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urlphantomhive's review
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I do not know too much about the Borgia family, who for a while ruled over large parts of Italy but had wider desires still. Much of what I know I got from watching Horrible Histories and playing Assassin's Creed (the one set in Rome being my favorite). City of God takes you along the path of the English Nicholas, as he tries to sneak his way in the Borgias good graces.
It is entirely my own fault that it stood on my shelves for so long, however, when I started reading I suddenly remembered why. There was an error in my e-copy, making that there wasn't a single pagebreak in the entire book. All text was pasted together, making me guess as to when the scenes had changed (considering this is a book filled with conspiracy and backstabbing, imagine my initial surprises when I missed a change of scene and thought someone present at the actual meeting where they discuss his murder). While annoying, the book was still more than readable.
While I enjoyed the setting, and the level of scheming is worthy of Game of Thrones, I missed a connection to the main character. Why does he do what he does? And more importantly, why should we, as readers, care? He always felt very distant and even when personal tragedy strikes, I didn't feel for him. I fear this will not be a book that stays with me over time.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I do not know too much about the Borgia family, who for a while ruled over large parts of Italy but had wider desires still. Much of what I know I got from watching Horrible Histories and playing Assassin's Creed (the one set in Rome being my favorite). City of God takes you along the path of the English Nicholas, as he tries to sneak his way in the Borgias good graces.
It is entirely my own fault that it stood on my shelves for so long, however, when I started reading I suddenly remembered why. There was an error in my e-copy, making that there wasn't a single pagebreak in the entire book. All text was pasted together, making me guess as to when the scenes had changed (considering this is a book filled with conspiracy and backstabbing, imagine my initial surprises when I missed a change of scene and thought someone present at the actual meeting where they discuss his murder). While annoying, the book was still more than readable.
While I enjoyed the setting, and the level of scheming is worthy of Game of Thrones, I missed a connection to the main character. Why does he do what he does? And more importantly, why should we, as readers, care? He always felt very distant and even when personal tragedy strikes, I didn't feel for him. I fear this will not be a book that stays with me over time.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
So this isn’t really about the Borgia’s, though it takes place during the time and the Forgeries show up every so often. If you are thinking the Showtime series though, you will be disappointed.
But that doesn’t mean it is a bad book.
It is far more of a political plotting novel than anything else. The central character isn’t a full Italian and finds him caught up in the machinations that occur in the Italy of the time. Nicholas Dawson is out of place not only because of his otherness but because of his sexual preference. This allows Holland to use him in a way that a using a Borgia could not allow. It also allows for the exploration of corruption and power plays.
While not a bodice ripper by any means or a “set the record straight” work of historical fiction, City of God captures the feeling of the Borgia court extremely well and claustrophobic way. Holland’s book is worth reading simply for this. This is something few historical fiction novels do today, centering more on the point of view of a victim of bad press. Holland’s way is far more entertaining.
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