Keely Brooke Keith
Ebook $7.99
Print, 239 pp
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About the Book
Charlotte Cotter finds purpose in caring for others while burying her broken dream of a family of her own. When she leaves home to tend to a village matriarch, Charlotte never imagines the household she enters will change her life forever. But when a dying friend needs her help, Charlotte faces a daunting promise and a fragile hope she scarcely dares to claim.
Josiah Roberts never expected trouble at the family mill,
nor to share a home with the village baker’s quiet, selfless daughter. Still
haunted by past rejection, Josiah is determined to keep control of his life—in
business and in love. But as Charlotte nurtures his mother, his home, and now
an orphaned baby, Josiah sees true strength lies not in control but in
compassion.
Meanwhile, as Caleb’s missionary journey continues, he discovers the dangers of life outside the Land.
My review
Keith’s latest addition to the Uncharted series takes us
outside of the Land once again, this time for a more in-depth look at dystopian
life after a decimating war. Sheltered over generations, the Land has been
isolated from news of the outside world, two hundred years after their
accidental arrival in the mid-nineteenth century. Uncharted Blessings opens
with a charming visit between friends, a contentious episode at a local
business, and a shift to an island in the South being restored to habitability
after the war.
The in-between adventures of Silas and Caleb’s missionary journey to an island in the South Atlantic add a little tonic to this tale and I’m curious what they’ll report if and when they return to the Land.
Although I understand the reasons for this society to act as it does—so conservative that it hurts my heart—I am so sad for Charlotte that she sees her worth of a man’s love only as a breeding animal. She feels she is worthy only to be a servant to others, which of course is honorable, but she is so reserved that she purposefully watches the ground as she walks so she doesn’t accidentally meets anyone’s eye. Charlotte does find herself a bit by standing up for others who have been damaged, and her family and friends love and support her, so there is growth. As a Christian I do understand the society stuck in 1860-American conservatism Protestantism, but with the current abuse and mockery of our precious faith in the regime of today, even this fiction is a bit painful. As always, Keith’s writing is beautiful and characterization lush. Readers of faith-based fantasy fiction will enjoy this next addition to the series.
