Scan barcode
A review by guardianofthebookshelf
Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott
3.0
Grade: C
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was drawn to this book because it was set in a different period than most YA historical fiction that's written these days. I thought Da Vinci's Tiger would be fascinating and fun, and unfortunately, I was wrong.
You can tell the author did a lot of research. The descriptions of the city and the clothes are very precise, and almost the entire story is based on fact, according to the author's note. But what I look for in historical fiction is just that - fiction. I want a story I can connect to and love, not just read and think, "Oh, that was interesting and informative." I learned a lot from Da Vinci's Tiger but that extra spark just wasn't there. There was no actual plot, just sort of a brief, sparse fictionalization of what really happened.
Ginevra, the main character, interacts mainly with the men of the story and I wanted to see more with the women. A female character, spoiler alert, dies towards the end, and I felt no sadness. Lucrezia de' Medici seemed like she was a very interesting woman but she only appears for a few brief scenes. The one male character I did like was Ginevra's brother, Giovanni. He seemed to receive the most characterization besides Bernardo, and especially more than Ginevra. I honestly can't tell you much about the protagonist; I know she loved poetry and was fairly humble but that's about it. I wanted to know why she was the mountain tiger.
Warning: there is a scene where a male character tries to force himself on the protagonist, so if that's triggering for you, I'd avoid Da Vinci's Tiger.
The Verdict: Still looking for a great YA historical fiction novel set in the Renaissance.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was drawn to this book because it was set in a different period than most YA historical fiction that's written these days. I thought Da Vinci's Tiger would be fascinating and fun, and unfortunately, I was wrong.
You can tell the author did a lot of research. The descriptions of the city and the clothes are very precise, and almost the entire story is based on fact, according to the author's note. But what I look for in historical fiction is just that - fiction. I want a story I can connect to and love, not just read and think, "Oh, that was interesting and informative." I learned a lot from Da Vinci's Tiger but that extra spark just wasn't there. There was no actual plot, just sort of a brief, sparse fictionalization of what really happened.
Ginevra, the main character, interacts mainly with the men of the story and I wanted to see more with the women. A female character, spoiler alert, dies towards the end, and I felt no sadness. Lucrezia de' Medici seemed like she was a very interesting woman but she only appears for a few brief scenes. The one male character I did like was Ginevra's brother, Giovanni. He seemed to receive the most characterization besides Bernardo, and especially more than Ginevra. I honestly can't tell you much about the protagonist; I know she loved poetry and was fairly humble but that's about it. I wanted to know why she was the mountain tiger.
Warning: there is a scene where a male character tries to force himself on the protagonist, so if that's triggering for you, I'd avoid Da Vinci's Tiger.
The Verdict: Still looking for a great YA historical fiction novel set in the Renaissance.