Thrown to the Wind by Amanda Cetas

Thrown to the Wind 

by Amanda Cetas

Publisher: Windy Sea Publishing

A Country of Castoffs Series, Book 1

                                                                    

"It would have to be now or never. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and jumped!" Based on true events, this story traces one boy's journey from France to America in 1660 as he finds the courage to save himself and those he loves. Etienne Gayneau doesn't understand why Catholics and Protestants in France can't get along, only that it means he's not allowed to see his cousin and best friend, Nicolas, and why he'll never be a musketeer. But when a bounty is placed on his father's head for being a heretic, he must choose to flee with his family, or run away and hide out with his Catholic cousin. Etienne must give up everything he has ever known as he faces many dangers along his journey. Along the way, Etienne will befriend a beautiful Dutch girl with a dangerous father, confront his guilt over the death of his brother, and face off against injury, illness and death. 

Will Etienne choose to fulfill his family's expectations, or will he plot the course for his own destiny?

Thrown to the Wind was a captivating story. Full of adventure and action. Definitely one of those books that you can't put down because you want to know what happens next. Amanda Cetas does an incredible job at capturing the era and transporting you there. At times I felt that I was alongside Etienne on the ship! You can tell that this story is part of her and she not only has done her research but her heart is in this story as well. 

Etienne is such a strong main character. At times you forget that he is only a young boy. The hardship he had to endure and the work he did alongside his father and on his own was incredible. Definitely puts things in perspective at how different times where then compared to now and how children in a sense "grew" up so much faster. A lot is put on poor Etienne and he being just a boy also struggles with a lot of things. He wants to be his own person and do his own thing. Although he looks up to his father he does not want the same job his father has. He wants to be his own person. He struggles with the death of his younger brother and blames himself for it. He also has a bully that is constantly putting him down and treating him inferior just because of his social class. You can't help but cheer for him throughout the book. 

It will be interesting to see how she continues the story and where it will go. I for one can't wait to read it. As a homeschool mom I thought this book was perfect for a family read aloud or an assigned book for a middle schooler who could do some more research to go with the history of it all. 

My Rating: 4 stars / Loved it!

(I received this book from the author for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!)

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Amanda M. Cetas is the author of the historical adventure Thrown to the Wind, which is the first book in the series, A Country for Castoffs. The story is taken from her family history, which she has spent over two decades researching. She currently teaches several courses in American, European and World history to advanced high school students. She also taught at the middle school level for several years.

Amanda lives in Tucson, Arizona for most of the year with her husband and two little Yorkie mixes. She escapes to the beach at Rocky Point, Mexico over every break in the school year and to the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon each summer. She has three grown children and two beautiful grandchildren.

Amanda is currently working on the second book in the series, At the Mercy of the Sea

To subscribe to her mailing list and know more about her upcoming books visit her website: https://www.amandamcetas.com/