tucker4's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book and I really thought I would. It has a strong plot, but it just never came together. It was a little too predictable and formulaic.
There were also a few things that struck me that I had a problem with.
The heroine is described as the most beautiful woman in the city (like she is actually known as such and is subsequently, basically locked away until she marries so no one can touch her), the hero is the most beautiful man ever and all the villains looks like fairytale villains. It was so extreme and fairytale-like that it lost some realism.
The other big thing that bothered me was the fact that the heroine apparently had reconciled herself and become immune to being abused after only a day. Not only did it seem unrealistic, but I found that a little disturbing.
I ended up skimming parts just so I could get to the end and be done with it.
I did like the setting though and learned a lot about Siena that I didn't know before.
There were also a few things that struck me that I had a problem with.
The heroine is described as the most beautiful woman in the city (like she is actually known as such and is subsequently, basically locked away until she marries so no one can touch her), the hero is the most beautiful man ever and all the villains looks like fairytale villains. It was so extreme and fairytale-like that it lost some realism.
The other big thing that bothered me was the fact that the heroine apparently had reconciled herself and become immune to being abused after only a day. Not only did it seem unrealistic, but I found that a little disturbing.
I ended up skimming parts just so I could get to the end and be done with it.
I did like the setting though and learned a lot about Siena that I didn't know before.
saboyer's review against another edition
1.0
People keep saying how the city is its own character. Sure, maybe, whatever. Mostly I was bothered by how none of the characters were ever fleshed out. The girl and the boy, the villain and the duchess--they all felt flat, even inexplicable. And the "historical" aspect? She wrote her own history--with all these twists and turns to fit her drama--and then made it null and void in the end by not...revealing it to the world. And even in her afterword she apologizes for her manipulating history. None of these characters were real, which would have been fine had they been left in their world to be affected by real history. But once she presents it as true history, making them key players in historical events--I felt manipulated. It all felt fake and forced and I never understood the "so what" behind it. For those who argue it isn't really a romance then, please, do tell me what exactly it is. Because, frankly, that's all I see: boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they fall in love at first sight and never have to account for why. Life changes and--spoiler alert--boy gets girl. Like who didn't see that coming?
http://by-its-cover.blogspot.com/2011/08/verdict-no-12.html
http://by-its-cover.blogspot.com/2011/08/verdict-no-12.html
lisatorrealba's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't care for the historical fiction setting, the over-done comparisons with Dante and King Arthur, the shallow romance, or the gruesome details in some parts. But somehow I managed to somewhat enjoy this easy read.
anaistromeria's review against another edition
1.0
More like 1 1/2 stars. What can i say? Im disappointed. Maybe i compared it too much to Juliet by Anne fortier (with siena and the palio and rival families etc) which is one of my all time fave books but idk i couldnt get into any of the characters here and i kept comparing pia to giulietta the latter who was much more headstrong then what pia was advertised as tbh. I also had some issues with the prose in general too like riccardo comparing pia to an asses milk uhhhhhh yeah anyways i guessed riccardos major reveal when gian came to siena then i skipped to the end to see if i was right :'D anyways sorry i wanted to like this book but it didnt do it for me.
bee_cee's review
2.0
The premise of this book (Romance and intrigue set during the Sienna Palio Horse race in 1723) seemed fascinating to me, and I was eager to read this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat. The author couldn't keep track of the names of her characters, and the timeline was very odd. Something that happened on one page would be referred to on the next page as a week ago, when we as readers knew that it was the same day. This happened again and again. The discrepancies and the irrational drama of the characters ruined what otherwise might have been a good book.
munsonce's review against another edition
3.0
Verrrrrry slow start. Took me about 200 pages to be invested. From there it was downhill and easy to read.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book, a good plot, and a good setting, it worked well all around. Great book, and I loved it!