Genre: Historical Fiction, FantasyPublisher: Penguin Canada
ISBN: 0670068705
Format: Hardback, Paperback, E-Book,
Audio-Book
Release Date: 14th May 2019
Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository
Synopsis:
In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man recalls his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a count--and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast.
Danio's fate changed the moment he recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the Beast's chambers one autumn night, intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.
Unforgettable figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.
Review:
**Book sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada
in return for my honest review**
in return for my honest review**
This is the first novel written by Guy Gavriel Kay that I have read, but it is a wonderful historical fiction with small elements of fantasy to bring magic into an already beautiful story.
This book takes place in Italian-style city during the 15th century with a character called Guidanio Cerra, who is the son of a tailor. He finds himself being allowed to attend a prestigious school which eventually leads him to taking a job in the court of a duke.
As said, I found this to be beautifully written. From the start I felt hooked and was compelled into reading it until late in the evening. The novel started with an assassination and two characters who stories slowly come together.
The novel is mainly told from the point of view of Danio but also follows various other characters that are important to the story.
Danio is a lucky youth who is chosen to attend a school with noble children despite of his poorer upbringing. His education and personality means he finds himself witnessing many memorable events. From witnessing an assassination, attending a horse race and being on the sidelines as men decided on war or truces, Danio's education helped bring him opportunities he probably wouldn't have had before.
Each of the characters was fantastically written. You can really get a sense of what each characters hopes and dreams were. Even the characters that only appeared for brief moments still felt incredibly written. All the characters were determined to reach their goal and I felt connected to each of them.
The setting was very rich and beautifully described. The influences of Italy really came across with the names of places and people. The way Kay describes the locations and setting really drew me into the novel and I felt like I could be standing in the places he was describing.
There were various themes within this novel including war and politics. But there was also the theme of romance. I loved how Kay intertwined the characters with the themes and how the stories slowly come together towards the end of the novel.
As said, this is the first novel by Guy Gavriel Kay I have read; perhaps I would have felt even more connected to the story if I had read some of his previous work. However, I still really enjoyed the story and fell in love with Kay's way of storytelling. I definitely want to pick up more novels by Kay sometime soon.
This book takes place in Italian-style city during the 15th century with a character called Guidanio Cerra, who is the son of a tailor. He finds himself being allowed to attend a prestigious school which eventually leads him to taking a job in the court of a duke.
As said, I found this to be beautifully written. From the start I felt hooked and was compelled into reading it until late in the evening. The novel started with an assassination and two characters who stories slowly come together.
The novel is mainly told from the point of view of Danio but also follows various other characters that are important to the story.Danio is a lucky youth who is chosen to attend a school with noble children despite of his poorer upbringing. His education and personality means he finds himself witnessing many memorable events. From witnessing an assassination, attending a horse race and being on the sidelines as men decided on war or truces, Danio's education helped bring him opportunities he probably wouldn't have had before.
Each of the characters was fantastically written. You can really get a sense of what each characters hopes and dreams were. Even the characters that only appeared for brief moments still felt incredibly written. All the characters were determined to reach their goal and I felt connected to each of them.
The setting was very rich and beautifully described. The influences of Italy really came across with the names of places and people. The way Kay describes the locations and setting really drew me into the novel and I felt like I could be standing in the places he was describing.
There were various themes within this novel including war and politics. But there was also the theme of romance. I loved how Kay intertwined the characters with the themes and how the stories slowly come together towards the end of the novel.
As said, this is the first novel by Guy Gavriel Kay I have read; perhaps I would have felt even more connected to the story if I had read some of his previous work. However, I still really enjoyed the story and fell in love with Kay's way of storytelling. I definitely want to pick up more novels by Kay sometime soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment