One Stone Left Unturned

by Marianna Heusler

At midnight on July 16th, 1918 Tsar Nicholas Romanov and his family was murdered, thus signifying the end of the Russian empire. Historians believe that a peasant by the name of Rasputin was instrumental in the downfall of the dynasty. Because Nicholas thought that Rasputin could cure their son, Alexis, who was suffering from hemophilia, Rasputin was able to influence the Imperial Family.

But what if Rasputin’s power did not come from God as he claimed but from a simple jewel, a tri-colored fifteen caret tourmaline? And what if that very stone landed in the hands of a lonely teenager a century later?

My middle grade novel, One Stone Left Unturned (published by Wild Child Publishers) is told from two points of view, two teenage girls, living in different times and different places leading parallel lives with a parallel needs and desires. Told with historical accuracy and woven with elements of mystery and fantasy, the novel chronicled the lives of a doomed princess and a bullied teenager.

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

An Edgar nominated author of ten novels and hundreds of short stories. A former elementary school teacher

http://honeyspoon1957.com/midges-mod-...

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Stone Left Unturned is two stories woven together into one very interesting historical fiction. The story from the past tells of the last days of Tsar Nicholas Romanov as told from his daughter, Tatiana’s point of view. Her story is woven into a modern day story of an overweight girl and her grandmother and tied together by the stone with magical powers. The way the two stories fit together made the book one where you couldn't wait to find out what happened next with both the past and present story. One Stone Left Unturned is one of the best stories I have read in a long time and I highly recommend it.

I send my thanks to the author for sharing a copy of One Stone Left Unturned, which in my opinion was a wonderful book.

[Audra Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://audrasbookblabbing.wordpress.com

Cleanliness: Slightly Tainted (4+ Curse Words and/or Euphemisms. Other content: bullying, car accident, dementia, hemophilia, family trouble, mention of dead body, magic, lying, murder, and death.)

4.5 stars (Rounded up for Goodreads.)

One Stone Left Unturned was a story of mystery, history, sadness, and magic. The chapters alternated viewpoints between historical past and the present. I liked how each chapter title told you which time it was in so there was no confusion. The past viewpoint followed Tsar Nicholas Romanov (also known as Nicholas the Bloody) and his family as they fled into exile. The present viewpoint followed Augusta (a modern-day teen) as she coped with bullying, an emotionally-abusive mother, a grandmother with dementia, and more. The topic seemed like such an odd one to me, but it was really good!

I enjoyed the actual historical things that were scattered throughout the story. A large majority of the scenes with the Tsar were taken from history. The author took his real life and filled in the gaps with fiction.

The story of the Tsar and his family and the story of Augusta and her family were such different stories, but yet similar in certain ways. The Tsar's exile was compared to the modern exile of bullying. I really liked that. Of course the magical stone was the main connecting point of the two stories. There were a few coincidences (especially between Augusta and the Tsar's daughter, Tatiana) that I wasn't too fond of, though. I thought that Augusta having to write a paper about the Russian royal family at the same time as she found the stone might have been a little far-fetched.

Although this book is presented as a middle-grade novel, I think it falls more under the young adult category. It dealt with some really tough subjects such as an awful mother, mental illness, and even murder. These topics were done well, but they were also very intense.

I would consider One Stone Left Unturned a mystery/thriller/historical fiction. It was such an interesting read! Everything about the end reminded me of Jumanji, and it was awesome! You'll only understand if you read it. ;)

~I was sent a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review~

[Dalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to thank the author Marianna Heusler for giving me this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, it went back and forth from the past with the Romanov family with Tatiana main focus to the present of a bullied teenager named Augusta. I like the historical accuracy interwoven with the fictional mystery and intrigue. The story is a what if Rasputin's power did not come from God like he claimed, but that it came from a tri-colored fifteen caret tourmaline. Augusta is a 16 year old teenager who is shy and overweight who is bullied by the high school popular girls and her own mother as well. The only person she feels she can go to and depend on is her grandmother who is showing signs of dementia. She doesn't want to believe her grandmother cannot get better. Her grandmother found the jewel and put it in Augusta's hands and Augusta hopes to use it, when she realizes when her grandmother is holding it is better, for her grandmother. In the meantime there is someone that is murdered. Very interesting to the end, looked forward to finding out what happened. Rita, Augusta's mother was mean and hateful though, I didn't like her at all, but that was the point, one of those characters you love to hate.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I wasn’t even sure whether I wanted to review this book or not as it didn’t seem to fit into any of my preferred genres. However, one good thing about being a reviewer is that it widens your literary horizons and I am so glad that I agreed.

The story of the last days of Tsar Nicolas’ rule in Russia is extremely well researched and, as a history fan, this part of the story really appealed to me. I wasn’t so sure about a stone with special powers though as this seemed a bit far-fetched to begin with. It didn’t take long, however, before I was avidly reading to find out more about the parallel contemporary story of Augusta and her grandmother. The two stories are expertly interwoven and I have to admit to enjoying everything about this book. Marianne Heusler is a skillful storyteller and this book will have you gripped as you wait to see how the power of the tourmaline unfolds.

It is a historical novel combined with a modern contemporary story of teenage bullying and a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. Somehow this just works. Although it is aimed at YA, it is a story that would appeal to adults too.

[LibraryGirl2008 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Augusta Ashford’s life has become considerably more difficult since her grandmother, Elvira, developed Alzheimer’s. Augusta is already picked on on a regular basis, and now she has to defend her grandmother’s peculiar antics to her bullying mother. Elvira has a habit of taking things that aren’t hers, the most recent of which is a precious tourmaline she found in the basement of a ruined Catholic church—but it isn’t any ordinary stone. Augusta soon discovers that the stone has miraculous healing properties. Meanwhile, almost 100 years earlier, we learn that the young princess Tatiana Romanov also owned the stone, and used it to ease the symptoms of her younger brother’s hemophilia while in her family was held in captivity. Interweaving the two stories of the doomed czar’s family in Russia, and the American teenager, Augusta Ashford, One Stone Left Unturned is both a fresh, suspenseful take on the Romanov murders, and a sensitive fable about grief and loss. Recommended for Ages 12-15.