elizabethd 's review for:

Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter

5.0

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Vicky is so good at placing us in ancient civilizations and really giving us a taste of what life was like - it's similarities to ours and it's differences. Doing your hair with a friend seems so normal, so today, until the characters use unusual styling tools or oils and you remember you are in ancient Pompeii. The day-to-day concerns seem so modern-day until the volcano rains down and immortalizes their stories. History lessons never give you the taste and smells and casual interactions that Curses does. I could smell the sea, taste the unusual foods. In Curses I came to understand how the religion of the day winds through even the most casual actions. (Same as we do today, but with different deities and customs.) All these subtleties put you THERE, in the moment, experiencing Lucia and Tag's relationship. Which, by the way, Vicky remains one of the best romance scene writers I know. I highly recommend CURSES AND SMOKE!