New Augsburg

New Augsburg Trilogy, Book 1

By: Christa Petzold

Narrated by: Sarah Kramer

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?

©2023 Christa Petzold (P)2025 Christa Petzold

A realistic future dystopia intertwined with romance - I could not put it down!

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to start next one! The narrator did a great job and I loved the story. I couldn't stop listening with anticipation of what would happen next. A seemingly realistic future dystopia intertwined with romance and elements of how theology and the church tie into every day life. Honestly, I've loved everything I've read by Christa Petzold (her non-fiction works) so I shouldn't be surprised I loved this one as well.

Simple, sweet, romance and great characters!

This was a sweet story! A great listen as an audiobook. I enjoyed it so much I couldn’t wait to find out what happens in book 2 so I purchased the kindle version as the audio for book 2 is not yet available. I quickly fell in love with all of the characters, they’re well developed. It’s a fast paced story which I enjoy. Highly recommend especially if you’re looking for an audiobook to enjoy when your kids may happen to overhear. Also this audible account is my husband’s 😋 my name is Melissa - not Ben. Just wanted to leave a review and rating this audiobook deserves good ones!

Captivating!

NEW AUGSBURG BOOK 1

@christa.petzold is a new-to-me author, so when I got the chance to check out her audiobook release of New Augsburg Book 1, I jumped at the chance, and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint.

This falls under the umbrella of "dystopian Christian fiction," and it is fairly unique. Dystopian always fascinates me because it can be present or future that often has a vibe from the past. In this case, New Augsburg is a town founded to maintain a certain kind of life and is run pretty much off the grid and only by a handful of families in the community. It is meant to be a kind of utopia, but as all humans are susceptible to temptation, not all is as it seems.

You won't find big battles in this dystopian story, and the only world at stake is the town of New Augsburg. However, there is a fairly significant struggle for power as the sweet FMC tries to keep her family business and considers a marriage of convenience to make it happen. She was so relatable, and I really loved the internal struggle she went through as she tried to evaluate what she must to to keep her family's press business. The worst bad guys are also sometimes the ones that feel the most real and you know could really happen (and possibly have IRL).

The story captivated me, and the narration by Sarah Kramer was excellent. I will definitely be continuing on through the series to find out what happens next!

I received a complimentary copy of the author's story to listen to and review. All thoughts contained here are my own.

Beautiful story!

This is a beautiful romance that gave all the feels! The story was told so that you felt like you were a resident of New Augsburg living alongside Lydia, sharing her joy, excitement, anger and love!

Dystopian Christian Romance

This is a book set in the future that follows Lydia who has lived a sheltered life in New Augsburg which was established as a town to help keep the residence away from the increasingly secular world.

While this book is set into the future it also has some very old fashioned thinking and feels. I often feel like we are set into the past until they use technology. We see this predominantly when Lydia struggles with what will happen with her family business and her future after the loss of her parents and her brother’s refusal to continue the business. It is interesting to learn she isn’t eligible to inherit her family's business alone. This is where the charming Zachary Barrett comes into the picture as Lydia starts thinking about a marriage of convenience and Zachary could help keep her family press business alive. That is until someone new comes into the picture and changes the future she has anticipated she would have.

Sara’s narration was well done, her tone and storytelling was engaging and kept the story entertaining for me.