mydarkacademia's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh, where do I begin.
First of all, to anyone who likes this book, Im sorry because Im about to roast it. Im glad you like it but I really didnt like it and I have the right to express my opinion. Please dont try to say I didnt like it because I dont like historical fiction because thats not true, I do like historical fiction, I didnt like this book because its bad.
Second of all, english is my second language so I might make some grammatical errors in this review. I also wont be using an apostrophe, I cant find it on my keyboard. (Yes, I am serious.)
Okay, lets start.
I didnt expect much from this book, I expected a nice, fun story about a prostitute who gets in over her head. I didnt expect a masterpiece. As you might have realized by now, it still managed to disappoint me.
The main problem I had with this book was the writing. The characters are either two dimensional or one dimensional. The pace is all over the place. The ending was very predictable and the story as a whole lacks suspense since the character is talking to the reader from the future.
Hm, I wonder if Luciana is gonna survive. Oh she is cause she just talked about her future husband. Oh and I wonder who that husband could be? The one man who she keeps daydreaming about? No, not him for sure.
And dont get me started on the fact she talks to the reader. I personally dont like that trope unless its done in a funny or inventive way. Trust me, its not done in a funny or inventive way in this book. It made me feel like Im reading my own writing from the fifth grade. All though I shouldnt be so harsh towards my eleven year old self. I suspect it was used in this book because the writer didnt know how to show how the character was feeling without the character actually telling us.
Another thing I really had an issue with was how unrealistic the book was. The main characters have the best luck and nearly escape death in impossible situations. A character falls into a fire and is fine, a character holds a burning peace of wood that is covered in flammable oil and is fairly short in his mouth and is fine. What the actual fuck? They also only figure out important clues just when its time to move on to the next city and fail to see them sooner even though they look at the same clue (a painting) the entire time. They are also often just handed answers.
The whole goal of this book is also kinda dumb because even though the main characters do stop it now (which is what they wanted), it does happen later on in history and everyone knows that so they look stupid celebrating stopping sth that did happen eventually.
The writer also dares to use important historical figures ( Leonardo da Vinci and Christopher Columbus) as throw away characters.
It didnt have many problematic aspects except for the continuous use of the derogatory term for gay people for one of the characters which wasnt at all necessary.
Good things:
- The love interest isnt toxic
- I dont know what else, Im trying okay
I would like to finish off by saying that it took me over a month to read it even though I was reading it almost every day. Additionally, as I usually read two books at the same time, I finished 6 books while reading this one. Yes, I started and finished 6 books before I finally finished this book.
You might ask why i forced myself to finish it and I dont really have a proper answer. This book started out as a solid 3 star and went down to a 2 soon after. I guess I just didnt want to look at another dnf-ed book on my bookshelf so I just kept on reading it and hoping it will become better. It didnt, it became worse.
I know I had more problems with it but I really dont care right now. Please dont hate on me for not liking this book, Im sorry, I really wanted to like it.
First of all, to anyone who likes this book, Im sorry because Im about to roast it. Im glad you like it but I really didnt like it and I have the right to express my opinion. Please dont try to say I didnt like it because I dont like historical fiction because thats not true, I do like historical fiction, I didnt like this book because its bad.
Second of all, english is my second language so I might make some grammatical errors in this review. I also wont be using an apostrophe, I cant find it on my keyboard. (Yes, I am serious.)
Okay, lets start.
I didnt expect much from this book, I expected a nice, fun story about a prostitute who gets in over her head. I didnt expect a masterpiece. As you might have realized by now, it still managed to disappoint me.
The main problem I had with this book was the writing. The characters are either two dimensional or one dimensional. The pace is all over the place. The ending was very predictable and the story as a whole lacks suspense since the character is talking to the reader from the future.
Hm, I wonder if Luciana is gonna survive. Oh she is cause she just talked about her future husband. Oh and I wonder who that husband could be? The one man who she keeps daydreaming about? No, not him for sure.
And dont get me started on the fact she talks to the reader. I personally dont like that trope unless its done in a funny or inventive way. Trust me, its not done in a funny or inventive way in this book. It made me feel like Im reading my own writing from the fifth grade. All though I shouldnt be so harsh towards my eleven year old self. I suspect it was used in this book because the writer didnt know how to show how the character was feeling without the character actually telling us.
Another thing I really had an issue with was how unrealistic the book was. The main characters have the best luck and nearly escape death in impossible situations. A character falls into a fire and is fine, a character holds a burning peace of wood that is covered in flammable oil and is fairly short in his mouth and is fine. What the actual fuck? They also only figure out important clues just when its time to move on to the next city and fail to see them sooner even though they look at the same clue (a painting) the entire time. They are also often just handed answers.
The whole goal of this book is also kinda dumb because even though the main characters do stop it now (which is what they wanted), it does happen later on in history and everyone knows that so they look stupid celebrating stopping sth that did happen eventually.
The writer also dares to use important historical figures ( Leonardo da Vinci and Christopher Columbus) as throw away characters.
It didnt have many problematic aspects except for the continuous use of the derogatory term for gay people for one of the characters which wasnt at all necessary.
Good things:
- The love interest isnt toxic
- I dont know what else, Im trying okay
I would like to finish off by saying that it took me over a month to read it even though I was reading it almost every day. Additionally, as I usually read two books at the same time, I finished 6 books while reading this one. Yes, I started and finished 6 books before I finally finished this book.
You might ask why i forced myself to finish it and I dont really have a proper answer. This book started out as a solid 3 star and went down to a 2 soon after. I guess I just didnt want to look at another dnf-ed book on my bookshelf so I just kept on reading it and hoping it will become better. It didnt, it became worse.
I know I had more problems with it but I really dont care right now. Please dont hate on me for not liking this book, Im sorry, I really wanted to like it.
the_sassy_bookworm's review
3.0
This was sort of like historical fiction meets Dan brown. The story centers around Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece Primavera, the hidden clues within etc. It kept me interested for the most part, but could have probably lost about 50 pages in the middle as it seemed to drag a bit. Overall a good read though.
kawthar114's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
real_life_reading's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very Da Vinci Code-esque sort of book. Luciana, a prostitute and Guido Del Torre, a monk, are looking for secrets in a Botticelli painting while trying not to get killed in the process. Unlike the Da Vinci Code, this story takes place during the 1400s, and Botticelli and others who know the secret of the painting are the ones after Luciana and Brother Guido. It was a hard story to get into at first, but with perserverance it ended up being a pretty great book.
n_binversie99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
marie14_02's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
swuffy's review against another edition
2.0
Arghh. This book should have had three stars bc I liked the heroine so much. She's your typical working girl of medieval Florence. Lots of fun, no rose colored glasses on this strumpet but enjoying life for what it is. Smart, a little sassy, but not overshooting the mark. Unfortunately, the plot was uneven and blew so hot and cold that at times I wouldn't want to pick the book back up. I'll think fondly of it, but no more than two stars.
marlene061313's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
The visuals of Italy make you want to book a trip right now. Like others have said though, the story is like a Dan Brown novel, but not great.
The visuals of Italy make you want to book a trip right now. Like others have said though, the story is like a Dan Brown novel, but not great.
june1832's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0