Reviews - The Stone Witch of Florence

548 reviews for:

The Stone Witch of Florence

Anna Rasche

3.68 AVERAGE

gwalt118's review against another edition

3.5

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved the premise of this debut novel, and it was evident that Rasche's work as a gemologist and a historian informed and influenced this book in numerous ways. Ginevra di Gasparo is a wonderful character, a woman who loved, lost, and fought for what she believed to be right with an intense bravery. I enjoyed Ginevra's friendship with Lucia immensely.

Another thing I loved about this novel was the ways in which Rasche explored the interwoven nature of the Catholic church and magic in pre-Renaissance Italy. There are elements of the occult, alchemy, and medicine within Ginevra's story and the mystery of the stolen relics that propels the plot of the novel. I found myself sometimes swept away in the mysticism of this story.

Alas, the pacing of this novel felt very off. The narrative elements ebbed and flowed, and I felt like sometimes nothing happened for a long while and then everything happened all at once. I found this book difficult to sink my teeth into, and I wasn't always motivated to keep reading. Even so, I enjoyed this debut novel and I'm excited to see what Rasche writes next.

jennifer_charbo's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sus1969's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars rounded down, this one started off strong and was super interesting (the Black Plague Italy in the 1400s), then things got weird and boring. I guess it is a fantasy book combined with historical fiction, and I am not a fan of fantasy. For obvious reasons, it was way too unrealistic which stressed me out. The last chapter was pretty good though and tied everything up nicely.

julesfrigault's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

wyteseal5's review against another edition

5.0

This book was such a great read. I loved reading about Ginevra ahead of was such a strong woman and so wise. I loved the fact that she works with stones. I admire my stones and felt a sort of kinship with her.

The journey she had to take was a tough one and she stayed true to herself. I honestly could not stop reading this book and felt sad it was over when I hit the last sentence.

I want to thank NetGalley and Herpequin Trade Publishing for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

kaedee10's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous mysterious medium-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: No

jessinthelib's review against another edition

3.0

A very interesting premise, much of it with a factual basis, that was a bit hot and cold for me. The main character is a healing woman before the witch hunts but when women in general weren't allowed to be doctors (1348, Florence, Italy), but is called to investigate stolen relics during the Plague. The healing was interesting, the Plague descriptions horrifying but also fascinating, and I learned more about relics and their history. However, it sometimes felt like this was written by two different people - the characters' personalities weren't consistent, the pacing was off, and I wasn't gripped as I thought I would be. It felt longer than it is. The author is a gemologist and this is her first novel and I'd say it's worth a read because of the unique subject.