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hrjones's review
2.0
Merchants of Milan by Edale Lane has a delightful premise: a young woman in early 16th century Italy, using da Vinci-style technology, becomes a masked vigilante seeking revenge for her father’s murder, and along the way finds romance with an aristocratic widow. Unfortunately, both the narrative style and the historic underpinnings failed for me. I wouldn’t have been bothered by the tendency to describe everything in twice as much detail as necessary (we know the exact shade of every character’s eye color) if the focus had felt more aligned with the era of the setting. But that was where I was pushed out of the story. The thoughts, concerns, assumptions, and preoccupations of the characters simply felt too modern to me. In particular, for a sapphic romance, the attitudes of the characters toward sexuality felt out of tune with the cultural setting. For me, one of the joys of reading historical romance is seeing how people negotiate and carve out a happy ending within the specific concerns and constraints of the setting. When both the roadblocks and the solutions rely on 20th century attitudes, I don’t get that joy. Merchants of Milan is the first book in a trilogy, so if you think you might have a more positive reading experience than I did, there’s a lot of story available.
zefrien's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
I received a copy of Merchants of Milan in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Merchants of Milan is Edale Lane's latest novel, and is the start to the Night Flyer Trilogy. It's a historical fiction novel, full of twists, passion, and drama.
Set in 16th century Italy, this is a tale of love, revenge, and adventure. Florentina has set herself on the path for revenge. It was a choice she made upon the murder of her father. However, her heart may have other opinions on the matter.
It turns out that even when one is determined to get revenge, you can still fall in love. But love won't stop Florentina for masquerading around as the Night Flyer. Nor is she the only one who has experienced loss at the hands of her enemies.
“What difference would it make if a mere daughter suspected anything was amiss? He expelled a breath of contentment as he watched his brother carry the dying man out.”
Merchants of Milan was a beautifully woven story. This may be the first novel I've read by Edale Lane, but consider me hooked. Her writing is flawless, as is her inclusion of several different and complex themes.
I know I say this a lot, but Merchants of Milan was such a quick – yet delightful – read. It seemed like I had just settled in to read it when I turned to the last page. That's how enthralling this read was.
Perhaps my favorite part about this novel (aside from the representation) would have to be the perspective and insight. Lane doesn't shy away from showing the biases and flaws of the past, and in fact, manages to make her novel stronger for their inclusions. It was brilliantly done.
The characters were complex, and even though they were in situations that many of us would hope to avoid, there was something so undeniably human about them. It made it thrilling to read about them (especially Florentina, for obvious reasons) and their tales.
I think the best part about the characters, namely Florentina and Madelena, was that Lane portrayed the smaller and beautiful moments as well. These were characters in an epic situation, but they still had room to be kind and sweet.
Another surprising delight of this novel? All of the inventions and items mentioned are actually based on possible designs and inventions (courtesy of da Vinci for most). That was an excellent touch, and allowed for a sense of whimsy that didn't break immersion.
I'll confess that there were a few moments that I found myself more anxious than not. I adored Florentina and Madelena, and given the time period this novel was set in, I had good reason to be concerned about what would happen to them. But honestly? Even with that anxiety lurking in the background, this was a read well worth the time.
Merchants of Milan was a thrilling novel, one that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I'm looking forward to seeing more information about the next two novels in this trilogy!
Check out more of my reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Merchants of Milan is Edale Lane's latest novel, and is the start to the Night Flyer Trilogy. It's a historical fiction novel, full of twists, passion, and drama.
Set in 16th century Italy, this is a tale of love, revenge, and adventure. Florentina has set herself on the path for revenge. It was a choice she made upon the murder of her father. However, her heart may have other opinions on the matter.
It turns out that even when one is determined to get revenge, you can still fall in love. But love won't stop Florentina for masquerading around as the Night Flyer. Nor is she the only one who has experienced loss at the hands of her enemies.
“What difference would it make if a mere daughter suspected anything was amiss? He expelled a breath of contentment as he watched his brother carry the dying man out.”
Merchants of Milan was a beautifully woven story. This may be the first novel I've read by Edale Lane, but consider me hooked. Her writing is flawless, as is her inclusion of several different and complex themes.
I know I say this a lot, but Merchants of Milan was such a quick – yet delightful – read. It seemed like I had just settled in to read it when I turned to the last page. That's how enthralling this read was.
Perhaps my favorite part about this novel (aside from the representation) would have to be the perspective and insight. Lane doesn't shy away from showing the biases and flaws of the past, and in fact, manages to make her novel stronger for their inclusions. It was brilliantly done.
The characters were complex, and even though they were in situations that many of us would hope to avoid, there was something so undeniably human about them. It made it thrilling to read about them (especially Florentina, for obvious reasons) and their tales.
I think the best part about the characters, namely Florentina and Madelena, was that Lane portrayed the smaller and beautiful moments as well. These were characters in an epic situation, but they still had room to be kind and sweet.
Another surprising delight of this novel? All of the inventions and items mentioned are actually based on possible designs and inventions (courtesy of da Vinci for most). That was an excellent touch, and allowed for a sense of whimsy that didn't break immersion.
I'll confess that there were a few moments that I found myself more anxious than not. I adored Florentina and Madelena, and given the time period this novel was set in, I had good reason to be concerned about what would happen to them. But honestly? Even with that anxiety lurking in the background, this was a read well worth the time.
Merchants of Milan was a thrilling novel, one that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I'm looking forward to seeing more information about the next two novels in this trilogy!
Check out more of my reviews at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
auntybum's review against another edition
5.0
This was wonderful overall. It's mostly a masked vigilante super hero book, but it's set in sixteenth century Milan. There are also small steampunk elements and a sweet f/f romance, and the world definately needs more historical f/f romance. I need to read the next one yesterday.
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