in a storybook forest nestled deep in France's picturesque Loire Valley. It survived a sacking in the French Revolution, was brought back to life and fashioned into a storybook chateau in the Gilded Age, and was eventually felled and deserted after a disastrous fire in the 1930s.
As Ellie Carver sits by her grandmother's bedside, she hears stories of a castle . . . of lost love and a hidden chapel that played host to a secret fight in the World War II French resistance. But her grandmother is quickly slipping into the locked-down world of Alzheimer's, and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family's history.
Sparked by the discovery of a long forgotten family heirloom, Ellie embarks on a journey to French wine country to uncover the mystery surrounding The Sleeping Beauty--the castle so named for Charles Perrault's beloved fairy tale--and unearth its secrets before they're finally silenced by time.
Set in three different 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, and an enchanted castle that inspired the epic fairy tales time left behind.”

Series: Book #1 in the “The Lost Castle” series.

Spiritual Content- Isaiah 58:12 at the beginning; A few Prayers; A Chapel/Church & Seeing Stained Glass; A few talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches/chapels & church going; A few mentions of faiths; A few mentions of Heaven; A couple mentions of Bibles; A mention of miracles;

*Note: a ‘Judas!’ is exclaimed, and a ‘why in God’s name’ is said; A few mentions of evil people & their actions; A few mentions of calling others devils; A mention of something feeling hellish; A mention of a place being like an inner chamber of hell.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’ and two ‘blast’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A mention of cursing someone; A bit of eye rolling; Seeing a loved one shot, bleeding, & dying (semi-detailed); An explosion & fires (up to semi-detailed); Bombs, Smoke, Gunfire, & Bodies (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Passing out, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Taste testing wine (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of wars, violence, revolutions/uprisings, fighting, deaths, & bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of explosions, bombs, fires, injuries, blood/bleeding, & deaths (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of those shot, injured, & killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of Nazis, their guns, gunfire, executions, firing squads and hanging people; Mentions of prisons & attacks; Mentions of cowards to fled & wanting to hit them; Mentions of stealing & thieves; Mentions of threats; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of wine, winemakers, & drinking; A few mentions of a butcher & his bloody products; A few mentions of cigarettes; A couple mentions of jails; A couple mentions of animal & human waste; A couple mentions of pubs; A mention of dead cattle (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of a snuff box;

*Note: A few mentions of celebrities & singers; A few mentions of car brands; A mention of HGTV.

Sexual Content- a hand kiss, not-detailed kisses, six barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; Touches & Warmth (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a misunderstanding of a man keeping a woman; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of a kiss & kissing; A couple mentions of breakups; A mention of a man slowly looking at a young woman’s body; A mention of a crush; Love, falling in love, & the emotions (x3).

-Ellison “Ellie” Carver

-Viola Hart

-Aveline Sainte-Moreau
P.O.V. switches between them

Switches between 1788, 1789, 1790, 1941, 1943, 1944, & Present Day
365 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

What an ending.

I have to say first, right off the bat, this cover is absolutely stunning. It definitely gets put in my Favorite Book Covers category.

For the story, I’ve mentioned before that I really am not a fan of books split in different time periods, going back and forth between them.

I think this author is trying to make me a fan, however.

I did get confused a bit at first about the three time periods and our main three ladies, but by the first third in, at the end of each chapter, I didn’t want to switch to someone else, I wanting to keeping following that heroine! But then, I would read the next chapter and not want to switch from her point of view! It was a never-ending cycle while reading this one. ;)

All the romances were very clean and sweet, and I liked all three young women. (I do have to think that Lady Vi in the 1940s was my favorite, though, which I think quite a few other readers will agree with me. ;) ) I wish there was a bit more faith content, but I do appreciate that it was all decently clean while being set during a major war and a revolution.

See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!