2.35k reviews for:

The Amalfi Curse

Sarah Penner, Sarah Penner

3.89 AVERAGE

heidirgorecki's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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It was just kind of ok. I had a hard time staying interested in the first probably quarter of the book and even after I just didn’t connect well with the characters. There were a number of points in the story that felt unrealistic or like there were so many more obviously better options or choices for the characters to make and they just didn’t for the sake of the plot. 

kashpoint's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious medium-paced

emilyacv's review against another edition

3.0

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Picked this up as a fun read to get me excited for my trip! It was nothing special though. One of my pet peeves is when the writing tells instead of shows/really spells out every inference as if the reader is dumb. Please, let me read between the lines and draw conclusions! I promise I’m capable!! A little mystery is good sometimes! But anyways this was good for what it is, a not that serious summer read that I’ll probably never think about again. 

readingintherain's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

miss_may_94's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

wyzejackal's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

cdrphoenixreads's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

themagicalaunt's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

amy_bc's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

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Such a fantastic tale. I loved the plot, Haven following in her father’s footsteps to retrace his last dive only to discover an even greater treasure than she had ever imagined. It was truly beautiful. 

I loved the lore about the stregheria, it was really intriguing and not something I’ve heard about before. The characters were all wonderfully written and everyone had some really great development. The switching POVs between Haven, Mari and Holmes was an amazing inclusion and added the perfect dimension to the story. I did find the pacing a little slow but there were still moments of tension and interest that drew you back in. Sarah Penner does a remarkable job of building a world for her stories. Sometimes fantasy standalones can sacrifice world building to incorporate everything else that must be detailed in a fantasy novel, but Sarah doesn’t sacrifice anything. I fully felt myself within the streets of Positano and saw the views from Savina’s villa — written absolutely beautifully. 

Overall, a great story with lovely world building, amazing characters, a unique magic system and a mysterious and heartwarming plot. 

yanis_bookshelf's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes