Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary HoffmanWhy did I read it?
Stravaganza has been one of Miss Karen's favorite series for a long time now. So, when we were decided on a book at TeenBookWorms, I suggested this one, and everyone else agreed.
What happened?
Lucien is battling cancer in modern day London. Struggling with chemotherapy, Lucien welcomes the gift of an old notebook to write his thoughts when his throat hurts. But, little does he known that the notebook is a talisman from Talia, an alternate world that was stumbled upon by an alchemist from our world.
Each night that Lucien goes to bed clutching the notebook, he wakes up in Bellezza, as city that resembles Venice almost 400 years in the past. While the political intrigue, beauty, and wonder of the city are similar to events in our own history, Bellezza is a city wrought with its own dangers, traditions, and scandals.
What did I like or not like?
For many of the folks that read it for TeenBookWorms, this book missed just slightly. They said the writing style was confusing at times, and the actions of the Duchessa (the female ruler of Bellezza) were a little bit brutal.
But, I can see why Miss Karen really likes this book. Assassination attempts, powerful families vying for control, and selfish rulers are very much historically accurate, and it makes sense that an alternate world would have these same problems. Having Lucien bounce back and forth between the two world also made for an interesting plot element.
Even though I agree that the writing style, which was third person keeping track of multiple story lines at the same time, could be a little confusing, I thought it helped the story along once I got into it.
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