em_nieh 's review for:

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn

5.0

hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This doesn’t read like a debut novel, it earns every one of its pages. It’s historical fiction but doesn’t rely on the history to tell the story, it manages to be something unique and intriguing and has tension all of its own without the added stress of the setting. It has one of my absolute least favorite tropes but manages to make it reasonable and purposeful in a way I, for the first time ever, actually enjoyed what it added to the story.