After absolutely loving Michaela Roessner's first book about Tommaso & Caterina de Medici, I was delighted to find the second book. The details of life in Renaissance Florence are incredible, and not only make me feel what it must have been like to live back then, but give me an understanding for the politics of government and daily life for both the leaders and the common people of the time. Ms. Roessner does a great job of weaving in historical fact, details of cuisine and the actual storyline, and in the process, also creating interesting main and subsidiary characters.

The number of characters in the book, while great, reinforced the knowledge that much of the book actually happened (the cast of characters at the end of the book is invaluable).

I hope I'm not the only person who was "compelled" to read more history of the time period after reading these books...

Set in Renaissance Florence which has recently survived a visit from the Black Death & is now listening for the thunder of marching barbarians, just as Rome had done earlier, we follow Tomasso's & Caterina's rise to prominence within the surviving society. He as her personal chef & she as the Duchessina, niece to the pope & valuable political pawn in the struggle for power within the Holy Roman Empire.

Now they are summoned to the haggard city of Rome to become part of the venomous intrigues as Pope Clement barters her virtue & dowry in exchange for power, promises & poison.

Again, as in The Stars Compel, Michaela Roessner continues her steeped, tightly woven coming-of-age saga of the life & times of a dangerous era.

Tomasso has become a model for the great Sculptor Michaelangelo & is growing into a handsome if scarred man. Caterina is wayward, obdurate, loving & beautiful.

For everyone the iron fist is clenching tighter & tighter, the magic needs to be fierce, the cats valiantly struggle with rats & Tomasso & Caterina must face the human vermin.

If you love historical fantasies with just the right balance of fact & fantasy as to make the read seamless, then this is a book for you. For my full review & eInterview with Michaela Roessner do visit my site [...].

I liked this book as much as, if not more than, the previous one (which I do recommend you read before trying this.) In it we follow the fate of Catherine de Medici, seen through the eyes of her chef and friend Tommaso, scion of a famous cooking family from Florence.

There are a number of themes running through this novel, and like a master weaver, Roessner twists and threads them through the weft and warp of Italian politics during the Renaissance. Throughout we can follow strands of pagan magick, bright threads of Italian cooking, the poignant theme of thrwarted lovers, and the brilliance of the world of art through which this novel moves.

The variety of names and characters does get a bit confusing at times, but I did not find it detracted from my enjoyment of the book. An engrossing, entertaining read, don't hesitate!

There was a lot about this book that I liked. I enjoyed the descriptions of Italy and the food/kitchens. I liked the character, Tommaso, and his interaction/relationship with Michelangelo Buonarotti, but that wasn't enough to raise this series above average.

I agree with the earlier reviewer who had a comment about the way people speak in both Roessner's books - it *is* very expositionally based. Rather than taking a paragraph or a few lines on her own, she has the characters do it and it comes out sounding false or forced. There is one chapter in the first book (second chapter, I think?) between Cosimo Ruggiero and Ruggiero the Older that is massive exposition supposedly in the form of an occult lesson. Because we really haven't met these people, the "lesson" seems stiff and forced, done more for the information the author needs to put out there than anything else. She seems to have a love of the culture and a lot of knowledge gained from her research, it's simply the way she shares some of it that proves awkward.

I also had a hard time caring about the characters because she never really spent any time with any *one* of them except Tommaso and he was as clueless as I felt. Gentile, Tommaso's father, is left totally in the background until he's needed to move the plot to a particular point. He's mentioned once or twice but the next time we see him, he's raving at Piera about her use of "witchcraft" and how he's not going to stand for it anymore. Huh? When did this come about besides the one line we're given about how he's never been completely comfortable (I'm paraphrasing)? Suddenly, he's rip-roaring mad enough to tear a necklace from his wife's neck and tear around in a frenzy? And, after what would be a calamitous event in any parent's life, he's suddenly raping Filomena on a regular basis? Nothing Roessner writes about Gentile in the few crumbs she gives us beforehand gives basis to any of his actions, so Tommaso's discovery of Gentile in the act felt more like emotional manipulation than emotional empathy with Tommaso. All it did was move the plot to the next point she needed: Tommaso's relationship with Michelangelo.

And Piera...when she realizes that Ginevra might not have been the one who should have received all her training, does she do anything about it? No. She just wrings her hands until Roessner can have her miscarry and ultimately die. (OK, she did manage to rescue Filomena so I'll give her that much).

The series is a pleasant way to pass an afternoon or so but it feels overstuffed by facts to the exclusion of character development. I would have preferred a bit more internal dialogue, more of the goings-on in the Befanini family or in the de' Medici family through Tommaso's, Michelangelo's or Caterina's eyes, more dialogue and less exposition...more of the feeling that the characters were *doing* something besides serving as set pieces until the author decided it was time to change the scenery. History and fiction need to blend in books like these (see Colleen McCullough's "First Man In Rome" series or Thomas Flanagan's "Tenants of Time"). The time the author writes about is a fascinating time but I would have preferred a little less history in exchange for a little more story in this case.

I really liked this book although I agree with the reviewer here that it was hard to understand the motivations of the characters (like Gentile). Still, the story is interesting and the writing well done. It reminded me some of Ellen Kushner's work.

this is one of my all time favorite books, the imagery is so vital to the story that,i still think of this book years after i have read it and its following story. i'm a chef and i delight in her mixing of the art world and the food realm with the magic of the times she writes about, the ice sculpture scene is still one of the most emotional things i have read. i think she unveiled what it must have been like to be michelangelo at that time and place with true passion,his and the authors!i would love to see this as a movie

I stumbled across this book in a used book shop and consider it quite a find. Roessner is better known for her historical fantasy series and this book is a clear predecessor to her style. The setting and characters come from an area not too frequently seen here in the US.

My only previous exposure to Native Austrailian lore is through the writing of Marlo Morgan. Michaela Roessner's version is a little different, but it is a work of pure fiction, so I will not get into the discussion of whose portrayal is more acurate. Suffice to say the book is true to the lore presented. If you are willing to immerse yourself in the native lore presented, the rest of the story follows true to form.

I enjoyed the author's presentation of Raba and following the development of the character. The character is developed so strongly, to the point I was disappointed when Raba sheds her true identity.

The foundation of the story is very reminiscient of Carlos Castenada's series but with some very significant differences. In Roessner's story, the background is Australia instead of Mexico and there is no use of drugs. The young healer is taught to use and refine her own inate gifts. She learns to augment her skills by being in harmony and listening.

The confrontation leading to Raba's reawakening was disappointing, however, as there was very little surprise here. The presentation was too contrived. The final showdown, while supensful, was a let down for me. There are other alternative endings that would have kept the same final result and still provided a more credible ending.

I've given the book 4 stars because I can't fractionalize my rating. If you can find a copy, it is worth adding to you personal library, but in retrospect, I would give the book less that four stars but considerably more then three.

A perfectly captivating premise is completely overshadowed by writing that could have come from a Danielle Steel boilerplate. From the very beginning of the novel, triteness abounds: descriptions of the heroine's "streaked, bronze-colored hair" are almost as annoying as her tendency to lean dreamily over railings or against oak trees and bask "for long moments". Throw in three paragraphs about her musings on what to wear, and it's clear that the interesting plot elements will be illuminated by her cutesy banter. ("Renzie groaned. 'Great. He'll be barrels of fun to work with later.")
The story is further hindered by long, dull, detailed descriptions of elements that could have been interesting. Furthermore, I think we've all had enough of enigmatic supporting characters that "uncoil" themselves to "stalk" across rooms.
If you are interested in reading Stephen King's The Stand as told through the eyes of sorority house denizens, you'll dig this book!

The book is very captivating and full of vivid images of people and places. A book that you will surely read for start to finish!

A somewhat noir SciFi (not fantasy) novel set in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, mostly in San Jose, with its epicenter at the real-life Winchester Mystery House. The different cults which spring up to explain the inexplicable Vanishing of 90% of the Earth's population are realistically envisioned and fleshed out, appealingly and even repellingly so, in some cases. The ending scenes leave one emotionally wrung out and wishing desperately (during a second and third re-reading!) one could CHANGE THINGS so that x,y,z didn't happen... that's how involved the reader becomes with the characters. An outstanding first novel, with only one or two rough spots. I WANT A SEQUEL!!!! Highest recommendation!! :)