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The Sinking City
Venice is a carnival of opposites, and Liona Carvatti thinks she understands it all: canal and palace, magician and merchant, plague and pantomime. As a patrician’s daughter, Liona enjoys the sparkling life of a noble family—although she would prefer to be tending to her flowers than practicing violin or standing around in a ball gown. But what Liona fails to realize is that Venice is a city of stone in a world of water. And ruling the dark waters are the Seleni—ageless, cold, and calculating.
When she loses everything she relies on, Liona must set a new course that will shake the foundations of Venice itself.
When she loses everything she relies on, Liona must set a new course that will shake the foundations of Venice itself.
406 pages, Hardcover
Published December 14, 2021
59 people are currently reading
1626 people want to read
About the author
Christine Cohen
2 books552 followersBorn and raised in the Pacific Northwest and currently living in one of its more rural pockets where the chances of uncovering portals are quite high.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
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October 26, 2021I wanted The Sinking City to have a very different feel than my first novel. If The Winter King felt like a myth, then The Sinking City should feel like a fairytale, but not the Disneyfied ones. The ones with fangs. I wanted the world to be magical and colorful and exciting but also unsettling, as if something dark were lurking below the surface (because it is). I wanted the streets of Venice to shimmer, like a spell web you could get caught in if you aren’t careful.
So, in keeping with tradition, here are three reasons why you might enjoy The Sinking City.
1. There are underwater monsters who make dubious trade agreements with the Venetian nobility.
2. The house of Mago Re might eat you if you are impolite to its magician.
3. This is a story about traps: the ones we run from, the ones we create for ourselves and others, and the ones we must face head-on if we ever want to be truly free.
Into the Mouth of the Wolf 🐺
So, in keeping with tradition, here are three reasons why you might enjoy The Sinking City.
1. There are underwater monsters who make dubious trade agreements with the Venetian nobility.
2. The house of Mago Re might eat you if you are impolite to its magician.
3. This is a story about traps: the ones we run from, the ones we create for ourselves and others, and the ones we must face head-on if we ever want to be truly free.
Into the Mouth of the Wolf 🐺
January 9, 2022
What a stunning book. I didn't think any new novel by Christine Cohen could win me over like The Winter King with its snowy donegality, but truly, The Sinking City is even better. Christine’s beautifully vivid, easy prose will suck you into this story that starts with an intense hook, settles into a comfortable middle of mystery and mistaken identities, and ends with 100 pages of breathless action. The ending will blow your mind. Christine kills off some of my favorite characters, but she doesn't do anything I wouldn't do, so I can't blame her. I can only be glad that those wonderful people, for a short sweet time, existed.
Based on the cover and cryptic marketing, I had thought Sinking City was about magic and monsters and masquerades. And it is. But it really a story about true love: love between man and woman, friend and foe, high and lowly, noble and despicable, humble and arrogant, wise and foolish, kind and cruel. And because it is about love, it is also about loyalty, sacrifice, long-suffering, hope, mercy, forgiveness, courage, honesty, and repentance.
It’s been a long time since I was so inspired to walk in the footsteps of characters in a book. Aloysius, Nico, and Mago Re were my favorites—for different reasons. Mago Re is terribly mesmerizing and well crafted, and I won’t spoil the story by telling you the main point of his story. Let me just say Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play Re, and that should be enough.
Aloysius especially is a treasure. He and Nico both treat others as if each person has an equal demand on their time and attention, but it is Aloysius who shines the brightest. His steadfast love is the beating heart of the story; he is the torch that sets other reluctant kindling aflame. He gifts kindness to everyone he meets, no matter how irrelevant or unworthy they may seem—“All the better,” as he would say. Aloysius’s love hopes all things. His love believes all things. His love endures all things. His love never fails. And it is because he shares this love with Liona, the heroine, that she grows increasingly lovely, forgives those who have wronged her, and ultimately saves the day.
Two final notes. First, this book makes me want to write—and that is a high compliment from one writer to another. But second (and more importantly), this book makes me want to live. Live with joy. Live with confidence that if my friend can write a thrilling, satisfying book that ends exactly as it should despite everything going terribly wrong, then surely I can trust God to tell the perfect story with my life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way God is running our stories. All things—all things—work together for good. We are in the best tale ever told. Trust Him.
All for better.
Based on the cover and cryptic marketing, I had thought Sinking City was about magic and monsters and masquerades. And it is. But it really a story about true love: love between man and woman, friend and foe, high and lowly, noble and despicable, humble and arrogant, wise and foolish, kind and cruel. And because it is about love, it is also about loyalty, sacrifice, long-suffering, hope, mercy, forgiveness, courage, honesty, and repentance.
It’s been a long time since I was so inspired to walk in the footsteps of characters in a book. Aloysius, Nico, and Mago Re were my favorites—for different reasons. Mago Re is terribly mesmerizing and well crafted, and I won’t spoil the story by telling you the main point of his story. Let me just say Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play Re, and that should be enough.
Aloysius especially is a treasure. He and Nico both treat others as if each person has an equal demand on their time and attention, but it is Aloysius who shines the brightest. His steadfast love is the beating heart of the story; he is the torch that sets other reluctant kindling aflame. He gifts kindness to everyone he meets, no matter how irrelevant or unworthy they may seem—“All the better,” as he would say. Aloysius’s love hopes all things. His love believes all things. His love endures all things. His love never fails. And it is because he shares this love with Liona, the heroine, that she grows increasingly lovely, forgives those who have wronged her, and ultimately saves the day.
Two final notes. First, this book makes me want to write—and that is a high compliment from one writer to another. But second (and more importantly), this book makes me want to live. Live with joy. Live with confidence that if my friend can write a thrilling, satisfying book that ends exactly as it should despite everything going terribly wrong, then surely I can trust God to tell the perfect story with my life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way God is running our stories. All things—all things—work together for good. We are in the best tale ever told. Trust Him.
All for better.
July 12, 2023
Magical and dazzling, The Sinking City is the story of Liona who finds herself apprenticed to the most experienced magician in Venice.
If you read The Winter King by Christine Cohen, you’ll find that the Sinking City has the same heart and soul, but feels more magical and less mythical. The story is interesting, creative, and well written. This is what fiction for teens and middle grades should be!
Content Rating : 5/5
If reading this with teen/preteens, this story presents good opportunities to discuss "magic" and "dark magic." There is one character in the book who practices dark magic, but his redemption is a large part of the story, and his actions are not glorified or swept over. The magic is light and interesting, similar to Harry Potter, but with lines drawn more clearly as to what is "good" and what is "bad." Highly recommend!
One use of the word "a**," but in the manner of Lewis or Tolkien :)
If you read The Winter King by Christine Cohen, you’ll find that the Sinking City has the same heart and soul, but feels more magical and less mythical. The story is interesting, creative, and well written. This is what fiction for teens and middle grades should be!
Content Rating : 5/5
If reading this with teen/preteens, this story presents good opportunities to discuss "magic" and "dark magic." There is one character in the book who practices dark magic, but his redemption is a large part of the story, and his actions are not glorified or swept over. The magic is light and interesting, similar to Harry Potter, but with lines drawn more clearly as to what is "good" and what is "bad." Highly recommend!
One use of the word "a**," but in the manner of Lewis or Tolkien :)
April 12, 2024
3 ½ 🌟
This book was interesting, but the problem I have with it is that it's supposedly a Christian book I think and it's set in the real world and Jesus and Calvary and going to church is mentioned, but then there's these Magicians who live throughout Venice and cast spells and stuff and they're good guys. Now there is "dark magic" which is illegal or whatever. But if Jesus and the Bible and Christianity as we know it exists in this story, then how can we also have good magicians when the Bible says magic is evil. It just made things very confusing for me.
This book was interesting, but the problem I have with it is that it's supposedly a Christian book I think and it's set in the real world and Jesus and Calvary and going to church is mentioned, but then there's these Magicians who live throughout Venice and cast spells and stuff and they're good guys. Now there is "dark magic" which is illegal or whatever. But if Jesus and the Bible and Christianity as we know it exists in this story, then how can we also have good magicians when the Bible says magic is evil. It just made things very confusing for me.
March 19, 2022
2.5 stars. Not that great. Way too much buildup for too little a point. This author really struggles with creating a story that goes anywhere until the last 10% of the book. And then tries to tie it all up with a nice, neat happy ending. 🤷🏻♀️
October 26, 2021
The Sinking City hooked me immediately with its enchanting setting - the world the author created in this book is magical and mysterious and I wanted to figure out what was going on right away. Loved the whole book!
March 19, 2022
Umm 🤨 I didn’t like this at all. There were probably 5 pages which had good parts. Too much buildup, too little climax. The author completely abandons the main story near the end. I thought it would be a sweet ending and then… 🤨weird.
Also, not written well for a read aloud.
Also, not written well for a read aloud.
March 19, 2022
2.5 ⭐️
Not as good as The Winter King (which I liked). It wasn’t a great story line and the friendships didn’t develop very well.
I did like the happy ending tho.
Not as good as The Winter King (which I liked). It wasn’t a great story line and the friendships didn’t develop very well.
I did like the happy ending tho.
December 30, 2021
Oh my goodness. This was so epic!! Christine is so good at making you fall in love with her characters. The magic she gave to Venice, and the monsters who reside there will keep you from all other work until you can finish the story. So glad I read this during break when it seemed more acceptable for me to completely ignore everything but my kids so I could finish this. The book stayed in my hands and followed me from room to room until it was done. Do yourself a favor, and read it. Now. Just try to make sure you're caught up on everything so you don't get unnecessarily distracted
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May 30, 2025Upon re-reading both, I think I like Winter King better but that might just be because I can’t stand the present tense (probably PTSD from all the YA dystopian novels having their hay day when I was in high school). That being said, if I had read this when I was 13, I would’ve been absolutely OBSESSED
First read
Been a while since I stayed up too late because I couldn’t put a book down. Very fun.
(P.S. I promise this really happened and I’m not just trying to flatter my grad school prof;)
First read
Been a while since I stayed up too late because I couldn’t put a book down. Very fun.
(P.S. I promise this really happened and I’m not just trying to flatter my grad school prof;)
July 27, 2023
I really loved this one! I love Liona and Nicco! 🥰 they are so sweet. Liona is so amazing as she faces the mysterious Seleni to fix a bargain she had no part in. As she learns and fights as a powerful magicians, assistant she learns about freedom and love. Would recommend to anyone! Into the mouth of the wolf.
unfinished
January 22, 2024DNF at 12%. Darker than I was expecting...
March 21, 2023
I liked this book, but not near as much as the author’s other book “The Winter King”. It was a good story and I did enjoy it throughout, but I was expecting the clear biblical themes and connections which I found so lovely in the other book, and they just didn’t seem as fleshed out here. Perhaps that wasn’t the intention, or perhaps it was simply my own inability to make the connections soundly. Either way, some of the appeal was really lost for me there. Regardless; good story, lovely characters, enjoyable to consume.
November 19, 2024
when i read this three years ago i honestly didn’t like it that much… but i enjoyed it so much more this time around.
epic world building ✅
strong main character ✅
fast paced plot ✅
the romance was fine but it was almost nonexistent until the end 🤷♀️
April 23, 2023
The ending of this book made it for me! What excellent character depth and development. Took me way too long to finish, but at no fault of the book. The plot line, setting and themes get better and better with every turned page. Can’t recommend Christine’s books enough!!!!!
May 6, 2024
Loved it. Great characters, great mix of magical elements into the real world, great sibling relationships, great classical allusions, just a generally great early YA fairy tale.
2nd read: “All the better.”
2nd read: “All the better.”
February 9, 2022
I’m seriously considering flipping back to the beginning and reading it again.
RTC
RTC
June 22, 2022
Another wonderful story from Christine Cohen! Read by the author, which is always bestest!
February 26, 2025
I honestly expected more from this book especially because of how great The Winter King was. The writing and story building are both skillfully done, I have no complaints whatsoever regarding the quality of this book. But being entirely honest, I didn't like the main heroine. She annoyed me to no end the entire book, making dumb, rash decisions, and lying to literally everyone, even when it felt a little unnecessary. She reminds me of the heroine in The Winter King. If she was suppose to redeem herself in the end it was anticlimactic and I wish I could feel her desperation in lying. She gave reasons as to why she lied but they didn't seem legit enough. Idk why Nico likes her honestly. Like if she likes his so much can she not trust him? I'm gonna be honest if I was Nico I wouldn't have forgiven her after she lied about her identity for the second time. I was like girl what are you doing? Clearly you can trust this guy.
The monsters were cool but their ending was sad and swept under a rug, forgotten. There was a lot of cliches in the plot. It gave off arranged marriage vibes, especially at the beginning. I admire the creative plot and the dialogue is really good. I did have higher expectations however. There is no denying that it is a well written and solid book, but because of personal preference I can't fawn over it.
The monsters were cool but their ending was sad and swept under a rug, forgotten. There was a lot of cliches in the plot. It gave off arranged marriage vibes, especially at the beginning. I admire the creative plot and the dialogue is really good. I did have higher expectations however. There is no denying that it is a well written and solid book, but because of personal preference I can't fawn over it.
January 1, 2022
Was excited to read it. Didn't disappoint. Had a few missed opportunities, in my humble opinion.
It's a 3.5 (but I'll round up to 4)
Quick review:
-Delightful page-turner
-Magical setting
-Novel take on magicians and magic (not Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, for once)
I finished this one a bit ago but wanted to sit on my review for a while.
Here's my first major props to Cohen: I read this incredibly, incredibly quickly. So quickly I'm planning on re-reading it fairly soon to catch the nuances and turns of phrases.
Cohen really knows how to write a page turner (like Collins in Hunger Games) but with far more character development and substance.
Really feels like Cohen is riffing off:
-Twelfth Night
-Howell's Moving Castle
-Beauty and the Beast
-Spinning Silver (or so I've been told)
I devoured this book and found it to be a treat. I enjoyed this less than Winter King, if I'm being honest. There was a magical simplicity and Northernness about WK that was unbeatable. I enjoyed discussing the differences/similarities/favorites/meh points with my sister Marilla.
Similarities:
-Protagonist (it's pretty much impossible to write a leading lady who isn't fairly similar to what a flawed yet interesting leading lady should be. I don't fault Cohen for this).
-The cleaning scenes
Favorite parts:
-Carnival cross-dressing scenes (IYKYK)
-The magician's system of magic
-Certain characters reactions to betrayal
-Liona's siblings, especially her brothers
-The island of the dead bodies
-Byanca
-"All the better"
Least favorite parts/missed opportunities:
-Won't spoil it, but the ending seemed too tidily wrapped up. Winter King ended perfectly (similar to the Wingfeather saga) leaving you wanting more, but just sated enough. I couldn't help but compare the ending of Sinking City to the ending of Little Women. Lots of weird similarities and just a bit too "happy go lucky everything turns out smiley." Could have ended one chapter sooner and been the better for it
-Both Marilla and I were curious about the realm of the Sileni. Wanted a foray there.
-Seemed like a bait and switch with who was the real villain of the book. Didn't like that.
-The Carnival nights were missing a historical darkness to them. Any real Carnival night (Paris, Mardi Gras, etc) has a distinct "yuck" factor that wasn't hinted at here.
-Leona's relationship with Benito pulls too many emotional strings for a connection that doesn't have enough background. Wanted more than just "we were really good friends growing up and owe each other favors."
-The destruction of a certain magical object near the end of the book. Felt too easy. Wanted to see a bit more clever turn there.
I know the author and I'm a huge fan of her and her work. It's hard to review the book without feeling I'm being too harsh. At the same time, I don't want to be "sweety-nicey" just because she might see this.
It's a 3.5 (but I'll round up to 4)
Quick review:
-Delightful page-turner
-Magical setting
-Novel take on magicians and magic (not Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, for once)
I finished this one a bit ago but wanted to sit on my review for a while.
Here's my first major props to Cohen: I read this incredibly, incredibly quickly. So quickly I'm planning on re-reading it fairly soon to catch the nuances and turns of phrases.
Cohen really knows how to write a page turner (like Collins in Hunger Games) but with far more character development and substance.
Really feels like Cohen is riffing off:
-Twelfth Night
-Howell's Moving Castle
-Beauty and the Beast
-Spinning Silver (or so I've been told)
I devoured this book and found it to be a treat. I enjoyed this less than Winter King, if I'm being honest. There was a magical simplicity and Northernness about WK that was unbeatable. I enjoyed discussing the differences/similarities/favorites/meh points with my sister Marilla.
Similarities:
-Protagonist (it's pretty much impossible to write a leading lady who isn't fairly similar to what a flawed yet interesting leading lady should be. I don't fault Cohen for this).
-The cleaning scenes
Favorite parts:
-Carnival cross-dressing scenes (IYKYK)
-The magician's system of magic
-Certain characters reactions to betrayal
-Liona's siblings, especially her brothers
-The island of the dead bodies
-Byanca
-"All the better"
Least favorite parts/missed opportunities:
-Won't spoil it, but the ending seemed too tidily wrapped up. Winter King ended perfectly (similar to the Wingfeather saga) leaving you wanting more, but just sated enough. I couldn't help but compare the ending of Sinking City to the ending of Little Women. Lots of weird similarities and just a bit too "happy go lucky everything turns out smiley." Could have ended one chapter sooner and been the better for it
-Both Marilla and I were curious about the realm of the Sileni. Wanted a foray there.
-Seemed like a bait and switch with who was the real villain of the book. Didn't like that.
-The Carnival nights were missing a historical darkness to them. Any real Carnival night (Paris, Mardi Gras, etc) has a distinct "yuck" factor that wasn't hinted at here.
-Leona's relationship with Benito pulls too many emotional strings for a connection that doesn't have enough background. Wanted more than just "we were really good friends growing up and owe each other favors."
-The destruction of a certain magical object near the end of the book. Felt too easy. Wanted to see a bit more clever turn there.
I know the author and I'm a huge fan of her and her work. It's hard to review the book without feeling I'm being too harsh. At the same time, I don't want to be "sweety-nicey" just because she might see this.
March 19, 2022
Great book if not the best it could have been; but we have to take into account that this is a new writer and only her second book. Would recommend for families, young tweens, and teens.
I especially enjoyed the conclusion, which was a "happily ever after" ending (I enjoy those type of endings even if I do also like me a good tragic ending every now and then too). Could have had a grander battle/final confrontation with the "Seleni" (bad guys), but with a more tame threat in this book (in my opinion the Seleni weren't that threatening) we can't exactly expect a full on "Battle of the Pelloner Fields" or anything. Really, I would say another certain character was more of a villain than the Seleni. Could definatly see this being perhaps the first book in a series, not that there was a cliffhanger, but this could certainly be one of those book series where there is a different threat/villain in the second book instead of one bad guy for the whole series, like LotR.
Not a fan of the romance in this book, although, when am I ever a fan of "romance" in any book is the real question.
Can't speak for the rest of my family, but I thought for half the book that Liona (main character) was 12 or so, but she turns out to be...16?
Oh yeah, my dad read this out loud to all of us btw, that was nice.
Anyway, lets end this mess of a review: 4 out of 5 stars
I especially enjoyed the conclusion, which was a "happily ever after" ending (I enjoy those type of endings even if I do also like me a good tragic ending every now and then too). Could have had a grander battle/final confrontation with the "Seleni" (bad guys), but with a more tame threat in this book (in my opinion the Seleni weren't that threatening) we can't exactly expect a full on "Battle of the Pelloner Fields" or anything. Really, I would say another certain character was more of a villain than the Seleni. Could definatly see this being perhaps the first book in a series, not that there was a cliffhanger, but this could certainly be one of those book series where there is a different threat/villain in the second book instead of one bad guy for the whole series, like LotR.
Not a fan of the romance in this book, although, when am I ever a fan of "romance" in any book is the real question.
Can't speak for the rest of my family, but I thought for half the book that Liona (main character) was 12 or so, but she turns out to be...16?
Oh yeah, my dad read this out loud to all of us btw, that was nice.
Anyway, lets end this mess of a review: 4 out of 5 stars
June 15, 2022
It's tiresome and repetitive, though slightly better than Winter King. Characters are mostly flat and inconsistent. Themes are kind of thrown around willy-nilly, and I'm not sure 100% sure what the cohesive goal of this story was. Anyway. I don't feel like putting full effort into articulating everything I liked and disliked about this story. I was happy about the ending, but I'm not sure it exactly made sense with the story world. Not that the story world always made sense anyway. 🤷
Meh. Not impressed with Cohen, and feel bad for thinking it. She seems like a nice person with decent story ideas whose editor wasn't honest enough with her.
Meh. Not impressed with Cohen, and feel bad for thinking it. She seems like a nice person with decent story ideas whose editor wasn't honest enough with her.
February 1, 2023
My kids and I enjoyed this story a lot. There are a few slow spots, but the characters are like able, and the plot is pretty clear. I appreciated the wholesome ideas presented; forgiveness and redemption aren’t only for those that “deserve” it. It got me thinking morally about what should have been done at each turning point had this been a true story, and I like a book that leaves me pondering.
October 27, 2022
So, so good. Hooked me right from the start. Great characters, plot, and gospel-themes weaved throughout the story.
August 19, 2022
It took a little while for me to really get into the story, but once I hit chapter 17 I could NOT put it down!!! Though don’t be deceived by my start and end dates for this, the story really wasn’t that slow I just had a baby in the middle of reading it. 😂
It took a different direction than I was expecting and it was better than what I had in mind. Just as in The Winter King, this book is full of bautiful gospel elements.
I absolutely loved The Winter King and this second novel did not disappoint. Excited to read what she has next!
It took a different direction than I was expecting and it was better than what I had in mind. Just as in The Winter King, this book is full of bautiful gospel elements.
I absolutely loved The Winter King and this second novel did not disappoint. Excited to read what she has next!
April 15, 2025
This is my favorite book of Christine Cohens. I like how they’re magicians and I never thought how it could be possible to actually see spells. Great imagination! I like how she says to stop running from your fears and face them. I tried it out when I was scared of something. It worked very well. personally, I just love this author and I hope she writes more soon.
January 15, 2026
It’s been so long since I’ve ripped through a book like this! I was hooked even before I finished reading 3 chapters. I stayed up late reading this because I wanted to know what happened next. It’s a wonderfully written fairytale-like story with magic and intrigue, danger and redemption. I’ll definitely be recommending this to all my bookish friends.
July 10, 2025
Wow, I enjoyed this book, thought it was well written and probably a four star book, until the last two or three chapters and then it landed solidly in the 5 star, “I love this book!” category. So much redemption and sacrifice and undeserved forgiveness. Truly great!
June 1, 2022
Loved it, definitely a book our children will grow up on.
April 4, 2025
This was a remarkably sweet story. The author wasn't afraid to write real life into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews