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A review by abby_ace_of_books
Vesuvius by Cass Biehn
4.5
Everyone is lucky that I couldn't annotate my digital copy of this book because there would have been a lot of screaming.
Vesuvius has been on my TBR pretty much since I saw the cover, and I'm so glad I got to read it early because this is the most invested I've been in a book in a while. The world and the characters immediately drew me in, and if I would've had the chance, I probably would have read this book in one sitting. The ending leaves a possibility of a second book, and I would love to read more if the author chooses to continue expanding this into a series.
The story follows two boys living in Pompeii: Felix, a thief who has lost the memories of his past, and Loren, a temple attendant with a penchant for seeing the future...even when he doesn't want to. I found the story pacing to be well-done, although there were a few chapters in the middle where it dragged a bit. I also wish the implications of part of the ending were touched on a bit more, just because it would've had more emotional impact. The story excels at balancing political intrigue with action, romance, and angst. While I did call most of the plot twists, I still found them exciting and looked forward to each chapter. There were some subplots that didn't have the most satisfactory endings, so that's why I'm hoping for a sequel, but I'm still happy with the way the story ended.
The characters were my favorite part of this book. Felix (as most thief-type characters are) was charming and his POV chapters were fun, but I also loved learning about his backstory. Loren was so sweet, but his character arc was so touching. I've seen some other reviews saying he didn't feel as detailed as Felix, but I personally thought he was really fleshed out. Livia and Aurelia were super kind as well, and I surprisingly grew to like Elias by the end even though I didn't like him at first. The villains were cunning, and while there were a few side characters that I thought could've used a bit more personality, I still loved them all. The romance between Felix and Loren was sweet but also angsty, and I really appreciated how they communicated their feelings realistically.
Vesuvius is a YA historical fantasy novel featuring a diverse cast of characters and exciting mysteries and romances, all centered around a volcano on the verge of explosion.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5
Vesuvius has been on my TBR pretty much since I saw the cover, and I'm so glad I got to read it early because this is the most invested I've been in a book in a while. The world and the characters immediately drew me in, and if I would've had the chance, I probably would have read this book in one sitting. The ending leaves a possibility of a second book, and I would love to read more if the author chooses to continue expanding this into a series.
The story follows two boys living in Pompeii: Felix, a thief who has lost the memories of his past, and Loren, a temple attendant with a penchant for seeing the future...even when he doesn't want to. I found the story pacing to be well-done, although there were a few chapters in the middle where it dragged a bit. I also wish the implications of part of the ending were touched on a bit more, just because it would've had more emotional impact. The story excels at balancing political intrigue with action, romance, and angst. While I did call most of the plot twists, I still found them exciting and looked forward to each chapter. There were some subplots that didn't have the most satisfactory endings, so that's why I'm hoping for a sequel, but I'm still happy with the way the story ended.
The characters were my favorite part of this book. Felix (as most thief-type characters are) was charming and his POV chapters were fun, but I also loved learning about his backstory. Loren was so sweet, but his character arc was so touching. I've seen some other reviews saying he didn't feel as detailed as Felix, but I personally thought he was really fleshed out. Livia and Aurelia were super kind as well, and I surprisingly grew to like Elias by the end even though I didn't like him at first. The villains were cunning, and while there were a few side characters that I thought could've used a bit more personality, I still loved them all. The romance between Felix and Loren was sweet but also angsty, and I really appreciated how they communicated their feelings realistically.
Vesuvius is a YA historical fantasy novel featuring a diverse cast of characters and exciting mysteries and romances, all centered around a volcano on the verge of explosion.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5