Set Up: In this story we have Abigail who is a pastor's daughter and works at a museum. She has a passion for history and the creativity to come up with witty placards. She inherits a cottage in Australia after her grandmother passes away. A cottage she never even knew existed. With this cottage comes the mystery of her grandmother's real life, the island of Northargyle, and the mystery around a lost princess. Along the way she meets some shady characters as well as some great friends. We accompany her on her journey of faith and discovery, as she unravels the mystery that is her grandmother's life. She accomplishes this with the help of Colter who is a local who helps her find clues to the mystery she is trying to unravel. His sister is there as well. The dynamic him and his sister bring to the story adds wonder and a beautiful view of true friendship.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed the story and was drawn in immediately. Although I have read other books by Jane Austen, I have never read Northanger Abbey, and therefore didn't have that as a background so I don't know how it compares. Now I want to definitely read it because I enjoyed this spin of it so much.The placards Abigail writes at the beginning of each chapter were such a fun addition to the book. I absolutely adored the faith content in this book, as well as the mystery. I was trying to put the pieces together as Abigail was tying to them together, and she is the much better detective than I am. I also appreciate that the romance was natural, and really not the center of the story. I am finding that stories in which the romance is there but secondary to the plot line and full of depth are the stories I am drawn to. I also loved the family dynamics. The love the family had for one another even with squabbles was so tangible. Not to mention the fact that she had only brothers and I just loved the banter there.
The themes of service, sacrifice, hope and faith are intricately tied together throughout the novel. I think we can learn so much from how these characters, even in their pain and heartache, relied on the Lord. They didn't sit in their feelings and let their feelings guide their decisions. They had faith even when life got hard, and trusted in God's plan. I think it is so important for us to see this emulated in books, because it is how we should live life as Christians. This book definitely encompassed what the Christian walk should look like. Life should consist of obedience to the Lord, and accepting His will no matter what. We should be going to Him with all of our concerns and waiting for answers, making sure we are quieting down enough to listen. We must remember that our timing is not His timing, and surrendering to His will will always produce fruit.
I really enjoyed the journey we got to go on with Abigail. I think part of the journey began when Colter asks her the question "why not you?" This question is a great one for us to ask ourselves as well. Why don't we do that thing? God may ask us "why not you, you are the one I am choosing to send." We forget too quickly that God pushes us outside of our comfort zone that He asks us to do things that are going to stretch and grow us, but ultimately will accomplish His will and give Him glory. We were created to glorify Him in every thought, word, and action. We are to share His story, to fullfill the path He has for each one of us, and it will look different for each one of us, but it will involve us being pushed and stretched because that is where sanctification happens. This book really demonstrates taking leaps of faith, trusting even though we find the task scary. It demonstrated how we won't get it right every time, because we are not perfect, but even through those mistakes God has a plan for us.
Such a wonderful read. I didn't go into too much detail on the book specifics because I didnt' want to give anything away, but this is definitely a must read.
Here is a link to the book information if you would like to check it out: Northargyle Abbie
About the Author: Janelle Leonard is a Jane Austen fangirl with an overactive imagination who creates web-twisty plotlines from her home in Pennsylvania. When she's not writing, reading, editing, drinking coffee, or working at an elementary school library, she's finding creative ways to procrastinate. Janelle and her hubby have successfully raised three boys, losing lots of brain space to turbos and mufflers. She is passionate about living authentically while serving and encouraging others to see their worth, using writing as a key to unlock worlds of possibility.
Here are some of the places you can interact with the author:
Website | Newsletter | Instagram | Facebook
I want to thank the publishers for a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not required to provide a positive review and all opinions expressed are mine alone.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope you check out the book and have a blessed day.
Melanie
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