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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
What an entertaining read!
The Stone Witch of Florence follows Ginevra di Gasparo, who was exiled from Florence for using her healing magic. She is invited back to Florence years later by the bishop to investigate missing relics and to ultimately find them.
First off, the humor in this book is excellent. The banter between characters - especially Ginevra and Lucia - is top notch.
Second, the setting of the 1300s was done so well. There was some modern language thrown in there, but I'll give it a pass. It's probably really hard to accurately depict the 1300s! But overall I felt like I was in the middle ages in Italy: people were catching the Plague and dying and religion was a huge part of their lives, too.
Third, the characters in this book were all fantastic. Ginevra is such a likeable MC and Lucia is a wonderful sidekick. All of our other side characters are great, too.
Now why is this 4 stars? Well.... this book started off extremely slow, in my opinion. Part One of the story was also laid out in an odd way. It jumped back and forth from the 1330s to the present in 1348, and I feel like it would have worked better for me if it stayed constant at the 1330s to learn about Ginevra's past THEN jumped to 1348 so we can see what Ginevra is doing now.
I was also hoping the stone magic would be more present, but the focus seemed to be on the missing relic investigation. It was interesting, but I was hoping to see even more magic than was presented.
This book also info dumped a few times, and it was hard to keep focus when it did.
Overall, great story! It was a fresh take on witches. This story felt more historical than fantasy to me, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a fantasy-centered book. If you enjoy witches, historical fantasy, and banter, this is one to try.
The Stone Witch of Florence follows Ginevra di Gasparo, who was exiled from Florence for using her healing magic. She is invited back to Florence years later by the bishop to investigate missing relics and to ultimately find them.
First off, the humor in this book is excellent. The banter between characters - especially Ginevra and Lucia - is top notch.
Second, the setting of the 1300s was done so well. There was some modern language thrown in there, but I'll give it a pass. It's probably really hard to accurately depict the 1300s! But overall I felt like I was in the middle ages in Italy: people were catching the Plague and dying and religion was a huge part of their lives, too.
Third, the characters in this book were all fantastic. Ginevra is such a likeable MC and Lucia is a wonderful sidekick. All of our other side characters are great, too.
Now why is this 4 stars? Well.... this book started off extremely slow, in my opinion. Part One of the story was also laid out in an odd way. It jumped back and forth from the 1330s to the present in 1348, and I feel like it would have worked better for me if it stayed constant at the 1330s to learn about Ginevra's past THEN jumped to 1348 so we can see what Ginevra is doing now.
I was also hoping the stone magic would be more present, but the focus seemed to be on the missing relic investigation. It was interesting, but I was hoping to see even more magic than was presented.
This book also info dumped a few times, and it was hard to keep focus when it did.
Overall, great story! It was a fresh take on witches. This story felt more historical than fantasy to me, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a fantasy-centered book. If you enjoy witches, historical fantasy, and banter, this is one to try.
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Of all the witchy books I’ve read this year, this one is quite unique. Most of the witchy books I’ve read this year had women ashamed of their powers, ignorant of the powers, or hiding their powers. The villains in the story were the monarchy, ignorance, societal pressure, or something similar. This book however, takes the reader back to one of the many plagues religion has used to blame sin on and has a woman who just wants to help people get better, but instead fears for her life and is condemned. I wanted so badly to love this story, however I felt the ending was smashed together and unsatisfying. It felt rushed.