faehistory's review
adventurous
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
annelienvan's review against another edition
4.0
The best one in the series, in my opinion. the story is rich, the details fit together and the historical research really contributed.
book: 5/50
pages: 1600
book: 5/50
pages: 1600
aotora's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book as much as I liked the previous ones but I just... couldn't.
Matt just wasn't as interesting as a protagonist as the rest of them were- including Sky. His problem was that he had dyslexia and girlfriend issues- the problem was that dyslexia is mentioned here and there but by the end of the book it's barely even mentioned or there and it's not even a key thing in his adventures in Talia. He ends up at an university in the city of words- Padavia, working as a pressman - printing books and whatnot- but, it turns out that he can read just fine in Talia - I wish that instead he couldn't and he'd have to overcome his struggles and learn how to pretend to be able to read just fine so he could pretend to be the press worker. Ayesha was also one of the most obnoxious characters ever and whilst I at least somewhat rooted for Sky and Alice in the previous book I didn't care for either of these two in this book.
There were also hexes in this book - which would be fine... if they weren't used precisely once and never again. It felt just tacked on and didn't contribute much to the story. Same with having the old main characters making cameos- they were fine and all but the story would've been fine without them because they barely do anything.
There is also this constant comparison between Matt and Luciano which annoyed me, yes the other characters mentioned not being able to live in Talia for good and not wanting to leave the modern world behind... but he does it so much that it becomes annoying to see.
The one interesting and bright spot in this book was Enrico though - which I didn't expect because I didn't care for him through the first three books, but seeing him become somewhat good and seeing him help out the stravaganti made me smile - I can't wait to see where his story goes from here and if he appears in the last two books.
Other than that this was my least favourite book in the series so far and I truly hope that I like the last two because the idea about time and space travel is so interesting if it's well executed. And this one just wasn't.
Matt just wasn't as interesting as a protagonist as the rest of them were- including Sky. His problem was that he had dyslexia and girlfriend issues- the problem was that dyslexia is mentioned here and there but by the end of the book it's barely even mentioned or there and it's not even a key thing in his adventures in Talia. He ends up at an university in the city of words- Padavia, working as a pressman - printing books and whatnot- but, it turns out that he can read just fine in Talia - I wish that instead he couldn't and he'd have to overcome his struggles and learn how to pretend to be able to read just fine so he could pretend to be the press worker. Ayesha was also one of the most obnoxious characters ever and whilst I at least somewhat rooted for Sky and Alice in the previous book I didn't care for either of these two in this book.
There were also hexes in this book - which would be fine... if they weren't used precisely once and never again. It felt just tacked on and didn't contribute much to the story. Same with having the old main characters making cameos- they were fine and all but the story would've been fine without them because they barely do anything.
There is also this constant comparison between Matt and Luciano which annoyed me, yes the other characters mentioned not being able to live in Talia for good and not wanting to leave the modern world behind... but he does it so much that it becomes annoying to see.
The one interesting and bright spot in this book was Enrico though - which I didn't expect because I didn't care for him through the first three books, but seeing him become somewhat good and seeing him help out the stravaganti made me smile - I can't wait to see where his story goes from here and if he appears in the last two books.
Other than that this was my least favourite book in the series so far and I truly hope that I like the last two because the idea about time and space travel is so interesting if it's well executed. And this one just wasn't.
monicakessler's review against another edition
4.0
It can be a bit awkward when you pick up the 4th book of a series that was meant to be a trilogy. You've had the satisfying ending; you've seen a big climax. What could possibly come after that which doesn't pale by comparison? Series that do this well really up the ante and introduce a whole crew of new characters to “change things up”, in my experience.
Unfortunately City of Secrets doesn't manage this. Instead it sticks to a similar formula, mixing things from previous books, and barely introduces any new characters – in fact, far fewer than books 2 and 3 did. This seems to be because there are already a great host of characters to keep up with – and we do have excellent reappearances of beloved characters from previous books (cough, cough, Cesare, my love); however, there was a lack of freshness and vitality to the book because of this.
While the plot drama is as dramatic as the events of previous books, it somehow seems less iconic, which makes sense considering this is the only book in the series which I have absolutely no memory of reading (which is unusual for me) even though, as I was reading it, I definitely recalled having read those events before – even if I then still couldn't remember where the book went next. While it was nice seeing it with fresh eyes, it lacked the excitement of the re-read that the previous two (better) books in the series brought me. At least it was more condensed and less wordy than City of Flowers.
Plot-wise, this one is roughly on par with book one, but has a little less charm; side characters don't feel fresh and poor Luciano really needs a break (I know he keeps being brought back into the picture for fanservice reasons, but honestly, let him live a quiet life for once!! He's been through enough!!) Matt is serviceable as the new MC, but the way his dyslexia is handled (as a “character weakness” or reason for self-doubt/dislike) is much clumsier than other comparable books (e.g. Percy Jackson). While Mary Hoffman is usually very good at showing the character growth of the MC throughout their book – Georgia in particular got a good run of it – in this one, Matt's character growth feels harried in a way and reliant on him growing out of doing things that didn't seem likely for him to do in the first place, when introduced in the first chapter.
Nonetheless, while the overall nostalgia wasn't there and it did have some flaws, the continuity at least was good and the plot and characters remain enjoyable. I love it when they act as a team. Stravagante magic is now vague enough that “Stravagante” might as well be replaced with “wizard”, but I think that's just how we're going to have to roll; it's not too heinous a flaw to have a vague, loose soft magic system. Its conveniences are counterbalanced by the obvious inconveniences of it which are used liberally throughout the plot of all of the books.
4* because I love this world; like most fans, I still don't think further entries in this series will beat City of Stars, but I'll continue onwards with the rest of the books – which I definitely haven't read before! Fingers crossed for some great adventure.
Unfortunately City of Secrets doesn't manage this. Instead it sticks to a similar formula, mixing things from previous books, and barely introduces any new characters – in fact, far fewer than books 2 and 3 did. This seems to be because there are already a great host of characters to keep up with – and we do have excellent reappearances of beloved characters from previous books (cough, cough, Cesare, my love); however, there was a lack of freshness and vitality to the book because of this.
While the plot drama is as dramatic as the events of previous books, it somehow seems less iconic, which makes sense considering this is the only book in the series which I have absolutely no memory of reading (which is unusual for me) even though, as I was reading it, I definitely recalled having read those events before – even if I then still couldn't remember where the book went next. While it was nice seeing it with fresh eyes, it lacked the excitement of the re-read that the previous two (better) books in the series brought me. At least it was more condensed and less wordy than City of Flowers.
Plot-wise, this one is roughly on par with book one, but has a little less charm; side characters don't feel fresh and poor Luciano really needs a break (I know he keeps being brought back into the picture for fanservice reasons, but honestly, let him live a quiet life for once!! He's been through enough!!) Matt is serviceable as the new MC, but the way his dyslexia is handled (as a “character weakness” or reason for self-doubt/dislike) is much clumsier than other comparable books (e.g. Percy Jackson). While Mary Hoffman is usually very good at showing the character growth of the MC throughout their book – Georgia in particular got a good run of it – in this one, Matt's character growth feels harried in a way and reliant on him growing out of doing things that didn't seem likely for him to do in the first place, when introduced in the first chapter.
Nonetheless, while the overall nostalgia wasn't there and it did have some flaws, the continuity at least was good and the plot and characters remain enjoyable. I love it when they act as a team. Stravagante magic is now vague enough that “Stravagante” might as well be replaced with “wizard”, but I think that's just how we're going to have to roll; it's not too heinous a flaw to have a vague, loose soft magic system. Its conveniences are counterbalanced by the obvious inconveniences of it which are used liberally throughout the plot of all of the books.
4* because I love this world; like most fans, I still don't think further entries in this series will beat City of Stars, but I'll continue onwards with the rest of the books – which I definitely haven't read before! Fingers crossed for some great adventure.
manonh90's review against another edition
3.0
Dit boek voelde minder geïnspireerd dan de vorige drie in de serie, hoewel het verhaal nog steeds wel erg sterk is.
fictionalmandy's review
adventurous
tense
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? Yes
3.25
booksthatburn's review
CITY OF SECRETS drops any coyness about being a magical cure narrative and goes for it almost immediately. Matt is dyslexic and struggles with reading, but in Talia he can read easily. It’s true that in Talia Luciano was always cancer-free, but somehow this feels more egregious to me, even though neither boy can take this “cure” home to England with them.
Ultimately I became frustrated with the strange pacing and the way this doubles down on treating the Manoush as magical, where Aurelio (a blind Manoush man first appearing in CITY OF STARS) is extra magical even for them. My original impression of the Manoush is they're the Talian version of the Romani, so their increasing role as oracles who pop in and have special powers plays into a bunch of real-world stereotypes.
I don't like Matt, I don't like how he treats his girlfriend. He spends so little time with her that I got a third of the way in and all I know is she's named Ayesha, he's jealous when she has male friends, and a little of what she looks like.
Quitting while I'm ahead, this was better as a trilogy. Georgia and Nicholas's storylines were specifically, definitively wrapped up in CITY OF FLOWERS, so them hanging around now feels so pointless. The scenes don't even focus on them when they do show up, it's just like "hey, remember characters you actually like? here they are!" I don't like that at all.
Ultimately I became frustrated with the strange pacing and the way this doubles down on treating the Manoush as magical, where Aurelio (a blind Manoush man first appearing in CITY OF STARS) is extra magical even for them. My original impression of the Manoush is they're the Talian version of the Romani, so their increasing role as oracles who pop in and have special powers plays into a bunch of real-world stereotypes.
I don't like Matt, I don't like how he treats his girlfriend. He spends so little time with her that I got a third of the way in and all I know is she's named Ayesha, he's jealous when she has male friends, and a little of what she looks like.
Quitting while I'm ahead, this was better as a trilogy. Georgia and Nicholas's storylines were specifically, definitively wrapped up in CITY OF FLOWERS, so them hanging around now feels so pointless. The scenes don't even focus on them when they do show up, it's just like "hey, remember characters you actually like? here they are!" I don't like that at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent, Violence, Murder, and Death
snow_turtle's review against another edition
3.0
Looked like the author tried to make the book more complex but that ruined its appeal.