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Graceless Heart
Not yet published
Expected 13 Jan 26#1 New York Times bestseller Isabel Ibañez in her adult a gorgeous, historical, and romantic fantasy that will leave listeners breathless for more! This program is read by italian actor Beatrice Grannò, who played Mia in season two of The White Lotus.
She was never meant to be seen. Now she’s a weapon the world can’t ignore.
As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence’s most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.
Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence’s walls.
The Pope’s war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her — or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war.
A Macmillan Audio production from Saturday Books
She was never meant to be seen. Now she’s a weapon the world can’t ignore.
As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence’s most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.
Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence’s walls.
The Pope’s war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her — or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war.
A Macmillan Audio production from Saturday Books
Audible Audio
Expected publication January 13, 2026
261 people are currently reading
33773 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Ibañez
9 books4,993 followersIsabel Ibañez is a USA Today, Indie, Sunday Times, and #1 New York Times bestseller and the author of the Secrets of the Nile duology, Together We Burn, Written in Starlight, and Woven in Moonlight, which is listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time and was a finalist for the William C. Morris award. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a profound appreciation for history, traveling, and writing stories where her characters are often running for their lives. She currently lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her family, their adorable golden doodle, and an overwhelming amount of of books.
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December 17, 2025
Graceless Heart is nothing short of brilliant.
This was the opposite of a case of right place, right time, my attention span is not ideal, I’m leaning towards short and quick books, the easiest the writing the better and Graceless Heart is nothing like that. Despite it all, this book took me by storm and became one of my favorites of the year.
I haven’t read anything from this author, but I loved the cover and it was about time I started because I’ve heard good things about her books.
Graceless Heart is a historic fantasy, but coming from someone who hates historic books it didn’t bother me at all, that’s not to say it wasn’t well researched, the work was done beautifully, but it just wasn’t present in a way that I dislike. We follow a young woman named Ravenna as she is trying to win a competition to save her brother, on doing so she discovers she’s basically being kidnapped by a really weird family because they want something from her.
The family was what grabbed my interest initially, it had a resemblance to bury our bones, interview with the vampire, that kinda stuff, and that’s something I’m very intrigued by. However, I soon realized this was what I crave from fantasy and romantasy these days. It was more political intrigue than war(and I’m so damn tired of reading about war in fantasy), the research came through and from language to setting to historic figures this was just all around great. The story is told mostly from Ravenna’s pov but we also get short chapters from other characters and it helped the book so much without impacting the pace, it was a very smart decision. If you are also bored of reading the same book over and over try this, it is fresh and just expertly done from writing to characterization to actual good plot.
Another thing that was a surprise is that I didn’t foresee any plot twists. I can’t remember the last time that happened to me. Looking back the hints were there, but I didn’t see it coming.
If you want a good book that will keep you engaged from beginning to end, with great characters, a well constructed plot and romance that is more than just smut every single chapter, this is for you. I can’t recommend it enough.
Thank you Netgalley and Saturday Books for the ARC!
This was the opposite of a case of right place, right time, my attention span is not ideal, I’m leaning towards short and quick books, the easiest the writing the better and Graceless Heart is nothing like that. Despite it all, this book took me by storm and became one of my favorites of the year.
I haven’t read anything from this author, but I loved the cover and it was about time I started because I’ve heard good things about her books.
Graceless Heart is a historic fantasy, but coming from someone who hates historic books it didn’t bother me at all, that’s not to say it wasn’t well researched, the work was done beautifully, but it just wasn’t present in a way that I dislike. We follow a young woman named Ravenna as she is trying to win a competition to save her brother, on doing so she discovers she’s basically being kidnapped by a really weird family because they want something from her.
The family was what grabbed my interest initially, it had a resemblance to bury our bones, interview with the vampire, that kinda stuff, and that’s something I’m very intrigued by. However, I soon realized this was what I crave from fantasy and romantasy these days. It was more political intrigue than war(and I’m so damn tired of reading about war in fantasy), the research came through and from language to setting to historic figures this was just all around great. The story is told mostly from Ravenna’s pov but we also get short chapters from other characters and it helped the book so much without impacting the pace, it was a very smart decision. If you are also bored of reading the same book over and over try this, it is fresh and just expertly done from writing to characterization to actual good plot.
Another thing that was a surprise is that I didn’t foresee any plot twists. I can’t remember the last time that happened to me. Looking back the hints were there, but I didn’t see it coming.
If you want a good book that will keep you engaged from beginning to end, with great characters, a well constructed plot and romance that is more than just smut every single chapter, this is for you. I can’t recommend it enough.
Thank you Netgalley and Saturday Books for the ARC!
Want to read
July 26, 2025That cover is so stunning 🤩 I need it on my shelves!!
December 19, 2025
A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book!
Alexa, play "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus.....
"I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming, But there's a voice inside my head saying, you'll never reach it"..
my "dream" became reaching the end of this book and honestly I was starting to think I wouldn't see it. Overall I did love this book but I felt it could be told in half the pages. That's just my useless opinion however.
This book offers beautiful ambiance. I loved the dose of rich Italian history being brought to life, I love a good church conspiracy (especially when it's high up involving the Pope). I loved the fae being woven into Italian history. There aren't many books out there where the fae come across Italians and I really liked that combination. Being Italian with an extra special interest in witchcraft gave this book an extra special place in my heart.
And the ENDING!?!? Oh mio dio, era assolutamente meraviglioso! Perfezione in ogni modo, uno dei migliori che abbia mai letto!!🤌🏻
Shout-out to the Author! In reading the about the Author, we learn this was the first book our author has given us after having TWINS!.. I'm sorry.. I had 1 kid at a time & could barely remember to wipe my butt, as she's just casually out here dropping masterpieces! GO GIRL! 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Because other than my personal feel that this was a little too long, it was an otherwise PHENOMENAL read!!
I will definitely be purchasing a hardcopy for myself. While there might be parts I skip through, there are also as many parts i'd like to relive forever!!
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
Alexa, play "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus.....
"I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming, But there's a voice inside my head saying, you'll never reach it"..
my "dream" became reaching the end of this book and honestly I was starting to think I wouldn't see it. Overall I did love this book but I felt it could be told in half the pages. That's just my useless opinion however.
This book offers beautiful ambiance. I loved the dose of rich Italian history being brought to life, I love a good church conspiracy (especially when it's high up involving the Pope). I loved the fae being woven into Italian history. There aren't many books out there where the fae come across Italians and I really liked that combination. Being Italian with an extra special interest in witchcraft gave this book an extra special place in my heart.
And the ENDING!?!? Oh mio dio, era assolutamente meraviglioso! Perfezione in ogni modo, uno dei migliori che abbia mai letto!!🤌🏻
Shout-out to the Author! In reading the about the Author, we learn this was the first book our author has given us after having TWINS!.. I'm sorry.. I had 1 kid at a time & could barely remember to wipe my butt, as she's just casually out here dropping masterpieces! GO GIRL! 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Because other than my personal feel that this was a little too long, it was an otherwise PHENOMENAL read!!
I will definitely be purchasing a hardcopy for myself. While there might be parts I skip through, there are also as many parts i'd like to relive forever!!
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
Want to read
July 12, 2025⋆˙⟡ 𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 (7/7/2025): I GOT THE eARC! Just as a PSA to US NetGalley users, Graceless Heart is currently READ NOW on NetGalley as of July 7th, 2025, at 7:43 AM EST! (AKA the time I'm writing this.) (Update: NetGalley's punking everyone again. The book was taken off of Read Now, and now it's back up as of July 11th, 2025, at 11:33 PM EST. I'm still not sure how long it's going to stay up like that, but I'll update this (again) once it's request-only.)
(I also want to add that this is huge considering when the book FIRST went live on NetGalley a month or two ago, I think so many people requested it that it became an ARC you had to wish for and hope you got because most, if not all, of the ARCs were given away. The fact that it's back as Read Now for the time being is quite the opportunity!)
This is one of my 2026 most anticipated books! I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of Isabel Ibañez's YA works, so I'm curious to see how her adult debut will go! It seems to have everything I want in a book: Renaissance Italy, it's a romantasy, and a magical competition? Sign me up! The premise honestly sounds like The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo to me, and I loved that book, so I'm hoping it has that same "wow" factor. I won't be reading this until it gets closer to the publishing date, but I'm still excited nonetheless!
BIG thank you to NetGalley, Isabel Ibañez, and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Graceless Heart will be officially published on January 13th, 2026!
(I also want to add that this is huge considering when the book FIRST went live on NetGalley a month or two ago, I think so many people requested it that it became an ARC you had to wish for and hope you got because most, if not all, of the ARCs were given away. The fact that it's back as Read Now for the time being is quite the opportunity!)
This is one of my 2026 most anticipated books! I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of Isabel Ibañez's YA works, so I'm curious to see how her adult debut will go! It seems to have everything I want in a book: Renaissance Italy, it's a romantasy, and a magical competition? Sign me up! The premise honestly sounds like The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo to me, and I loved that book, so I'm hoping it has that same "wow" factor. I won't be reading this until it gets closer to the publishing date, but I'm still excited nonetheless!
BIG thank you to NetGalley, Isabel Ibañez, and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Graceless Heart will be officially published on January 13th, 2026!
November 12, 2025
It's so disappointing when a promising book lets you down in every possible way. The beautiful cover caught my attention and the synopsis made this look like an unusual and thus intriguing read. I was ready for Renaissance Italy, dangerous families and magic mixed with art, but instead I got something like an early 2010s YA paranormal romance set in a very messy world.
The story takes place in 15th century Italy where Ravenna Maffei dreams of being a sculptor. She is able to use magic that enhances her art, but magic is strictly forbidden in the city of Volterra. In addition to that the city is controlled by the Medici family and also by Fae, and that's already the point where the book started to lose me. There were so many elements in here that just didn't go together for me: Renaissance Italy and Fae and witches and wizards and immortal families but also talk of religion and chapters from the freaking pope's POV. Everything felt so random and unbalanced, and it was just too much for me. The actual plot starts when Ravenna enters a sculptor's competition to save her brother and while I'm always keen on reading about (magical) craft, it overall let me down here. I was excited about the competition but it lasted like 5 pages and Ravenna wins effortlessly with a statue that she sculpted the night before. The competition is hosted by the immortal family and they unexpectedly take Ravenna with them to their home in Florence. And now she has to live in this huge mansion surrounded by beautiful people and become the famous artist that she always dreamed of, how cruel. She is used by everyone and becomes involved with different parties that all see her as a means to an end. I don't know how the author managed it, but it felt like Ravenna was both very passive and a pawn to everyone and also a special snowflake, powerful magic protagonist. It didn't help that it's just always mentioned how beautiful everyone is. Slowly the thought of this being a generic YA romance crept into my brain and it never left. I honestly can't believe that this is supposed to be an adult fantasy novel, because it was only missing a half-baked love triangle to truly come from YA romance hell. Please have a look at this creative writing exercise that depicts how I perceived Ravenna's thought and feelings:
This immortal and very beautiful family kidnapped me, but their son is the most gorgeous creature on this earth and his hair is raven-black and his face is angelic, but he is also a murderer and that is unacceptable and evil, but if he would kiss me, I would passionately kiss him back.*
Thank you.
*Exaggerated depiction for entertainment purposes.
The romance had me rolling my eyes so hard that my entire head hurts now and I really wasn't able to care about literally anything else in this story. The actual plot might not be half bad, but I completely checked out and I would advise you to look at other reviews to get a better impression. I don't doubt that the author has done a lot of research on the time period and I think that other readers could potentially be really into that. There are many descriptions of art and architecture and I'm sure that the twisty maneuverings of the feuding parties are intriguing as well. There even was a reveal around the 70% mark that had me nodding approvingly, but it couldn't save my miserable experience with this book either. It really wasn't my thing and I would go as far as writing the author off for good now. Her historical-romance-fantasy blends just don't seem to work for me and I have no trust in her other books.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Saturday Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
The story takes place in 15th century Italy where Ravenna Maffei dreams of being a sculptor. She is able to use magic that enhances her art, but magic is strictly forbidden in the city of Volterra. In addition to that the city is controlled by the Medici family and also by Fae, and that's already the point where the book started to lose me. There were so many elements in here that just didn't go together for me: Renaissance Italy and Fae and witches and wizards and immortal families but also talk of religion and chapters from the freaking pope's POV. Everything felt so random and unbalanced, and it was just too much for me. The actual plot starts when Ravenna enters a sculptor's competition to save her brother and while I'm always keen on reading about (magical) craft, it overall let me down here. I was excited about the competition but it lasted like 5 pages and Ravenna wins effortlessly with a statue that she sculpted the night before. The competition is hosted by the immortal family and they unexpectedly take Ravenna with them to their home in Florence. And now she has to live in this huge mansion surrounded by beautiful people and become the famous artist that she always dreamed of, how cruel. She is used by everyone and becomes involved with different parties that all see her as a means to an end. I don't know how the author managed it, but it felt like Ravenna was both very passive and a pawn to everyone and also a special snowflake, powerful magic protagonist. It didn't help that it's just always mentioned how beautiful everyone is. Slowly the thought of this being a generic YA romance crept into my brain and it never left. I honestly can't believe that this is supposed to be an adult fantasy novel, because it was only missing a half-baked love triangle to truly come from YA romance hell. Please have a look at this creative writing exercise that depicts how I perceived Ravenna's thought and feelings:
This immortal and very beautiful family kidnapped me, but their son is the most gorgeous creature on this earth and his hair is raven-black and his face is angelic, but he is also a murderer and that is unacceptable and evil, but if he would kiss me, I would passionately kiss him back.*
Thank you.
*Exaggerated depiction for entertainment purposes.
The romance had me rolling my eyes so hard that my entire head hurts now and I really wasn't able to care about literally anything else in this story. The actual plot might not be half bad, but I completely checked out and I would advise you to look at other reviews to get a better impression. I don't doubt that the author has done a lot of research on the time period and I think that other readers could potentially be really into that. There are many descriptions of art and architecture and I'm sure that the twisty maneuverings of the feuding parties are intriguing as well. There even was a reveal around the 70% mark that had me nodding approvingly, but it couldn't save my miserable experience with this book either. It really wasn't my thing and I would go as far as writing the author off for good now. Her historical-romance-fantasy blends just don't seem to work for me and I have no trust in her other books.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Saturday Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2025
I can honestly say that Graceless Heart instantly drew me in with its premise — Florence, immortal families, forbidden magic, and a sculptress whose art hides dangerous secrets. Isabel Ibañez’s adult debut is an ambitious blend of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy that brims with atmosphere from the very first page. You can feel the golden light of Renaissance Italy, the weight of marble dust on Ravenna’s hands, and the constant pull between art, power, and survival.
Ravenna Maffei is such a compelling heroine — fierce, quiet, burdened by guilt, and shaped by loss. She’s not a warrior or a witch in the usual sense; she’s a creator, and that makes her journey feel refreshingly different. Her desperation to save her brother leads her into a sculpting competition hosted by the ruthless immortal Luni family, and that’s where her world begins to fracture. I loved how Ibañez uses sculpture as a metaphor for control — the shaping of stone, of power, of destiny itself — and it’s one of the most beautiful aspects of this book.
The Florence setting is hands-down my favorite part. Ibañez’s writing captures the era’s intensity — the politics, the religion, the fear of magic, and the awe of art. I could picture every corner of the Luni manor, every flicker of candlelight across Ravenna’s carved masterpieces. The historical detail feels lovingly researched, from the sensory richness of the city to the fragile tension between faith and power.
Where the book didn’t fully work for me was in pacing and focus. The story takes a long time to find its footing; much of the first half lingers in introductions and atmosphere rather than forward momentum. While that creates a dreamy, immersive mood, it also made me occasionally restless — I kept waiting for that big turning point. When the mystery and danger finally ignite in the second half, it’s satisfying, but it takes a while to get there.
The romance between Ravenna and Saturnino dei Luni had potential to become an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers story — all the ingredients were there: tension, danger, attraction, moral conflict. But the execution felt a bit rushed. Their emotions swing sharply between hostility and longing, and I wished for more subtle build-up, more unspoken moments to let the chemistry grow. Saturnino himself remains somewhat mysterious, more archetype than fully fleshed-out partner, which made their connection harder to feel deeply invested in.
Even with its uneven pacing, Graceless Heart remains a beautifully written and ambitious book. Ibañez’s prose is lyrical and cinematic, and her love for historical storytelling truly shines through. There’s something magnetic about Ravenna’s resilience — how she risks everything for family, for love, for a place in a world that wants to silence her. It’s that emotional core that kept me reading, even when the plot stumbled.
I ended up enjoying this story for its atmosphere, lush worldbuilding, and themes of identity and creation. It’s a book that might not be perfect, but it lingers — like a statue half in shadow, half in light, daring you to keep looking. I think many readers who enjoy historical romantasy and slower, mood-driven storytelling will find much to admire here.
✨ Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Saturday Books for sharing this highly popular and anticipated historical romantasy’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Ravenna Maffei is such a compelling heroine — fierce, quiet, burdened by guilt, and shaped by loss. She’s not a warrior or a witch in the usual sense; she’s a creator, and that makes her journey feel refreshingly different. Her desperation to save her brother leads her into a sculpting competition hosted by the ruthless immortal Luni family, and that’s where her world begins to fracture. I loved how Ibañez uses sculpture as a metaphor for control — the shaping of stone, of power, of destiny itself — and it’s one of the most beautiful aspects of this book.
The Florence setting is hands-down my favorite part. Ibañez’s writing captures the era’s intensity — the politics, the religion, the fear of magic, and the awe of art. I could picture every corner of the Luni manor, every flicker of candlelight across Ravenna’s carved masterpieces. The historical detail feels lovingly researched, from the sensory richness of the city to the fragile tension between faith and power.
Where the book didn’t fully work for me was in pacing and focus. The story takes a long time to find its footing; much of the first half lingers in introductions and atmosphere rather than forward momentum. While that creates a dreamy, immersive mood, it also made me occasionally restless — I kept waiting for that big turning point. When the mystery and danger finally ignite in the second half, it’s satisfying, but it takes a while to get there.
The romance between Ravenna and Saturnino dei Luni had potential to become an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers story — all the ingredients were there: tension, danger, attraction, moral conflict. But the execution felt a bit rushed. Their emotions swing sharply between hostility and longing, and I wished for more subtle build-up, more unspoken moments to let the chemistry grow. Saturnino himself remains somewhat mysterious, more archetype than fully fleshed-out partner, which made their connection harder to feel deeply invested in.
Even with its uneven pacing, Graceless Heart remains a beautifully written and ambitious book. Ibañez’s prose is lyrical and cinematic, and her love for historical storytelling truly shines through. There’s something magnetic about Ravenna’s resilience — how she risks everything for family, for love, for a place in a world that wants to silence her. It’s that emotional core that kept me reading, even when the plot stumbled.
I ended up enjoying this story for its atmosphere, lush worldbuilding, and themes of identity and creation. It’s a book that might not be perfect, but it lingers — like a statue half in shadow, half in light, daring you to keep looking. I think many readers who enjoy historical romantasy and slower, mood-driven storytelling will find much to admire here.
✨ Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Saturday Books for sharing this highly popular and anticipated historical romantasy’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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December 5, 2025
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️ Art is a mirror that reflects who we are at any given moment. As someone who went and graduated from an art school, I greatly appreciated all the historical references of the Renaissance period. Between the Medici, Da Vinci, Botticelli, the Pope (and more), Graceless Heart was an anamnesis of the power, pull and wealth of the elites of the 15th century Italy, particularly Florence. Isabel Ibañez really brought in the lush Florentine ambience with wordy descriptions of the setting, religious beliefs and cultural touches.
In 15th century Volterra, Ravenna, a sculptress with a deadly secret is caught in the game that involves the immortal family. She wants to save her brother but ends up trapped as a pawn in every players war games. Between magic, the church, and a ruthless immortal heir she cannot resist, she’s caught in the lair of secrets, dark desires and dangerous powers.
Ibanez tried to capture the ‘humanism’ of the Renaissance period through conversations and political intrigue. She created a strong female character, Ravenna, that (somewhat) encapsulated the essence of an artist of that time period. She’s a gifted sculptress, opinionated, curious. She’s given her a little charming edge with witchy magic and some intrigue around her powers. But most of all she’s quite observant, cunning, a thinker—very Renaissance indeed.
The magic system is solely based on gemstones, specifically the Nightflame gemstone whose magic is within the stone itself. No one can get to it, unless it’s a witch or a descendant of a witch. The immortal Luni family wants those gemstones because their whole life depends on it and they need a witch to acquire them. But it’s not as easy as it sounds to get to them because Ravenna is a witch who hasn’t mastered her powers. The idea of the magic system was interesting but very simple without any complexities. Because of this, I found it underdeveloped, lacking to highlight the importance of it for Ravenna’s character.
The plot doesn’t really take off until the last quarter of the book. It’s rather a very slow build with even a slower pace, that can get tedious to read through pages of other wordy descriptions. I also found it a bit dry for my taste at certain points in the story. For a book that’s slightly under 500 pages, I expected more content that’s well drawn out but found the recurrent conversation on repeat.
The romance between love interests was hot and cold and possibly the biggest downside to the story. While their relationship is very much the typical villain-enemies turned lovers, the pacing of their ‘tension’ was at a glacier pace and very hot on one page and cold the next. There was no yearning or excitement between the lines that left me completely breathless. I was looking for a build up of emotional entanglement but didn’t feel their connection by the end.
Honestly, I wish Goodreads/Netgalley would allow half stars because this was truly a 3.5 star book for me. I was drawn to the gorgeous cover and the idea of history mixed in with fantasy especially at one of my favorite time periods (my favorite is the Baroque Period). Ibañez could have done much more with magic and its direction and entanglement within the character development.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author, Isabel Ibañez for sending me this eARC.
Publication date: January 13, 2026
In 15th century Volterra, Ravenna, a sculptress with a deadly secret is caught in the game that involves the immortal family. She wants to save her brother but ends up trapped as a pawn in every players war games. Between magic, the church, and a ruthless immortal heir she cannot resist, she’s caught in the lair of secrets, dark desires and dangerous powers.
Ibanez tried to capture the ‘humanism’ of the Renaissance period through conversations and political intrigue. She created a strong female character, Ravenna, that (somewhat) encapsulated the essence of an artist of that time period. She’s a gifted sculptress, opinionated, curious. She’s given her a little charming edge with witchy magic and some intrigue around her powers. But most of all she’s quite observant, cunning, a thinker—very Renaissance indeed.
The magic system is solely based on gemstones, specifically the Nightflame gemstone whose magic is within the stone itself. No one can get to it, unless it’s a witch or a descendant of a witch. The immortal Luni family wants those gemstones because their whole life depends on it and they need a witch to acquire them. But it’s not as easy as it sounds to get to them because Ravenna is a witch who hasn’t mastered her powers. The idea of the magic system was interesting but very simple without any complexities. Because of this, I found it underdeveloped, lacking to highlight the importance of it for Ravenna’s character.
The plot doesn’t really take off until the last quarter of the book. It’s rather a very slow build with even a slower pace, that can get tedious to read through pages of other wordy descriptions. I also found it a bit dry for my taste at certain points in the story. For a book that’s slightly under 500 pages, I expected more content that’s well drawn out but found the recurrent conversation on repeat.
The romance between love interests was hot and cold and possibly the biggest downside to the story. While their relationship is very much the typical villain-enemies turned lovers, the pacing of their ‘tension’ was at a glacier pace and very hot on one page and cold the next. There was no yearning or excitement between the lines that left me completely breathless. I was looking for a build up of emotional entanglement but didn’t feel their connection by the end.
Honestly, I wish Goodreads/Netgalley would allow half stars because this was truly a 3.5 star book for me. I was drawn to the gorgeous cover and the idea of history mixed in with fantasy especially at one of my favorite time periods (my favorite is the Baroque Period). Ibañez could have done much more with magic and its direction and entanglement within the character development.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author, Isabel Ibañez for sending me this eARC.
Publication date: January 13, 2026
July 7, 2025
WAIT THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN MY FAVOURITE READ OF THE YEAR I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT OMG.
It's been a while since a book had me transfixed like this!! I literally read for 6 hours straight on the day I finished. Don't even get me started on the ROMANCE specifically, the tension and yearning and banter was absolute perfection. I already knew Ibanez's writing was amazing from her Secrets of the Nile duology - and it continued to be masterful in this standalone. The worldbuilding, magic system, and plot were all clear enough to follow but interesting enough to keep me thinking without being convoluted or messy. Pacing was flawless, truly no boring moments.
As for the story itself, it follows Ravenna, a sculptress who also happens to be the oldest daughter of a not so well-off family. When she hears about the opportunity to enter a contest with one of her sculptures to help her family (and save her brother who's been imprisoned) she jumps at it and also exposes her magical abilities oops (in a world where magic is considered dangerous and bad, and so she's been mostly suppressing and in denial of it her whole life). Her magic and sculpting talents catch the eye of the mysterious Luni family who essentially kidnap her. They need her help to gather these mysterious and seemingly magical objects, but give her no information and threaten her if she doesn't comply. The broody, scary (no really I was scared of him for a good chunk of the book lol) oldest son of the Luni family, Saturnino has made it his personal mission to keep and eye on her. While essentially held hostage by the Luni family, a mysterious courier (enemy of the Luni family) also finds Ravenna and essentially asks her to be a spy for the other side and instead help them (he works for the powerful Pope).
Ravenna is caught in between these two dangerous sides, has limited information on what's going on, and despite Saturnino being unhinged and terrifying - the two have an undeniable connection. Despite threatening her every chance he gets, he also seems to be helping/saving her and showing her parts of himself he doesn't show others?? As you can imagine, it made for the most tension and yearning filled romance I truly couldn't get enough.
Ravenna is my favourite type of FMC. Strong, intelligent, level-headed while still being loving and understanding. The MMC Saturnino was just the right amount of redeemable, endearing villain.
The unhinged family dynamics, mysterious plot, wonderful writing, beautiful characters and hilarious banter made for an absolutely perfect read. Loved this so much and I would be delighted if the author revisited this world some day!
Thank you Saturday Books for the eARC!
It's been a while since a book had me transfixed like this!! I literally read for 6 hours straight on the day I finished. Don't even get me started on the ROMANCE specifically, the tension and yearning and banter was absolute perfection. I already knew Ibanez's writing was amazing from her Secrets of the Nile duology - and it continued to be masterful in this standalone. The worldbuilding, magic system, and plot were all clear enough to follow but interesting enough to keep me thinking without being convoluted or messy. Pacing was flawless, truly no boring moments.
As for the story itself, it follows Ravenna, a sculptress who also happens to be the oldest daughter of a not so well-off family. When she hears about the opportunity to enter a contest with one of her sculptures to help her family (and save her brother who's been imprisoned) she jumps at it and also exposes her magical abilities oops (in a world where magic is considered dangerous and bad, and so she's been mostly suppressing and in denial of it her whole life). Her magic and sculpting talents catch the eye of the mysterious Luni family who essentially kidnap her. They need her help to gather these mysterious and seemingly magical objects, but give her no information and threaten her if she doesn't comply. The broody, scary (no really I was scared of him for a good chunk of the book lol) oldest son of the Luni family, Saturnino has made it his personal mission to keep and eye on her. While essentially held hostage by the Luni family, a mysterious courier (enemy of the Luni family) also finds Ravenna and essentially asks her to be a spy for the other side and instead help them (he works for the powerful Pope).
Ravenna is caught in between these two dangerous sides, has limited information on what's going on, and despite Saturnino being unhinged and terrifying - the two have an undeniable connection. Despite threatening her every chance he gets, he also seems to be helping/saving her and showing her parts of himself he doesn't show others?? As you can imagine, it made for the most tension and yearning filled romance I truly couldn't get enough.
Ravenna is my favourite type of FMC. Strong, intelligent, level-headed while still being loving and understanding. The MMC Saturnino was just the right amount of redeemable, endearing villain.
The unhinged family dynamics, mysterious plot, wonderful writing, beautiful characters and hilarious banter made for an absolutely perfect read. Loved this so much and I would be delighted if the author revisited this world some day!
Thank you Saturday Books for the eARC!
December 24, 2025
I think if you’re very into the historical aspects of this book, you’ll probably have a fantastic time with it.
Overall, I thought this was a solid read, but it lacked (imho) emotional depth to make it a favorite.
I’ve only read two books by this author and both really excelled at the atmosphere and setting. I think that is where this book shines. It is easy to get lost in the atmosphere and you're certain to feel like you're right there in 15-century Italy, caught up in scheming and political machinations.
The re-imagined history is intriguing and I love where the plot finally went. The magic was interesting, if a little less developed/explained than I would have liked.
History, setting, magic, atmosphere and concept are all well executed.
The area I felt I wanted more was the characters, emotional depth, and romance. All which felt a little flat imo. I didn’t really believe the romantic connection and I had trouble connecting with the characters emotions and motivations.
The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I enjoyed my time with this book but it isn’t something I will continue to think about and not something I would consider rereading.
On a positive note: I got to brush up on my Italian counting and the audiobook narrator's accent brought back a flood of positive memories of Italian lessons with my elementary bestie's nonna and the absolutely stunning library she had in her home. 💕 She refused to call me by my first name bc she said it wasn't Italian and I needed an Italian name for her house. 💕
Audio Narration: 3/5 It was lovely to hear the characters brought to life with an authentic accent. Pausing and pacing were solid. My issue with this performance was inflection. This felt like an almost monotone listening experience. For the FMC and internal narrative there was very little differences and not much emotion. As for voice variation with different characters, only the slightest change, barely perceptible. I had to pay very close attention to notice when dialogue was spoken because yet again, very little variation. This audiobook felt like I was being read to, rather than a performance. The audiobook is definitely listenable, but far from a favorite.
3.5⭐️| IG | TikTok |
Thank you NetGalley and SMP/Saturday Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Overall, I thought this was a solid read, but it lacked (imho) emotional depth to make it a favorite.
I’ve only read two books by this author and both really excelled at the atmosphere and setting. I think that is where this book shines. It is easy to get lost in the atmosphere and you're certain to feel like you're right there in 15-century Italy, caught up in scheming and political machinations.
The re-imagined history is intriguing and I love where the plot finally went. The magic was interesting, if a little less developed/explained than I would have liked.
History, setting, magic, atmosphere and concept are all well executed.
The area I felt I wanted more was the characters, emotional depth, and romance. All which felt a little flat imo. I didn’t really believe the romantic connection and I had trouble connecting with the characters emotions and motivations.
The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I enjoyed my time with this book but it isn’t something I will continue to think about and not something I would consider rereading.
On a positive note: I got to brush up on my Italian counting and the audiobook narrator's accent brought back a flood of positive memories of Italian lessons with my elementary bestie's nonna and the absolutely stunning library she had in her home. 💕 She refused to call me by my first name bc she said it wasn't Italian and I needed an Italian name for her house. 💕
Audio Narration: 3/5 It was lovely to hear the characters brought to life with an authentic accent. Pausing and pacing were solid. My issue with this performance was inflection. This felt like an almost monotone listening experience. For the FMC and internal narrative there was very little differences and not much emotion. As for voice variation with different characters, only the slightest change, barely perceptible. I had to pay very close attention to notice when dialogue was spoken because yet again, very little variation. This audiobook felt like I was being read to, rather than a performance. The audiobook is definitely listenable, but far from a favorite.
3.5⭐️| IG | TikTok |
Thank you NetGalley and SMP/Saturday Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
September 20, 2025
I really, REALLY wanted to fall head over heels for this book. Like, I was practically vibrating with excitement when I saw “Renaissance Italy” and “historical romance” in the same sentence. I mean, come ON. Give me all the marble sculptures, political intrigue, and swoony "you are the bane of my existence and the object of my desires"-esqe declarations against backdrops of cathedral spires. I was so ready to be transported to a world where everyone speaks in iambic pentameter and looks like they stepped out of a Botticelli painting.
And honestly? The setting absolutely delivered. Ibanez clearly did her homework because Renaissance Florence practically leaps off the page in all its chaotic, artistic glory. When we witness the Pazzi Conspiracy unfold and watch poor Giuliano de’ Medici meet his brutal end during what should have been a peaceful Easter mass, I literally gasped out loud.
But here’s where my Renaissance dreams started crumbling like old fresco paint: the romance. I kept waiting for that spark, that moment where I’d be clutching my chest and sighing dreamily, but it just… never came? The main characters felt like they were going through the motions of being in love rather than actually, you know, being in love. Their conversations read like a checklist of romantic beats rather than genuine connection.
The frustrating thing is that all the pieces were there for something absolutely magical. The political intrigue, the gorgeous setting, the life-or-death stakes... It should have been the perfect storm for an epic love story. But instead, it felt like the romance was competing with the historical elements rather than being woven seamlessly together.
Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t a bad book. If you’re looking for a well-researched historical fiction with decent characters and beautiful descriptions of Renaissance Italy, you’ll probably enjoy it. The writing is solid, the historical details are fascinating, and there are definitely moments that shine. But if you’re hoping for a romance that will leave you swooning and dreaming about Italian sunsets, you might want to adjust your expectations.
Would I recommend it? Maybe, with caveats. If you’re more interested in the historical aspects than the romance, go for it. If you’re desperately craving that enemies-to-lovers Renaissance tension, you might want to keep looking.
Three stars because sometimes beautiful settings and solid historical research can’t quite save a lackluster love story, but they can definitely make it worth the read.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the Netgalley and St Martins Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
And honestly? The setting absolutely delivered. Ibanez clearly did her homework because Renaissance Florence practically leaps off the page in all its chaotic, artistic glory. When we witness the Pazzi Conspiracy unfold and watch poor Giuliano de’ Medici meet his brutal end during what should have been a peaceful Easter mass, I literally gasped out loud.
But here’s where my Renaissance dreams started crumbling like old fresco paint: the romance. I kept waiting for that spark, that moment where I’d be clutching my chest and sighing dreamily, but it just… never came? The main characters felt like they were going through the motions of being in love rather than actually, you know, being in love. Their conversations read like a checklist of romantic beats rather than genuine connection.
The frustrating thing is that all the pieces were there for something absolutely magical. The political intrigue, the gorgeous setting, the life-or-death stakes... It should have been the perfect storm for an epic love story. But instead, it felt like the romance was competing with the historical elements rather than being woven seamlessly together.
Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t a bad book. If you’re looking for a well-researched historical fiction with decent characters and beautiful descriptions of Renaissance Italy, you’ll probably enjoy it. The writing is solid, the historical details are fascinating, and there are definitely moments that shine. But if you’re hoping for a romance that will leave you swooning and dreaming about Italian sunsets, you might want to adjust your expectations.
Would I recommend it? Maybe, with caveats. If you’re more interested in the historical aspects than the romance, go for it. If you’re desperately craving that enemies-to-lovers Renaissance tension, you might want to keep looking.
Three stars because sometimes beautiful settings and solid historical research can’t quite save a lackluster love story, but they can definitely make it worth the read.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the Netgalley and St Martins Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2025
4.5
huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
· · ─ graceless heart is nothing short of brilliant. every single word, every single page was lucious and filled with the most beautiful description ever. even a month (or so) after reading this, i still can remember every single detail about this book, about these characters. Ibañez is a masterful storyteller and her adult debut shows that. ─ · ·
࿔‧ ֶָ֢˚˖ Saturnino is not likeable at all at first, and it's not supposed to be that way. i mean i have a soft spot for hot characters who are lowk rude (i know, i have issues) but he drew me in. maybe it was his described looks (again, sucker for a hottie) or maybe it was i could tell that the redemption of him was gonna be GOOD and boy was it. him and ravenna's relationship was so complex and so twisty that it made me turn the page over and over again. the TENSION. the YEARNING. omg the yearning in this book was insane. ˖˚ֶָ֢ ‧࿔
⋆༺𓆩this book had the atmosohere, because Ibañez dropped us into ancient italy with such good storytelling that i felt like i was there. like yes i will be meeting my own saturnino on the street. hola signore i am but a poor hopeless maiden. but i digress. the plotline was so woven through perfectly that i could go paragraphs on it but i won't, instead i will say that there were a few things that happened that made me so mad but also i was rooting for ravenna because can i just say she was such a likeable fmc??? she girlbossed in such a steady way. and the plot twist at the end ?? it had me mouth dropped before i realized that i called it earler lollll anwaysss.𓆪༻⋆
this book is beautiful. go read it.
[ a note to my spice free girlies, there are a few spice scenes in here but they are easily skippable < 3 and a few are fade to black. just a heads up !! ]
full review to come after i finish my thoughts
this cover is stunning? and its set in italy? say no more
huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
· · ─ graceless heart is nothing short of brilliant. every single word, every single page was lucious and filled with the most beautiful description ever. even a month (or so) after reading this, i still can remember every single detail about this book, about these characters. Ibañez is a masterful storyteller and her adult debut shows that. ─ · ·
࿔‧ ֶָ֢˚˖ Saturnino is not likeable at all at first, and it's not supposed to be that way. i mean i have a soft spot for hot characters who are lowk rude (i know, i have issues) but he drew me in. maybe it was his described looks (again, sucker for a hottie) or maybe it was i could tell that the redemption of him was gonna be GOOD and boy was it. him and ravenna's relationship was so complex and so twisty that it made me turn the page over and over again. the TENSION. the YEARNING. omg the yearning in this book was insane. ˖˚ֶָ֢ ‧࿔
⋆༺𓆩this book had the atmosohere, because Ibañez dropped us into ancient italy with such good storytelling that i felt like i was there. like yes i will be meeting my own saturnino on the street. hola signore i am but a poor hopeless maiden. but i digress. the plotline was so woven through perfectly that i could go paragraphs on it but i won't, instead i will say that there were a few things that happened that made me so mad but also i was rooting for ravenna because can i just say she was such a likeable fmc??? she girlbossed in such a steady way. and the plot twist at the end ?? it had me mouth dropped before i realized that i called it earler lollll anwaysss.𓆪༻⋆
this book is beautiful. go read it.
[ a note to my spice free girlies, there are a few spice scenes in here but they are easily skippable < 3 and a few are fade to black. just a heads up !! ]
full review to come after i finish my thoughts
this cover is stunning? and its set in italy? say no more
Currently reading
December 22, 2025Renaissance Italy with all its Medici drama AND fantasy elements are calling to me!
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Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
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Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
December 7, 2025
3.5 / 5 Stars
There were so many cool concepts to love about this book: Renaissance Italy (Leonardo da Vinci had a cameo), witches and faes and vampires, so much political drama (and the Catholic church was involved, of course). Unfortunately, at times, it was slow and the romance was the slightly confusing.
First a quick layperson synopsis: Ravenna’s home town has been ripped apart by the political drama between the Medici family and the Pope. When her brother is charged with conspiring against the Medici’s, Ravenna enters a sculpting contest hosted by Florence’s most famous and feared immortal family (who are allies with the Medici). The prize? Literally anything you want, so Ravenna hopes to win as a way to get the charges against her brother dropped. Women are not meant to be sculptresses (BOOOOOOO to the Italian Renaissance patriarchy), so it is considered an embarrassment to her to enter but what else is she supposed to do? Her sculpture catches the eye of Saturnino, oldest immortal son, and while she wins, the immortals kidnap her and take her to Florence so she can be their personal artist in residence. She is tasked with a dangerous and magical task that puts her at odds with her home and the Pope. Will she just be a pawn, stuck between powerful men, or can she carve (pun intended) her own path?
You will probably like this book if you like:
🐈⬛ Romantic fantasy set in 15th century Renaissance Italy
💎 A unique magical system based on the power of gemstones interspersed with witches, fae, and vampires
🐈⬛ Lush and detailed descriptions of setting
💎 Multiple POVs
🐈⬛ Political and religious power play
💎 Secrets and twists
🐈⬛ Enemies to lovers
💎 Forced proximity
🐈⬛ Standalone fantasy book
The setting was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book. Setting a romantasy in Renaissance Italy is so unique and has so much potential both with the physical setting and the political setting. I really enjoyed the political chess game, all of the double agents, and twists. There was a really intriguing storyline with the Pope who hates magic and persecutes magical beings but has to rely on magic for his own personal gain. I am a dialogue and relationship focused girlie so take this with a grain of salt, but I found that the physical descriptions were a bit overwhelming and slowed down the pacing of the book. The setting is beautiful but just too descriptive for me (I don’t really care what the doors look like no matter how beautifully carved they are) and that made the middle of the book kind of drag. But if you like lush, detailed descriptions of setting, you may love this aspect.
The enemies to lovers trope was another reason that I wanted to read this book. I think it is so hard to do true enemies to lovers and many times books will be described as enemies to lovers when it is just two people who are mildly irritated with each other (and that does not enemies to lovers make. Annoyed with each other to lovers, yes definitely, but not enemies to lover). I think this book made me realized that I enjoy enemies to lover when there is an even power dynamic between the enemies because when there is a power differential (like here, where he is the captor and she is the one being held), it starts to lean into dark romance and that vibe just didn’t add up with the rest of this book. For a kidnapper/kidnapee love story, I feel like you have to unapologetically lean in and commit for me to buy in but in this book, there were times that Ravenna tried to justify her feelings by saying things like “no woman could resist Saturnino” which felt like a bit of a cop out. This book also reads very YA/NA at times so the kind of taboo love story felt really off too. Saturnino was also so mercurial. He hated humans one minute but was in awe of Ravenna the next. He was earnest for a chapter and then cruel for another. He tried to fake seduce her and then was really seducing her. Saturnino was confused and confusing and I wish that his feelings for Ravenna had been more gradual instead of so back and forth. There was so much potential for a juicy, forbidden, tension filled romance and it just fell a little short for me.
I liked that the magical system was easy to understand - witches can use gemstones to do magic and the more powerful you are, the more gemstones you can use. There were vampires and fae that also fit into the equation but they were less present. I liked the story line of Ravenna learning to love herself and accept herself. I love that she had moxie and was actively playing the political game (sometimes well and sometimes poorly). I also love that this is a standalone romantasy because that can be hard to find.
While I am not obsessed, this was a solid book with a lot of interesting ideas, even if it was slow at times, and I am interested to read this author’s other works.
Thank you St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
______________
Pre-Read Thoughts: It’s giving Renaissance Italy (obsessed). It’s giving forbidden love (obsessed). It’s giving magical powers that people are fighting over (obsessed). So I’m going in pre-obsessed. 😂
There were so many cool concepts to love about this book: Renaissance Italy (Leonardo da Vinci had a cameo), witches and faes and vampires, so much political drama (and the Catholic church was involved, of course). Unfortunately, at times, it was slow and the romance was the slightly confusing.
First a quick layperson synopsis: Ravenna’s home town has been ripped apart by the political drama between the Medici family and the Pope. When her brother is charged with conspiring against the Medici’s, Ravenna enters a sculpting contest hosted by Florence’s most famous and feared immortal family (who are allies with the Medici). The prize? Literally anything you want, so Ravenna hopes to win as a way to get the charges against her brother dropped. Women are not meant to be sculptresses (BOOOOOOO to the Italian Renaissance patriarchy), so it is considered an embarrassment to her to enter but what else is she supposed to do? Her sculpture catches the eye of Saturnino, oldest immortal son, and while she wins, the immortals kidnap her and take her to Florence so she can be their personal artist in residence. She is tasked with a dangerous and magical task that puts her at odds with her home and the Pope. Will she just be a pawn, stuck between powerful men, or can she carve (pun intended) her own path?
You will probably like this book if you like:
🐈⬛ Romantic fantasy set in 15th century Renaissance Italy
💎 A unique magical system based on the power of gemstones interspersed with witches, fae, and vampires
🐈⬛ Lush and detailed descriptions of setting
💎 Multiple POVs
🐈⬛ Political and religious power play
💎 Secrets and twists
🐈⬛ Enemies to lovers
💎 Forced proximity
🐈⬛ Standalone fantasy book
The setting was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book. Setting a romantasy in Renaissance Italy is so unique and has so much potential both with the physical setting and the political setting. I really enjoyed the political chess game, all of the double agents, and twists. There was a really intriguing storyline with the Pope who hates magic and persecutes magical beings but has to rely on magic for his own personal gain. I am a dialogue and relationship focused girlie so take this with a grain of salt, but I found that the physical descriptions were a bit overwhelming and slowed down the pacing of the book. The setting is beautiful but just too descriptive for me (I don’t really care what the doors look like no matter how beautifully carved they are) and that made the middle of the book kind of drag. But if you like lush, detailed descriptions of setting, you may love this aspect.
The enemies to lovers trope was another reason that I wanted to read this book. I think it is so hard to do true enemies to lovers and many times books will be described as enemies to lovers when it is just two people who are mildly irritated with each other (and that does not enemies to lovers make. Annoyed with each other to lovers, yes definitely, but not enemies to lover). I think this book made me realized that I enjoy enemies to lover when there is an even power dynamic between the enemies because when there is a power differential (like here, where he is the captor and she is the one being held), it starts to lean into dark romance and that vibe just didn’t add up with the rest of this book. For a kidnapper/kidnapee love story, I feel like you have to unapologetically lean in and commit for me to buy in but in this book, there were times that Ravenna tried to justify her feelings by saying things like “no woman could resist Saturnino” which felt like a bit of a cop out. This book also reads very YA/NA at times so the kind of taboo love story felt really off too. Saturnino was also so mercurial. He hated humans one minute but was in awe of Ravenna the next. He was earnest for a chapter and then cruel for another. He tried to fake seduce her and then was really seducing her. Saturnino was confused and confusing and I wish that his feelings for Ravenna had been more gradual instead of so back and forth. There was so much potential for a juicy, forbidden, tension filled romance and it just fell a little short for me.
I liked that the magical system was easy to understand - witches can use gemstones to do magic and the more powerful you are, the more gemstones you can use. There were vampires and fae that also fit into the equation but they were less present. I liked the story line of Ravenna learning to love herself and accept herself. I love that she had moxie and was actively playing the political game (sometimes well and sometimes poorly). I also love that this is a standalone romantasy because that can be hard to find.
While I am not obsessed, this was a solid book with a lot of interesting ideas, even if it was slow at times, and I am interested to read this author’s other works.
Thank you St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
______________
Pre-Read Thoughts: It’s giving Renaissance Italy (obsessed). It’s giving forbidden love (obsessed). It’s giving magical powers that people are fighting over (obsessed). So I’m going in pre-obsessed. 😂
Want to read
June 25, 2025Pre-release: ROMANTASY SET IN RENAISSANCE ITALY?? YES PLEASE 😍😍 Florence is my fav city in Europe!
THAT COVER IS GORGEOUS 🫠
THAT COVER IS GORGEOUS 🫠
July 21, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for this ARC! All thoughts are my own.
Before I start, I just want to preface that I recommend this book. It had several new aspects I’ve never read before and the world building was MAJESTIC. 10/10 for the world building.
Whilst the world building & setting were marvellously done - the romance part of this story is where it lost some points for me. It was insta-lust ; the repetitiveness of his attractiveness was intense. The MMC went back & forth as wether he liked/tolerated the FMC or not - and then he kissed her when he had been very rude the chapter prior… I got whiplash. The interactions between them were awkward and stilted. I couldn’t feel the chemistry.
The magic system was really interesting and several new elements were presented to the readers - which hooked my interest. Character wise, I did go back and forth as to wether I liked/tolerated the FMC. She was very whiny and impulsive. On another note - I don’t normally like religious settings but this was well done! The impact the religion had on the FMC was well depicted & you could feel the pull. I do wish she’d have her character development sooner than the 75% mark though.
I saw some twists coming and some shocked me. The plot was well written and made me curious despite the romance & relationships being lacklustre for me.
Before I start, I just want to preface that I recommend this book. It had several new aspects I’ve never read before and the world building was MAJESTIC. 10/10 for the world building.
Whilst the world building & setting were marvellously done - the romance part of this story is where it lost some points for me. It was insta-lust ; the repetitiveness of his attractiveness was intense. The MMC went back & forth as wether he liked/tolerated the FMC or not - and then he kissed her when he had been very rude the chapter prior… I got whiplash. The interactions between them were awkward and stilted. I couldn’t feel the chemistry.
The magic system was really interesting and several new elements were presented to the readers - which hooked my interest. Character wise, I did go back and forth as to wether I liked/tolerated the FMC. She was very whiny and impulsive. On another note - I don’t normally like religious settings but this was well done! The impact the religion had on the FMC was well depicted & you could feel the pull. I do wish she’d have her character development sooner than the 75% mark though.
I saw some twists coming and some shocked me. The plot was well written and made me curious despite the romance & relationships being lacklustre for me.
November 26, 2025
Spellbinding! Bewitching! I had such a wonderful time reading this book. If you're a Reign fan, you'll love it, I'm sure! A historical romance book set in the Italian Renaissance with a plot filled with magic. Florence, where the Luni family live to protect the Medici, who are both in favor of magic. Volterra, where magic is banished, and people are against it. The Pope Sixtus IV, who wants to unleash war against all magic, but the one used by himself. Ravenna, a sculptress from Volterra who enters a competition held by the Luni family, in order to save her brother from death, but in a turn of events, the Luni family have other plans for her as a sculptress. Saturnino, a knight of the Luni family who hides a family secret. Lorenzo di Medici, on his own, has a surprise as well. There are glimpses of the Fae lands and their powers, "vampyres", witches and wizards, and also an amazing cat that will steal your heart. You'll also read about outstanding historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci. You'll encounter an interesting magic system that comes with a glossary of the “Pietra Magiche” from the Fae lands (Sunspire, Seaweaver, Shadowglass, Nightflame, Moonhaze, Lodestar, and Echostone). At last, but not least, the incredible plot twists will keep you hooked until the end! Beautiful design, layout and cover! Overall, one of the best books I've read this year so far!
Thanks so much to Hodderscape and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez, to be published on January 15th 2026.
Thanks so much to Hodderscape and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez, to be published on January 15th 2026.
December 17, 2025
3.75⭐️
A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!
This book grabbed my attention right away with its unique premise. I’ve never read about Renaissance Italy mixed with fae. It was such a beautiful mix of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and art. Plus the religion vs political upheaval, what’s right vs wrong was refreshing to read.
Isabel Ibañez’s enchanting writing drew me in instantly. Ravenna’s strength and her journey toward embracing her true self felt so heartfelt. Santurnino, with his broody silence and hidden warmth, gently works his way into your heart the deeper you venture into the book.
I loved the connection between Ravenna and Saturnino but in the end, something was missing. Still, their yearning and the sweetness of their love story was beautiful.
One thing I struggled with was the pacing, it felt slow at times, and the heavy focus on politics vs religion made parts of the story difficult to follow.
However, in true fantasy fashion, the ending was a wild ride. The plot twists were intense, and everything came together beautifully.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, especially the author’s writing, and I’m excited to read more of her work in the future.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!
This book grabbed my attention right away with its unique premise. I’ve never read about Renaissance Italy mixed with fae. It was such a beautiful mix of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and art. Plus the religion vs political upheaval, what’s right vs wrong was refreshing to read.
Isabel Ibañez’s enchanting writing drew me in instantly. Ravenna’s strength and her journey toward embracing her true self felt so heartfelt. Santurnino, with his broody silence and hidden warmth, gently works his way into your heart the deeper you venture into the book.
I loved the connection between Ravenna and Saturnino but in the end, something was missing. Still, their yearning and the sweetness of their love story was beautiful.
One thing I struggled with was the pacing, it felt slow at times, and the heavy focus on politics vs religion made parts of the story difficult to follow.
However, in true fantasy fashion, the ending was a wild ride. The plot twists were intense, and everything came together beautifully.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, especially the author’s writing, and I’m excited to read more of her work in the future.
Want to read
October 20, 2025˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
I’ve seen good things about this, so I'm so happy I got approved for it! The cover, renaissance setting, and artist fmc got me! Can’t wait to dive into this!🤎💫
➳ Huge thanks to the publisher & author— Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape, Isabel Ibañez, & NetGalley—for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve seen good things about this, so I'm so happy I got approved for it! The cover, renaissance setting, and artist fmc got me! Can’t wait to dive into this!🤎💫
➳ Huge thanks to the publisher & author— Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape, Isabel Ibañez, & NetGalley—for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2025
This was so good!! This is the book I’ve been needing in my life. The yearning, the setting, the characters! Flawless. This book doesn’t release until *2026* but keep it on your radar. I’ve been super bummed and let down by anticipated reads this year, AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS ONE IS WORTH IT!
August 18, 2025
3 ⭐️ Review to come. 💜
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
RTC
Want to read
March 3, 2025ONE DARK WINDOW meets EVER AFTER, with hints of EMILY WILDE and UPROOTED
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Legacy & Bloodlines
✨The Cost of Ambition
✨Forced Proximity
✨Whimsical Magic
✨Forbidden Love
✨Political Intrigue
✨Magic vs Religion
✨RAVENNA: Eldest Daughter with the soul of an artist
✨SATURNINO: Youngest Son, dangerous Knight
✨Renaissance Florence
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Legacy & Bloodlines
✨The Cost of Ambition
✨Forced Proximity
✨Whimsical Magic
✨Forbidden Love
✨Political Intrigue
✨Magic vs Religion
✨RAVENNA: Eldest Daughter with the soul of an artist
✨SATURNINO: Youngest Son, dangerous Knight
✨Renaissance Florence
October 2, 2025
This was my first Isabel Ibañez book, and honestly, I went in nervous. Historical fiction usually isn’t my thing, but the promise of magic, an immortal family, and Renaissance Italy sounded unique enough to change my mind. I figured this might be the book to win me over.
It wasn’t.
Ravenna as a main character had promise, but she stayed frustratingly flat, and the immortal Luni family was more dull than dangerous. Saturnino was the worst offender—not because he was brooding, but because every single time he appeared, the author trotted out his entire name like it was supposed to be some dramatic fanfare. Pair that with “sardonic” and “devoid of emotion” being repeated on loop, and he just became tiresome.
The romance? Way too whiplash-y. One minute it was venom, the next it was obsession. Enemies-to-lovers can be great when it feels earned, but here it just felt forced. Add in the Pope’s dragged-out chapters, a messy magic system that introduced more than it delivered, and… yeah. By the time the big reveal landed, I actually laughed out loud at how ridiculous it was.
The setting was beautiful, sure, but that alone couldn’t save the book for me. I wanted something fresh and compelling, and instead got a story that felt repetitive, over the top at the worst times, and, overall, boring. It took me way too long to trudge through this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It wasn’t.
Ravenna as a main character had promise, but she stayed frustratingly flat, and the immortal Luni family was more dull than dangerous. Saturnino was the worst offender—not because he was brooding, but because every single time he appeared, the author trotted out his entire name like it was supposed to be some dramatic fanfare. Pair that with “sardonic” and “devoid of emotion” being repeated on loop, and he just became tiresome.
The romance? Way too whiplash-y. One minute it was venom, the next it was obsession. Enemies-to-lovers can be great when it feels earned, but here it just felt forced. Add in the Pope’s dragged-out chapters, a messy magic system that introduced more than it delivered, and… yeah. By the time the big reveal landed, I actually laughed out loud at how ridiculous it was.
The setting was beautiful, sure, but that alone couldn’t save the book for me. I wanted something fresh and compelling, and instead got a story that felt repetitive, over the top at the worst times, and, overall, boring. It took me way too long to trudge through this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2025
4.5
i want to preface this review by saying, this book has multiple open door spice scenes that i was not expecting and that frustrated me. but, everything else about this book was MAGICAL.
it’s set in renaissance italy with an artist FMC who gets taken by an influential family to be their sculptress. the MMC is an angry villain knight who is tasked with keeping her in line.
the story takes place in a divided italy with curriot religious leaders & lots of political intrigue.
this is truly enemies to lovers, romantasy GOLD!! the slow burn and tension is written so well. i was eating up every little glance between the two of them. the quotes about the arts were so awesome & the nods to art history were EVERYTHING. seeing leonardo da vinci as a character in a romantasy was so rad & there was also references to botticelli & venus. that made me art teacher heart so so happy.
the yearning?? SO GOOD
idk how i’ve gotten this far into my review without mentioning is has “ WHO DID THIS TO YOU? “ & that scene is literally TOP TIER i was screaming inside.
sooo many highlights & quotes i underlined.
lots of plot twists that i didn’t see coming & a super cool ending as well.
this would be five stars if not for the spice.
🤐LANGUAGE🤐 11 uses of the F word
🔥SPICE🔥 3 1/2 -4 open door scenes that are fairly brief. some of it is just foreplay but still explicit. i don’t have the page numbers because it was a digital ARC.
i want to preface this review by saying, this book has multiple open door spice scenes that i was not expecting and that frustrated me. but, everything else about this book was MAGICAL.
it’s set in renaissance italy with an artist FMC who gets taken by an influential family to be their sculptress. the MMC is an angry villain knight who is tasked with keeping her in line.
the story takes place in a divided italy with curriot religious leaders & lots of political intrigue.
this is truly enemies to lovers, romantasy GOLD!! the slow burn and tension is written so well. i was eating up every little glance between the two of them. the quotes about the arts were so awesome & the nods to art history were EVERYTHING. seeing leonardo da vinci as a character in a romantasy was so rad & there was also references to botticelli & venus. that made me art teacher heart so so happy.
the yearning?? SO GOOD
idk how i’ve gotten this far into my review without mentioning is has “ WHO DID THIS TO YOU? “ & that scene is literally TOP TIER i was screaming inside.
sooo many highlights & quotes i underlined.
lots of plot twists that i didn’t see coming & a super cool ending as well.
this would be five stars if not for the spice.
🤐LANGUAGE🤐 11 uses of the F word
🔥SPICE🔥 3 1/2 -4 open door scenes that are fairly brief. some of it is just foreplay but still explicit. i don’t have the page numbers because it was a digital ARC.
December 24, 2025
I finished Graceless Heart yesterday and I’m having withdrawals.
I enjoyed this so much! It has been a while since a fantasy novel grabbed my attention so quickly. I was genuinely shocked by the magic reveal in the prologue, and it had me hooked from there.
I was so excited to read Graceless Heart, for several reasons. I really enjoyed What the River Knows, particularly because I thought that Isabel Ibañez did such an incredible job of transporting the reader to Egypt. When I found out that she had done it again, this time to Italy at the height of the Renaissance period, I could not get my hands on this book fast enough. She could not have chosen a more fascinating or compelling setting for this story, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It was incredibly detailed, well researched, and beautifully done. Real historical figures, events, and locations were used to shape the story, interwoven with a unique and interesting romantasy plot.
As I mentioned earlier, I was captivated by the fantasy elements right away. Usually, I struggle through world building and learning new magic systems, but with this book, that wasn’t a problem for me. Ravenna’s power was horrible and thrilling, and learning about the different stones and their abilities was interesting. I enjoyed the inclusion of various magical groups, including witches, fae, and vampyres, (especially in contrast to the Vatican and it’s power during this period) and I was so intrigued by the mystery of the Luni family origins.
The Luni family as a group were so much fun to read about. This may be a little niche, but they reminded me of the Original family from the Vampire Diaries - before any sort of redemption is even on the table. Saturnino in particular was such an entertaining mmc. It’s been a while since I read a book with a great morally gray love interest, and he was an excellent one. I enjoyed every scene he was in. It was especially cool to see how Saturnino and the rest of the Luni family fit into real dynamics between powerful historical families such as the Medici, Pazzi, and Sforza.
Overall, I had a great time reading this, and I miss it already! If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, enemies to lovers romance, morally gray characters, the Renaissance period, beautiful, vibrant settings, and political drama, then this is for you. Expected January 13th, be sure to check it out then!
*** Audiobook note! After finishing the e-arc for Graceless Heart, I was lucky enough to also be given the chance to listen to the alc by Macmillan Audio. I had been eager to go back and reread once I knew how everything worked out, so I was very grateful for the opportunity. The audiobook is narrated by Beatrice Grannò (who played Mia on season 2 of White Lotus!), and I thought she did such a great job. The best part of Graceless Heart is how Isabel Ibañez is able to describe the setting so vividly that you feel as though you are there. This was enhanced even more in the audio version, and that is thanks to Beatice Grannò’s performance. It was very well done!
Thank you so much to Isabel Ibañez, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the e-arc, as well as Macmillan Audio for the alc, in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this so much! It has been a while since a fantasy novel grabbed my attention so quickly. I was genuinely shocked by the magic reveal in the prologue, and it had me hooked from there.
I was so excited to read Graceless Heart, for several reasons. I really enjoyed What the River Knows, particularly because I thought that Isabel Ibañez did such an incredible job of transporting the reader to Egypt. When I found out that she had done it again, this time to Italy at the height of the Renaissance period, I could not get my hands on this book fast enough. She could not have chosen a more fascinating or compelling setting for this story, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! It was incredibly detailed, well researched, and beautifully done. Real historical figures, events, and locations were used to shape the story, interwoven with a unique and interesting romantasy plot.
As I mentioned earlier, I was captivated by the fantasy elements right away. Usually, I struggle through world building and learning new magic systems, but with this book, that wasn’t a problem for me. Ravenna’s power was horrible and thrilling, and learning about the different stones and their abilities was interesting. I enjoyed the inclusion of various magical groups, including witches, fae, and vampyres, (especially in contrast to the Vatican and it’s power during this period) and I was so intrigued by the mystery of the Luni family origins.
The Luni family as a group were so much fun to read about. This may be a little niche, but they reminded me of the Original family from the Vampire Diaries - before any sort of redemption is even on the table. Saturnino in particular was such an entertaining mmc. It’s been a while since I read a book with a great morally gray love interest, and he was an excellent one. I enjoyed every scene he was in. It was especially cool to see how Saturnino and the rest of the Luni family fit into real dynamics between powerful historical families such as the Medici, Pazzi, and Sforza.
Overall, I had a great time reading this, and I miss it already! If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, enemies to lovers romance, morally gray characters, the Renaissance period, beautiful, vibrant settings, and political drama, then this is for you. Expected January 13th, be sure to check it out then!
*** Audiobook note! After finishing the e-arc for Graceless Heart, I was lucky enough to also be given the chance to listen to the alc by Macmillan Audio. I had been eager to go back and reread once I knew how everything worked out, so I was very grateful for the opportunity. The audiobook is narrated by Beatrice Grannò (who played Mia on season 2 of White Lotus!), and I thought she did such a great job. The best part of Graceless Heart is how Isabel Ibañez is able to describe the setting so vividly that you feel as though you are there. This was enhanced even more in the audio version, and that is thanks to Beatice Grannò’s performance. It was very well done!
Thank you so much to Isabel Ibañez, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the e-arc, as well as Macmillan Audio for the alc, in exchange for my honest review.
July 10, 2025
Isabel has such a penchant for words! A standalone presented through impeccable prose with expert pacing, 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 is a magical delight and fantasy reader's dream.
Ravenna, desperate to save her brother from imminent death in Renaissance Italy, reveals her magical talent in a sculpting competition. She's swept away with the Luni family, forced to reside in their Florence palace and tasked with an impossible assignment to keep her life. Saturnino, a son and assassin for the family, draws Ravenna's eye despite his dangerous, cold exterior. She quickly finds herself caught in a fragile political web, unsure of true motivations as her life, and the fate of the country, is in grave danger.
I adored every word of this book! Isabel's extensive research is clear through the intricate historical details. The writing style perfectly captures the atmosphere of 15th-century Italy; each sentence is crafted with care and intention. 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 is written with masterful pacing! I simultaneously yearned to consume the tale in a single sitting, but I also wished to savor every word, never wanting it to end.
I cared for the characters from the start! Ravenna is resourceful and determined, and I admired her strength and intelligence as she fights for survival and explores her terrifying magic. Saturnino is a complex villain, and I was desperate for him to reveal his secrets. Ravenna and Saturnino share addictive banter full of tension and chemistry, and the pair evoke more yearning and longing for the story. I loved the push and pull, hot and cold side of their relationship that kept me at the edge of my seat. I would also be remiss to not mention the adorable feline sidekick!
Like the contents of the book itself, the cover design is a work of art! It is so fitting, and I cannot wait to have the finished product on my shelf.
I would like to sincerely thank Isabel for creating such a strong standalone. I'm already looking forward to what she's going to pen next! Until then, I'll be dreaming of Renaissance Italy. I am forever grateful to Saturday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of my most anticipated 2026 release! 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 is a frontrunner for my favorite book of the year, and it's a book that fantasy romance readers cannot miss.
♾️⭐
Ravenna, desperate to save her brother from imminent death in Renaissance Italy, reveals her magical talent in a sculpting competition. She's swept away with the Luni family, forced to reside in their Florence palace and tasked with an impossible assignment to keep her life. Saturnino, a son and assassin for the family, draws Ravenna's eye despite his dangerous, cold exterior. She quickly finds herself caught in a fragile political web, unsure of true motivations as her life, and the fate of the country, is in grave danger.
I adored every word of this book! Isabel's extensive research is clear through the intricate historical details. The writing style perfectly captures the atmosphere of 15th-century Italy; each sentence is crafted with care and intention. 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 is written with masterful pacing! I simultaneously yearned to consume the tale in a single sitting, but I also wished to savor every word, never wanting it to end.
I cared for the characters from the start! Ravenna is resourceful and determined, and I admired her strength and intelligence as she fights for survival and explores her terrifying magic. Saturnino is a complex villain, and I was desperate for him to reveal his secrets. Ravenna and Saturnino share addictive banter full of tension and chemistry, and the pair evoke more yearning and longing for the story. I loved the push and pull, hot and cold side of their relationship that kept me at the edge of my seat. I would also be remiss to not mention the adorable feline sidekick!
Like the contents of the book itself, the cover design is a work of art! It is so fitting, and I cannot wait to have the finished product on my shelf.
I would like to sincerely thank Isabel for creating such a strong standalone. I'm already looking forward to what she's going to pen next! Until then, I'll be dreaming of Renaissance Italy. I am forever grateful to Saturday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of my most anticipated 2026 release! 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 is a frontrunner for my favorite book of the year, and it's a book that fantasy romance readers cannot miss.
♾️⭐
July 9, 2025
When I first read the synopsis I was fixating in the mention of the pope and thinking how can this be a sexy romance book 😆😆 but look at that cover art!!!! I literally could not say no solely based on that and im so glad I was persuaded because this actually turned out to be a great read. It is my first book by the author although I am familiar with her other books and will likely go back to read them at some point.
The setting is renaissance Italy which is such an aesthetic vibe within itself. The plot follows a world where magic is deemed to be scary and dangerous and so the FMC has been hiding and keeping her magical abilities a secret her whole life, until she accidentally lets her abilities show during a sculpting competition. This immediately peaks the interest of a questionable family who take it upon themselves to essentially kidnap her and try to use her abilities for their own quest.
The magical elements are really fun, the unhinged family storyline is entertaining and the banter between her and the broody love interest is really enjoyable. I was imagining a hot moody Italian man the entire time 😂
Thank you to St Martin’s Press #partner for the #gifted copy!!
Im sure this book will gain popularity when it publishes in January 13th 2026 (long wait I know sorry guys 😪)
The setting is renaissance Italy which is such an aesthetic vibe within itself. The plot follows a world where magic is deemed to be scary and dangerous and so the FMC has been hiding and keeping her magical abilities a secret her whole life, until she accidentally lets her abilities show during a sculpting competition. This immediately peaks the interest of a questionable family who take it upon themselves to essentially kidnap her and try to use her abilities for their own quest.
The magical elements are really fun, the unhinged family storyline is entertaining and the banter between her and the broody love interest is really enjoyable. I was imagining a hot moody Italian man the entire time 😂
Thank you to St Martin’s Press #partner for the #gifted copy!!
Im sure this book will gain popularity when it publishes in January 13th 2026 (long wait I know sorry guys 😪)
October 14, 2025
Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for the arc! It’s mid-October and this book might be my favorite this year, I’m totally obsessed!
"You are ruinous, Saturnino. But I won't let you ruin me." Ravenna lifted her chin. "We don't have a bargain, we don't have trust. We don't have anything."
"That's not true. We have this."
- enemies x lovers
- slow-burn
- magic vs religion
- political intrigue
- 15th century Florence
What I liked:
• The main characters are perfection! Ravenna is determined, sharp-tongued and clever. I loved that she could keep up with the scheming men even when she was afraid. Saturnino is strategic, cunning, and ruthless. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved their witty banter and their attempts to outscheme each other!
• The setting was amazing! Renaissance Florence, opulent dresses, powerful families like the Medici plotting against the pope, all mixed with a unique magic system. Even Leonardo da Vinci had a small side role.
What I didn’t like:
• I didn’t quite understand the magic system based of the different stones, but it didn’t really bother me throughout the story.
Writing style: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Story & Plot: 5/5
Vibes: 5/5
"You are ruinous, Saturnino. But I won't let you ruin me." Ravenna lifted her chin. "We don't have a bargain, we don't have trust. We don't have anything."
"That's not true. We have this."
- enemies x lovers
- slow-burn
- magic vs religion
- political intrigue
- 15th century Florence
What I liked:
• The main characters are perfection! Ravenna is determined, sharp-tongued and clever. I loved that she could keep up with the scheming men even when she was afraid. Saturnino is strategic, cunning, and ruthless. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved their witty banter and their attempts to outscheme each other!
• The setting was amazing! Renaissance Florence, opulent dresses, powerful families like the Medici plotting against the pope, all mixed with a unique magic system. Even Leonardo da Vinci had a small side role.
What I didn’t like:
• I didn’t quite understand the magic system based of the different stones, but it didn’t really bother me throughout the story.
Writing style: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Story & Plot: 5/5
Vibes: 5/5
July 27, 2025
I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a free copy of this.
I didn't realize who the author was until I had already read a couple chapters. I had problems with the previous duology of hers (couldn't finish it, the male and female protagonist in that irked me). So I say this: if you had problems with the female and male protagonist in that book you will have a problem with these, too.
Why I gave it two stars is for the setting. It was easy to envision Italian Renaissance. The use of historical figures was interesting too (Medicis, looking at them in particular). When the author started playing outside the box of historical figures, and adding fantasy to them (the Pope chasing after some magic stones and blocks) and having them interact alongside her own creations ... well, that was rough. Honestly, it's a hard thing to do and I haven't read many stories that pulled off historical fantasy (but my praise for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell stands).
At first, I was following the protagonist and her aim at freeing her brother. Apparently she has magic. The world building of the magic and the reason why it exists was simply non-existent. But of course, there are fey. And vampires. And witches. And they all connect somehow in this world that you just have to accept the fact they exist. So our protagonist has magic and she can carve things really well. She then carves a likeness of the male protagonist (because she found him hot from the moment she saw him), thinking that this will attract his family's attention and grant a boon. Well, it happens... but they hold her ransom and take her to their estate and simply tell her to chisel five stones to extract some magic stones inside them.
This is where the story falls apart. Our male protagonist should have been 100% a villain. He should have used her, and at most, stayed a middle ground guy. Played her to get the end game. She was dumb enough to simp over him, and as much as she kept saying she wanted nothing to do with him, she found him too hot to function and wanted to kiss him. Of course she sees him do some intense stabbing (and murdering), puts through with him toying with her, insulting her, and absolutely near assaulting her. He tells her he has no heart, but of course, he hasn't met our female! She's going to change his view, because no other woman in the past 100 years has! Please. Honest to god, she whined through the whole book while he lounged against doors, gazed at her through half lidded eyes, and manhandled her. Meanwhile, he demanded (and his family for the few times they made their appearance) to get carving those stones. She asks him constantly what is the purpose but they don't really come fully clean.
There is also some plot with the Pope after the stones and trying to take over the city. Our characters get mixed up in this - she has to spy, he has to protect the Medici family. Further and further the story started to slip from its historical grounding and it became obvious the whole thing was simply a background for a poorly written romance between this guy who apparently found our protagonist kind, honest, and special. Barf.
Of course, there will be people who enjoy this - like her last book - because they focus on the romantasy and nothing else. Plot and schematics come first in a story, then character, then romance. So, if you're like me, you're gonna have a rough go with this because it's like puzzle pieces grabbed from several different puzzles all about the same topic / image, and they're being forced to fit together in this story.
All in all, I think I'm done with this author.
I didn't realize who the author was until I had already read a couple chapters. I had problems with the previous duology of hers (couldn't finish it, the male and female protagonist in that irked me). So I say this: if you had problems with the female and male protagonist in that book you will have a problem with these, too.
Why I gave it two stars is for the setting. It was easy to envision Italian Renaissance. The use of historical figures was interesting too (Medicis, looking at them in particular). When the author started playing outside the box of historical figures, and adding fantasy to them (the Pope chasing after some magic stones and blocks) and having them interact alongside her own creations ... well, that was rough. Honestly, it's a hard thing to do and I haven't read many stories that pulled off historical fantasy (but my praise for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell stands).
At first, I was following the protagonist and her aim at freeing her brother. Apparently she has magic. The world building of the magic and the reason why it exists was simply non-existent. But of course, there are fey. And vampires. And witches. And they all connect somehow in this world that you just have to accept the fact they exist. So our protagonist has magic and she can carve things really well. She then carves a likeness of the male protagonist (because she found him hot from the moment she saw him), thinking that this will attract his family's attention and grant a boon. Well, it happens... but they hold her ransom and take her to their estate and simply tell her to chisel five stones to extract some magic stones inside them.
This is where the story falls apart. Our male protagonist should have been 100% a villain. He should have used her, and at most, stayed a middle ground guy. Played her to get the end game. She was dumb enough to simp over him, and as much as she kept saying she wanted nothing to do with him, she found him too hot to function and wanted to kiss him. Of course she sees him do some intense stabbing (and murdering), puts through with him toying with her, insulting her, and absolutely near assaulting her. He tells her he has no heart, but of course, he hasn't met our female! She's going to change his view, because no other woman in the past 100 years has! Please. Honest to god, she whined through the whole book while he lounged against doors, gazed at her through half lidded eyes, and manhandled her. Meanwhile, he demanded (and his family for the few times they made their appearance) to get carving those stones. She asks him constantly what is the purpose but they don't really come fully clean.
There is also some plot with the Pope after the stones and trying to take over the city. Our characters get mixed up in this - she has to spy, he has to protect the Medici family. Further and further the story started to slip from its historical grounding and it became obvious the whole thing was simply a background for a poorly written romance between this guy who apparently found our protagonist kind, honest, and special. Barf.
Of course, there will be people who enjoy this - like her last book - because they focus on the romantasy and nothing else. Plot and schematics come first in a story, then character, then romance. So, if you're like me, you're gonna have a rough go with this because it's like puzzle pieces grabbed from several different puzzles all about the same topic / image, and they're being forced to fit together in this story.
All in all, I think I'm done with this author.
July 11, 2025
I do have to admit I only picked this one up because of cover. This was dreadful read for me because it was so boring to read. I literally read for days and I think I’m in book slump because of it. I’m sure people will like this but not me.
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