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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
This is a fascinating novel, very well researched, focusing on Caecilia – a Roman woman, half-patrician and half-plebian – who is forced to marry an Etruscan as part of a peace treaty with Rome.
Elisabeth Storrs goes further than bringing history to life, she brings the two cultures to life, and highlights the difficulties faced by a refugee from one culture trying to live in and accept another.
This is an historical novel that offers a great deal of understanding about one of the major issues of today’s world – one of my stand-out reads of the year so far.
Elisabeth Storrs goes further than bringing history to life, she brings the two cultures to life, and highlights the difficulties faced by a refugee from one culture trying to live in and accept another.
This is an historical novel that offers a great deal of understanding about one of the major issues of today’s world – one of my stand-out reads of the year so far.
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Historical fiction set in early ancient Rome. Caecilia is a half-caste Roman girl forced to marry an Etruscan for the sake of a peace treaty. She's very judgmental and I didn't always like her. Despite that, I thought the book was well-written, and would have been four stars if not for the fact that it's first in a series, which I don't think is really necessary.
*Received from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
This was an infuriating read. I didn't want to continue, but had to know what happened at the end of the story. I didn't want to continue because quite frankly, I got bored. There was too much detail. Things were explained too much. The traditions and religion was spoken of too often. More than needed to understand the story. But I had to keep going because I wanted to know if Caecilia fell in love with Mastarna, and vice versa. If Mastarna got over his dead wife, if Caecilia got pregnant. And so I marched on, only to reach a HUGE cliffhanger!!!. The romance was lacking in the sense that they didn't try to be together until the very end, when hope was dwindling anyway. But the fact remains that I kept coming back to it, even after I was determined not to continue, so that deserves 3 stars.
This was an infuriating read. I didn't want to continue, but had to know what happened at the end of the story. I didn't want to continue because quite frankly, I got bored. There was too much detail. Things were explained too much. The traditions and religion was spoken of too often. More than needed to understand the story. But I had to keep going because I wanted to know if Caecilia fell in love with Mastarna, and vice versa. If Mastarna got over his dead wife, if Caecilia got pregnant. And so I marched on, only to reach a HUGE cliffhanger!!!. The romance was lacking in the sense that they didn't try to be together until the very end, when hope was dwindling anyway. But the fact remains that I kept coming back to it, even after I was determined not to continue, so that deserves 3 stars.
2.3 stars, but rounding up because Etruscans!
I spent pretty much the entire book wanting to shake the main character. I get that she's young, sheltered, and repressed, but...MAKE BETTER CHOICES AND JUST GO WITH WHERE THE FATES HAVE CLEARLY DECIDED YOU'RE MEANT TO BE.
Sheesh.
I spent pretty much the entire book wanting to shake the main character. I get that she's young, sheltered, and repressed, but...MAKE BETTER CHOICES AND JUST GO WITH WHERE THE FATES HAVE CLEARLY DECIDED YOU'RE MEANT TO BE.
Sheesh.
First, the good things about the book. It's jam-packed with information about ancient Rome and the surrounding area. From religion, to clothing, to food, to war, and even interactions between people. I learned a lot from reading this book. Elisabeth Storrs also has a gift with weaving a story that's mesmerizing and she gives you such a strong sense of time and place. Even when I wasn't reading the book, I found myself thinking about it and the characters. She described the setting extremely well, which allowed me to be carried away into the story.
Sadly, the story left some things to be wanted. The main character was okay. I understood why she was so timid, but it was still frustrating that she never, ever could make a decision for herself. The end irritated me even further because even then we didn't know what decision she made (thank God that the first chapter of the next book was included. Otherwise this review would be written by a significantly more irritated Mallory). The emphasis on pedophilia was disturbing. I understand that was part of the Roman/Estrucan culture, but, seriously, it was like half of the main cast that had been a victim of pedophilia in one form or another. It made me sick. It also didn't add anything to the story - it wasn't a driving plot or anything. So, it was like Elisabeth Storrs just threw it in there to be like, "Look, my characters have suffered and I've done my research. RESPECT ME."
Finally, for the story being a romance between Caecilia and Mastrana, there were very few scenes that showed me they were in love with each other by the end of the book. Most of the time, Mastrana was off doing something else. I feel like the book easily could have been one of my all-time favorites had there just been more between them (and, you know, less pedophilia). By the end of the book I was kind of like, "I think they love each other... maybe? I don't know."
Sadly, the story left some things to be wanted. The main character was okay. I understood why she was so timid, but it was still frustrating that she never, ever could make a decision for herself. The end irritated me even further because even then we didn't know what decision she made (thank God that the first chapter of the next book was included. Otherwise this review would be written by a significantly more irritated Mallory). The emphasis on pedophilia was disturbing. I understand that was part of the Roman/Estrucan culture, but, seriously, it was like half of the main cast that had been a victim of pedophilia in one form or another. It made me sick. It also didn't add anything to the story - it wasn't a driving plot or anything. So, it was like Elisabeth Storrs just threw it in there to be like, "Look, my characters have suffered and I've done my research. RESPECT ME."
Finally, for the story being a romance between Caecilia and Mastrana, there were very few scenes that showed me they were in love with each other by the end of the book. Most of the time, Mastrana was off doing something else. I feel like the book easily could have been one of my all-time favorites had there just been more between them (and, you know, less pedophilia). By the end of the book I was kind of like, "I think they love each other... maybe? I don't know."