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karlthulhu's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this one! Set during a (not THE) renaissance in a world with some strong similarities to our world (albeit one with magic, flying machines and other races) the plot concerns the protagonist returning to a city to get revenge on the men who slashed her face open and left her for dead. Giulia, our fierce, spiky and single-minded 'hero' sets out to on a path of vengeance but finds herself being pulled into the Machiavellian machinations of those who would rule the city.
kittyg's review against another edition
3.0
*This is one of my #SPFBO titles which I read in 2019 as a judge*
I don't tend to go for political fantasy that often, and this one is certainly one I would describe as political, but this story also has a strong current of revenge throughout the tale, and those are definitely stories I gravitate to.
I picked this one to read as it was an appropriate fit for one the challenges in the NEWTs readathon, and I am glad that meant I got to it a bit sooner. I really took my time with this one, as I was reading it whilst on holiday (and I was so busy I didn't have much time to do so) but it did not feel arduous to return to each day, and I found it an enjoyable read from the start.
In the book we follow Giulia Degarno who is a young woman with a revenge-focused life. Her only desire is to train enough and develop enough to become a threat to the men who tried to kill her and left her scarred as a younger, more naive woman. She has been training herself for this mission of assassination for a long time, and when her hand is forced she knows it is time to return to the city-state of Pagalia and kill. She has few friends there left, but one or two who she can call on, and she does so in order to start her plans.
Severra is the man Guilia aspires to kill. Severra is now at a vital point in the political climate of the city-state of Pagalia and he stands to gain much and maybe save the state. However, his rise has not been an easy one and he has done bad things and come from dark places. Is he a man deserving of death, and should Guilia be the one to deliver it?
What I like about this story is it reminded me of Katherine Addison's Goblin Emperor in the political scheming and the way the characters handled themselves. I certainly see a similar attempt to weave the strings together here, but I think with the vengeance quest involved this one drew me in a little further.
I did like Guilia, and yet I also had issue with the way that she focused so narrowly on her mission. I think she does develop with time, but is it just a little too late? I wonder if she could have changed her path for the better, but her story is a dark and lonely one.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I certainly think people who do like political fantasy would be able to enjoy it too. It's not got too many original elements, but it is told in an easy way and it's a story that will gradually pull you in more. 3.5*s overall (7/10 for #SPFBO)
I don't tend to go for political fantasy that often, and this one is certainly one I would describe as political, but this story also has a strong current of revenge throughout the tale, and those are definitely stories I gravitate to.
I picked this one to read as it was an appropriate fit for one the challenges in the NEWTs readathon, and I am glad that meant I got to it a bit sooner. I really took my time with this one, as I was reading it whilst on holiday (and I was so busy I didn't have much time to do so) but it did not feel arduous to return to each day, and I found it an enjoyable read from the start.
In the book we follow Giulia Degarno who is a young woman with a revenge-focused life. Her only desire is to train enough and develop enough to become a threat to the men who tried to kill her and left her scarred as a younger, more naive woman. She has been training herself for this mission of assassination for a long time, and when her hand is forced she knows it is time to return to the city-state of Pagalia and kill. She has few friends there left, but one or two who she can call on, and she does so in order to start her plans.
Severra is the man Guilia aspires to kill. Severra is now at a vital point in the political climate of the city-state of Pagalia and he stands to gain much and maybe save the state. However, his rise has not been an easy one and he has done bad things and come from dark places. Is he a man deserving of death, and should Guilia be the one to deliver it?
What I like about this story is it reminded me of Katherine Addison's Goblin Emperor in the political scheming and the way the characters handled themselves. I certainly see a similar attempt to weave the strings together here, but I think with the vengeance quest involved this one drew me in a little further.
I did like Guilia, and yet I also had issue with the way that she focused so narrowly on her mission. I think she does develop with time, but is it just a little too late? I wonder if she could have changed her path for the better, but her story is a dark and lonely one.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I certainly think people who do like political fantasy would be able to enjoy it too. It's not got too many original elements, but it is told in an easy way and it's a story that will gradually pull you in more. 3.5*s overall (7/10 for #SPFBO)
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