Reviews

City of Flowers by Mary Hoffman

vickylovesreading's review against another edition

3.0

Bloody heck I've been racing through, but yeah loved this as I knew I still did ;) Bought the other three so can't wait :)

poisonenvy's review

Look, if I had read this series for the first time when I'd been a younger teenager, I probably would have loved the hell out of it. 

But reading it for the first time in my mid-30s is just not my thing. 

bookish_redpanda15's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-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? Yes

4.0

raechsreads's review against another edition

4.0

City of Flowers is filled with more plots between the Stravagana and the Duke. Weddings. Murders. And adventure. All come to play in book 3!

sandst's review against another edition

3.0

Dear little Sandro. (:

faehistory's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ashra's review against another edition

5.0

Spoiler

He was going to get a family at last - not the kind of brothers he had once imagined and neither the Father or Mother were where he could see them. But it was enough. "I'm ready," he said (420). AUUUGGGGGG

I don't know I really like Sky but I feel like the true protagonist is Sandro. That boy he KILLS me i adore him. Him being so alone and so lonely and and and finding a family FINALLY i can't.
I can't believe they made a dog a friar. and his name is Brother Dog. do you really need any other reason to read this book

man I have so many feelings. there is no other rating for me. 5 billion stars. the buildup the brides the stakes slowly rising against Arianna the NEW STRAVAGANTI I can't get enough of Giuditta the coolest sculptor ever and Sulien the DAD ever ... the explosive first part of the climax where everything comes together but you know something is off, you can sense that things are not truly settling down... the ENDING. oh man oh man oh man oh man.

Spoiler

Forgive me, Father ... Bless you, my Son... i can't take ittttt

Niccolo is such a good villain I'm so afraid of him but he's so disturbingly sympathetic. man and sweet Falco back at it again ...

This is one of those series that grows more and more expansive as it goes on until we finally hit this intense and powerful and churning climax where three books worth of lore comes to a violent head. Niccolo's comeuppance...

Spoiler

And then all of a sudden [Enrico] knew exactly what had happened to his fiancée... (456) hoooo

And Luciano and Arianna's missing of each other until they FINALLY are able to find the space to be vulnerable together again like they used to be when they didn't have the responsibilities they now shoulder. (wails) Due to the scope of the series, it would be difficult to simultaneously have a very involved new protagonist - since the stakes between Falco/Georgia and Luciano/Arianna vs the di Chimici and the rest of the family have already been so expertly built up from books 1 & 2 - but Sky's just a sweet guy doing his best and I think he's a solid, if less involved, lens to view this new world through. And I have to say it again. I love Sandro and Sulien.

and the ending....

Spoiler

"It will be bliss," he said, smiling. "Just think, we never had the chance to live together as man and wife and we have been together more than twenty years and have a grown-up daughter."
"Don't," said Silvia. "You'll make me feel old."
"You are as beautiful now as when I first met you," said Rodolfo, tightening his hold on her. "And this time all the world will know that we are married and nothing shall ever separate us again" (471).

i would do anything for rodolfo and silvia. anything.

Masterful ending to a high-stakes, complex, and mesmerizingly character-driven series. One of my favorites form my childhood and ... for good reason!! go off stravaganza!
From what I remember, the 2nd series wasn't nearly as integral, so here is the true ending to this phenomenal trilogy <3

adeperi's review against another edition

4.0

Love love love this series. Have been learning about what I think are the historical connections to it as well (the de Medici family in Renaissance Italy, anyone?), which makes it even more exhilarating.

jadelee_ls's review against another edition

Es centos. Nudien. Jau vairāk kā piecus gadus neesmu lasījusi vairākas grāmatas reizē, bet šo atstāju čunčināt pamazām. Ja ļoti aizmiedza acis, varēja piedot tos loģikas caurumus.



Bet tad....

'The Nucci could have been useful,’ said Sulien thoughtfully, ‘but not since the death of Davide. If they see the opportunity to attack the di Chimici they will be caught up in that, not looking out for the Duchessa.’
‘We need more Stravaganti here,’ said Giuditta. ‘I would have Rodolfo summon others of the Brotherhood from all over Talia. If it comes to a fight, it is not swordsmen we need, but those who can communicate without words and surround the Duchessa with their thoughts rather than their muscles.'




Tās spējas stravagantēm kļuvušas par totālu sviestu. Un viņu "brālība"?! Ko pie velna viņi vispār dara? Izārstēs Tāliju no Di Kimiči ar pozitīvo domiņu spēku??
VISS ir kļuvis ļoti paviršs. Ļoti saraustīta skatpunktu pārslēgšana, pārāk daudz Di Kimiči un viņu kāzas, pārāk maz paša sasodītā galvenā varoņa! 1.+2. lieliski sastrādājās ar tēlu pārklājumu un viņu attiecībām. Nu par Remoru knapi viens pīkstiens bijis un Džordžijai vispār pover, ka viņa var stravagēt. Ughhhhh!!!! Tur ir tik daudz potenciāla, bet tāda sajūta, ka katru reizi, kad tas novīd pie apvāršņa, autore met ratus otrādi un skrien pretējā virzienā.




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annelienvan's review against another edition

3.0

third installment in the series, and you do notice it. The plotlines grow a bit thin, and the characters grow a bit rigid. The newly introduced characters are, to me, not as likeable as the previous ones.

I had a few annoyances throughout the book:
- people don't seem to change much.
- everyone is deeply in love with someone. I know it's a YA novel and that to a YA it seems very important, but to me all the different pairings and the tensions got a bit much.
- Dr Dethridge, again. we know he speaks in an older kindof language, but the way it's written is just very difficult to read and rather annoying.

The plot was nice, exciting and interesting. I liked the way it all came together, but there could have been fewer pages. it was nicely written though, really takes you along to Talia/italy and you can feel that the other loves it all herself.

i'd give this 3.5 if i could!

book: 4/50
pages: 1200