Series: Sedgwick County Chronicles #1
Published by Kregel Publications on January 26, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Historical
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Abandoned at birth, her family roots a mystery, historical museum curator Sloane Kelley has dedicated her life to making sure others know theirs. When a donor drops off a dusty old satchel, she doesn't expect much from the common artifact . . .until she finds real treasure inside: a nineteenth-century diary. Now she's on the hunt to find out more.
Roots of Wood and Stone is a beautiful debut story about….roots. Yes, roots of wood and stone, but it goes so much deeper than that. It’s all about roots of… love, family, friendship, and most of all, belonging. I found it hard to believe that this was Amanda Wen’s debut novel. It is very well written, and just so beautiful, heartwarming, and touching.
Sloane is a heroine worth reading about. I felt like I’d made a new friend. Her issues stemming back to her childhood days really touched my heart. I loved her career as a historian, and how she completely put herself into finding out about Annabelle. And then, the story goes back to Annabelle’s days, because of her diary. (Yes, this is set in two time periods, so kind of like a time slip novel). I enjoyed greatly reading about the olden days, and trying to guess how the two different time periods might be connected.
The setting is also an important part of this lovely story. A lot of the story revolves around land. An old house, lots of trees, and more. Roots of Wood and Stone is beautifully written and has some excellent truths for us all. Wen has woven faith and God gently into the storyline, making it an important part, but not being overly preachy.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, so won’t go into too much detail, but there was one specific happening in this story that is written as a coincidence, but it just felt a bit too unbelievable as it was portrayed, and didn’t feel realistic. Overall, though I really enjoyed this story. The setting was superb, the characters a delight. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes historical fiction.