The main character is Gabi. Her mother is an archaeologist, and so she and her younger sister Lia are spending their summer on a dig site in Tuscany. But as the girls have been doing this their entire life, they know this isn't as glamorous as it seems. They'll be stuck in a small town, away from anything that other kids their age will be doing. When they get to this site there is a bit of an issue with a local official, which gives Gabi and Lia the chance to sneak off to get a look at the artifacts before everything is cleared out, something they normally have to wait for. When they find these interesting handprints on the wall of the tomb, they each put one of their hands on the print that fits them, and when the stone becomes warm instead of how a stone is normally cool, things start to get weird. Gabi pulls her hand away first, and lands in the past, 14th century Italy, where there is a fight going on for the land. Her sister doesn't seem to be there. But she knows that she must find her sister. She will have to learn how to live and speak with the people of this time, fortunately she knows Italian, and also figure out how to get their help to find her sister. Of course there will be love, not only is it a love she shouldn't have because of the years of time between when they live, but he is also taken. There will also be bad guys out to take over the castello where she has been helped, and grown to feel a part of the family, as she helps them in ways she can as well There is family intrigue, forbidden romance, and some interesting history woven in.
While it is a Christian book, it is in a way that I totally liked. The main girl was not really religious but began to wonder in the book what was really out there. And I like the way it was done. As someone who grew up very religious, attending a religious school from 1st-8th grade, but now questioning what I believe, it was done very realistically. While I'm now not sure if I believe, I do still find myself praying for help, etc., just like Gabi did.
I now have to wait until I can get a copy of the 2nd book to read. Definitely a good read, a quick read, and highly recommended.
