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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, which follows.
The stone magic was beautifully crafted, one of the more intriguing parts of the novel. The other parts I loved were the relationships between Ginevra, the gravedigger was genius, and their interactions at the apothecary.
There are some scenes that are beautifully touching and immersive, but where the author truly shines is her relationships with Ginevra. The author does a wonderful job of bringing me closer to how Ginevra moved at different stages in her life. I believed the responses of a curious tween, a disgruntled teen, and an elder whose hermitage was intruded upon.
I didn’t love some of the head hopping that occurred. For example, we see Ginevra entering a home and thinking to cure it’s inhabitant, and then for a page we go into the sick woman’s head, which was confusing, distracting, and pulled away from the experience. The times later that we jumped in Lucia’s head again were random and too sparse in the context of the entire story. I would have rather stayed with Ginevra or had an alternating POV.
Some reviews on the more negative side were taken out of the time because of the language used. I felt the reading sometimes was more modern, but I also am a reader that has no issue with avoiding medieval writing - to me it would have been obnoxious if the author would have tried it, and I would have DNF’d it. (Not throwing shade, thee doeth thee if that’s your thing).
The story started to slow down about midpoint, but like the rest of the novel, it goes in waves. I’d find myself pretty into scene and then we’d get quiet and introspective, and I’d take a break from reading. Some things I couldn’t quite resolve were why Ginevra was meant to find the missing relics? To cure the city, I get it… but… that piece of the plot didn’t come together until a bit later than I liked.
All that said, I was satisfied with the ending and the story was pleasant. The Author’s note made me really want to cheer for the author. This debut is a good promise for this author’s future stories.
The stone magic was beautifully crafted, one of the more intriguing parts of the novel. The other parts I loved were the relationships between Ginevra, the gravedigger was genius, and their interactions at the apothecary.
There are some scenes that are beautifully touching and immersive, but where the author truly shines is her relationships with Ginevra. The author does a wonderful job of bringing me closer to how Ginevra moved at different stages in her life. I believed the responses of a curious tween, a disgruntled teen, and an elder whose hermitage was intruded upon.
I didn’t love some of the head hopping that occurred. For example, we see Ginevra entering a home and thinking to cure it’s inhabitant, and then for a page we go into the sick woman’s head, which was confusing, distracting, and pulled away from the experience. The times later that we jumped in Lucia’s head again were random and too sparse in the context of the entire story. I would have rather stayed with Ginevra or had an alternating POV.
Some reviews on the more negative side were taken out of the time because of the language used. I felt the reading sometimes was more modern, but I also am a reader that has no issue with avoiding medieval writing - to me it would have been obnoxious if the author would have tried it, and I would have DNF’d it. (Not throwing shade, thee doeth thee if that’s your thing).
The story started to slow down about midpoint, but like the rest of the novel, it goes in waves. I’d find myself pretty into scene and then we’d get quiet and introspective, and I’d take a break from reading. Some things I couldn’t quite resolve were why Ginevra was meant to find the missing relics? To cure the city, I get it… but… that piece of the plot didn’t come together until a bit later than I liked.
All that said, I was satisfied with the ending and the story was pleasant. The Author’s note made me really want to cheer for the author. This debut is a good promise for this author’s future stories.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Enjoyed the book. The premise was really good, the middle dragged a bit but the ending was fantastic.
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:
Yes
3.5 well-researched and fun. Perfect for anyone into art history, medieval studies, etc.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fascinating and enjoyable perspective on the plague. Well-written and kept me guessing.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes