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A review by sjess94
Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott
4.0
4.25 Stars
This semester I took a medieval literature class. I wound up loving the subject, so, once finals were over, I thought I'd attempt to learn more about the period by watching the Tudors and reading this book. I was skeptical going into it because of the reviews, but I'm so so glad I read this. I don't think this book is for everyone, particularly those who are disinterested in art or the Renaissance period. But if you are, you're in for a treat! L.M Elliott's imagery of 15th century Florence beautiful; I haven't been this sucked into a world in such a long time. This book is also jam-packed with information on what life was like in Italy during this exceptional time, and, with the book being so extensively researched, I walked away feeling like I gained something, which is always great. The themes on feminism in this book were touched on so well. A truly rewarding reading experience. Also, the ending was completely unexpected! Holy Cow!
However, the reason I'm giving this book 4-stars was because it felt like the characters and the plot tended to take a backseat to the imagery and the historical facts. I liked the characters, but I didn't love any of them. I also felt like there was a lot of info-dumping in the characters dialogue. The information was never boring, but a lot of the time it didn't feel like a realistic conversation between two characters. Regardless, this is L.M. Elliott's debut YA novel and I will definitely pick up any historical fiction she writes in the future.
This semester I took a medieval literature class. I wound up loving the subject, so, once finals were over, I thought I'd attempt to learn more about the period by watching the Tudors and reading this book. I was skeptical going into it because of the reviews, but I'm so so glad I read this. I don't think this book is for everyone, particularly those who are disinterested in art or the Renaissance period. But if you are, you're in for a treat! L.M Elliott's imagery of 15th century Florence beautiful; I haven't been this sucked into a world in such a long time. This book is also jam-packed with information on what life was like in Italy during this exceptional time, and, with the book being so extensively researched, I walked away feeling like I gained something, which is always great. The themes on feminism in this book were touched on so well. A truly rewarding reading experience. Also, the ending was completely unexpected! Holy Cow!
However, the reason I'm giving this book 4-stars was because it felt like the characters and the plot tended to take a backseat to the imagery and the historical facts. I liked the characters, but I didn't love any of them. I also felt like there was a lot of info-dumping in the characters dialogue. The information was never boring, but a lot of the time it didn't feel like a realistic conversation between two characters. Regardless, this is L.M. Elliott's debut YA novel and I will definitely pick up any historical fiction she writes in the future.