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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
TL;DR: What a sleeper hit - This deserves so much more hype!
Source: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much!
Source: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much!
Plot: Ginevra returns to the city that banished her to try and stop the Black Plague but instead ends up hunting a theif.
Characters: We switched PoV’s a few times and consequently I loved so many of these characters. Anna Rasche did a great job connecting us to the character.
Setting: I loved Florence in this. I’ve never been an Italy girl but this had me sold.
Fantasy: It’s just a drop, Ginevra’s ability to use the magic of the stones, but it’s well woven in.
Characters: We switched PoV’s a few times and consequently I loved so many of these characters. Anna Rasche did a great job connecting us to the character.
Setting: I loved Florence in this. I’ve never been an Italy girl but this had me sold.
Fantasy: It’s just a drop, Ginevra’s ability to use the magic of the stones, but it’s well woven in.
Thoughts:
I’ve been in a slump, well and truly for the first time in years. But this book - WOW. This book knocked my socks off. My husband had to force me to put it down for bed, I was so invested I wanted ‘just 15 more minutes!’. It got me good.
Ginevra returns to Florence after receiving a letter from an old lover. He wants her help to stop the plague, and in return she may gain admittance to the Doctor’s guild and her exile from years before rescinded. Of course there is far more to this request than she thought and she ends up hunting a thief that’s stealing the holy relics from the churches. Along the way she meets the few people left in the city, she discovers new uses for her magic, and she faces her past.
Ginevra is a complicated, very real feeling woman. She’s got backbone and she’s smart, but she’s also a bit bullheaded and naive. Just enough that you’re left wondering if she’s going to get herself into more trouble or if it’s going to work out at all. We get some secondary characters as well, a noblewoman she saves who becomes her partner and a gravedigger I loved with everything in me.
The characters and setting are both strong, Florence felt grounded (which I’ve never been so take that with a grain of salt) and I ate it up. There were a few moments in here that had me laughing out loud, while others had me glued to the page. I loved it a lot, what can I say?
6 out 5 Bloodstones - this is going on my favorites of the year list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Grief
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Violence
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's not often that I describe a historical fantasy book as a rollicking good time, but The Stone Witch of Florence fits that bill. If you like to razz on the Catholic Church and their weird fascination with relics (aka pieces of dead saints), if you're into rocks (or crystals!), or if you like a twisty-turny conspiracy to unravel, this is the book for you!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is very historical fiction forward, followed by religion heavy, and finally minutely magical. yes, magic is central to the plot, but no, the story itself is more about the plague and the religious relics that, supposedly capable of healing those afflicted by and warding off the black plague, are slowly being stolen out of Florence's churches. the use of flashbacks was nice, but they continued through till nearly 50%, at which point the real story actually started (i.e., trying to figure out the thief's identity); as a result, the pacing felt really slow. also, there were a few convenient happenings that, no, not even magic could make up for. I did enjoy the author's note at the end regarding all the research that went into the book; I do very much appreciate her efforts! Overall, I did enjoy my listening experience and while I tend to avoid historical fiction, I'm glad this one slipped through the cracks. it was a nice palate cleanser.
3.75 out of 5, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.75 out of 5, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found the first half of this book to be very compelling! I really loved the back and forth between the present and the main character's girlhood. It did lose me a little in the second half and it felt like the plot was racing to wrap up neatly. The book felt like it switched genres to a heist halfway through. The bishop felt like a scooby doo villain at the end and the conclusion didn't feel very satisfying since it was so quick. The epilogue was cute but we didn't spend much time in it and it felt unrelated to the overall book, though i do get that it was trying to push home that she became a renowned physician. overall an enjoyable read and Soneela Nankani's narration was beautiful as always!!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Historical fiction with magical realism, set in Italy in the 1300s
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a good story with interesting characters in a time period that makes their particular interests and interactions believable and remarkable. I liked the Becchino character. He was not a flat character and ended up shaping a lot of the big plot points in a fascinating way. This book also addresses class, religion, and how certain “castes” were developed to keep the church and nobles in power. Anna Rasche really researched the time and the culture.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
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