Review of New Augsburg Book 1 (audiobook) by Christa Petzold

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New Augsburg is a Christian dystopian romance by Christa Petzold. It’s set 100 years in the future and centered around an idyllic Christian community that is  trying to be a place where Christians can live out their faith in an increasingly secular world that is making laws against expressions of faith.


Lydia Klein works at her family owned press that publishes Christian materials. She recently lost her parents and in the midst of that loss she is faced with other difficulties. With  her brother’s lack of interest in the press, problems arise as do worries that the government may interfere. Lydia considers marrying a wealthy local man who shows an interest in helping, but as the story moves forward she questions that decision.


I enjoyed the story and it’s look at what the future could hold. Lydia is faced with tough choices of how to uphold her faith, what God wants her to do when the government is going against that faith, and how romance and marriage can fit into her life when she is caught in these difficulties. 


There was some intrigue and suspense in the story and the romance was sweet and slow. Lydia gets her happily ever after, but there are things left unfinished and I look forward to reading the other 2 books to see how it finishes out. 


I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. She was easy to listen to and understand.

  

Get New Augsburg Book 1 audible audiobook here. Get the paperback here. Get the ebook here.

Read the Blurb:

The year is 2117, and Lydia Klein has lived a sheltered life in New Augsburg, a small town established as an oasis in an increasingly secular world. In the face of a government that heavily regulates publishing of explicitly Christian materials, Lydia’s family operates a privately owned press dedicated to printing books that proclaim the timeless Word of God.

Faced with the loss of their parents, her brother’s unwillingness to carry on the family business leaves Lydia uncertain of the future.

When the charming and polished Zachary Barrett, a wealthy son of the town, expresses interest in marrying her and buying her family’s press, she imagines that her problems may soon be solved. But as disagreements and new acquaintances threaten to come between them, will Lydia learn to act out of trust or be trapped in fear?

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