Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Review: Venom by Fiona Paul

Venom by Fiona Paul

Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 432
Genre: YA Historical Romance/Mystery
Source: ARC
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
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Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.
When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?
Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.   ADD TO GOODREADS

Released today! Since I posted this 5 months ago I'm re-posting for the release day!

I must admit it took me a little while to get into this book. It is told in third person which made it difficult for me to connect with Cass at first. Also the first scene is a funeral so it was sad and slow. But have no fear because soon enough I met Falco and I was hooked! Cass just lost a close friend and at night she likes to walk around the graveyard. Weird, yes, but it is her way to have a little freedom and alone time, plus it's located right behind her house. She visits her friend's crypt and notices that her friend's body is gone and replaced with a courtesan girl. Cass plans to run to tell the Guard but on the way she runs into Falco again.

Falco oozes charisma and charm right off the pages. Plan to swoon all over yourself. The first line he spoke before I even knew his name and I was in love. Falco talks Cass out of going to the Guard because they are corrupt and useless. Falco suggests that they team up and investigate the murder themselves. Cass agrees wanting to know where her friend's body is and the other part of her wanting the excuse to see Falco again. They ended up making a very hilarious pair of spies. Each night they have a different plan of where to go and how to investigate. One night Cass dresses up as a prostitute and they go to a few of the prostitute houses to find out who the murdered girl is. That was not something Cass normally saw. Another night they attend a masked ball. They have amazing chemistry. Falco teases Cass a bit but you can feel how much he admires her. Falco brings out her free spirit that you can feel her wanting to release. When Falco wasn't on the page I was skimming ahead dying to know when Cass would see him again and Cass was always wondering the same thing.   

I am not a historical reader at all but I loved the setting of this one. I was drawn to this book based on the fact that it took place in Renaissance Venice and I loved it! The descriptions were beautiful and realistic and I could always picture myself inside the book. I still cringe thinking about the whale bones and crazy contraptions Cass wore. I should also admit I didn't know what half of the things she wore were. I would have never been able to live in those times although I badly wanted to hop on a gondola with Falco and just ride around in the dark making out. lol I loved that Cass slowly opened up and rebelled. She slowly started to be who she wanted, even ripped off the whale bones at one point, but she also kept pulling back feeling an obligation to her aunt. I found her aunt to be rude but since she is all the family Cass has left, Cass doesn't want to disappoint her.

I wanted to report back that there isn't a love triangle but I'm afraid there is. Cass does have a fiancé but it is someone who she is promised to, not someone she picked for herself. She hasn't seen Luca in three years since he went off to school but he eventually shows. Luca was a jerk at first but then later I felt sorry for him. I won't get much more into him because he is a bit spoilery. I felt like he handled things terribly and kept lies that put Cass at risk. Not that Falco didn't have a few secrets but I just thought Luca should have came clean with some things sooner. Not to mention his horridly boring supposed love letters. I think he does care for Cass but I felt nothing between them but Cass feels a responsibility to keep their agreement. It weighs heavily on her mind throughout the story but seriously if she doesn't end up with Falco I'm going to beat my book to death with a whale bone.

Which brings me to the ending that was very open. While the murderer is revealed, there is a whole big other conspiracy going on that we must wait to learn more about in the next book. The mystery was still interesting enough and as I said I really loved watching Cass and Falco work to uncover it. I am happy that the romance was such a large part of the book because it was so fantastic. I was kind of hoping for something more to be wrapped up since it was a somewhat long book at about 430 pages but I'll try to wait patiently. Other than that I absolutely loved the story...okay I admit mostly I loved Falco ;-) But if you need more than just him to read then that is okay too because the mystery is fun and the historical parts are fascinating as well.

"How terrible it must be to be a member of the noble class. So many rules. Such restraint. You must feel like a caged bird, battering its wings against the sides of its golden prison."

"So fierce," Falco murmured, holding out a hand to help Cass to her feet. "I'm beginning to enjoy picking you up off the ground."

"I know you want this as much as I do," he said. "You aren't going to report me. And even if you did, I'm inclined to think a night with you might well be worth imprisonment."

Rating: 5/5

38 comments:

  1. That cover is gorgeous! The book sounds so good too!

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    1. I love the cover too! I'm a sucker for masquerade parties and masks. I'm not a historical fiction reader but was really intrigued by the summary. I am happy to say I was not disappointed!

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  2. Oh man...this one was at BEA and I never had a chance to grab it...after reading your review...I'm really kicking myself for not trying harder!

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    1. Oh man I would probably be like a wild animal if I went to BEA. I'd be knocking people over to get books LOL Well you can always pre-order or get it at the library when it comes out! I really enjoyed it and hope you do to if you get a chance to read it!

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  3. I think i have fallen in love with Falco even more! Cass and Falco do sound like hillarious spies. Looking forward to reading this.

    Great review! =D

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    1. They were so funny. I was chuckling a bit with their schemes. Falco is so swoon worthy! I'd honestly recommend him to everyone!

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  4. "with Falco I'm going to beat my book to death with a whale bone. "<---That made me lol!

    I really dislike third person pov usually. But I want to meet this Falco guy. I may give it a go at some point.

    Great review!

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    1. haha I hoped people would get a laugh. Sometimes I'm not sure if my odd sense of humor is conveyed well through my writing LOL But all the talk of whale bone corsets and weird dress contraptions made me really want to get violent with a whale bone. I always fall for the wrong guy in love triangles and with this series I feel like the focus is Falco and that he will be end game. I'm happy cause I fell for him so if somehow she doesn't end up with him I'll seriously freak out. I also really hate third person POV. I would say that is my only real complaint with the book. I would have thought it perfect if it was just in Cass' first person POV. But it was worth suffering through. I got used to it eventually and Falco more than makes up for it.

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  5. LOVE that cover! I haven't heard of this book before but now I'm very interested in it :)

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    1. Very cool cover! Glad I could introduce you to a new book!

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  6. I really love the cover but to be honest I didn't know what exactly this book all about at the first. But now I know and I think I would like it too! Falco sounds really mezmerizing!
    Awesome review, Jen! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. I was a little unsure how the book would go as well. I just liked the cover! LOL So at first it was a little hard for me to get into but then I met Falco and I was sold! Hope you give it a chance and enjoy it!

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  7. I cannot wait to read this! I am not a huge historical fiction reader either but this setting is definitely one I want to read. I am excited to meet Falco! Great review! :)

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    1. I normally hate historical fiction but the setting was awesome! I would love to travel by gondola! How romantic! Plus Falco was amazing. I hope you enjoy it!

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  8. You lucky Duck! HOW I LONG TO READ THIS!

    Inky @ Book Haven Extraordinaire

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    1. Hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read it!

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  9. I enjoy historical books and i would love to read about Venice. I can't believe that you found someone who you swoon overl I thought Adrian was your one and only! Falco sounds fun for sure. The only thing I am not excited about is the open ending and the love triangle, but I guess an open ending is better than a cliffhanger, right?

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    1. I know I'm cheating on Adrian! No my heart still belongs to him but Falco can definitely hang on his level. If you love historical books I definitely think you will enjoy this one. I also only really hated the love triangle and open ending. The love triangle doesn't really come in until the very end so mostly you can enjoy Falco without too much drama. I was really mad about the ending. But I guess we have to read the whole series before Cass makes up her mind.

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  10. Another book to be added to my list of 'to be read'! Thanks for the review, Falco sounds great!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Happy to spread the news of Falco so that more may enjoy him and swoon!

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  11. Well, I'm not big on historical romances, but I'll have to check this out. Nice review!

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    1. I hate historical books. I think the only ones I liked are the Infernal Devices series until this one! LOL So even as a non historical fan I would recommend it. Mostly for Falco ;-)

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  12. Love love love you review Jenn. Wow. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm seriously dying for this one. lol. I'm with you on not reading much historical fiction, but I think it one would be ok. I like Renaissance Venice too! I love how talked about Cass' character and her relationship with Falco. I'm really interested is Luca's role and how Cass is going to handle this triangle she's in. OMG, those quotes, especially the last one... *sigh* I love Falco already!! :)

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    1. Yes it's so rare to find a great swoon worthy guy. I immediately started sticky noting favorite quotes and before I knew it I had a ton! My book had pink papers everywhere. I'm not into historical books at all but I really enjoyed this one. Hope you love it too! Cass and Falco has great chemistry and I'm very curious to see where this love triangle goes...hopefully it goes to getting naked with Falco ;-)

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  13. NIce this sounds really good! I love the cover too which is a valid reason to want to read it, right!? :D Falco sounds yummy and like a great male lead! Wonderful review, Jenn!

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    1. A cover is a perfectly good reason to want a book! Honestly that was half of why I decided to give this a try. That and the Venice setting. I thought it was time to try another historical read since I never read them and I was very happy with it. Falco was a fantastic character. I will swoon for him for a long time.

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  14. I'm not usually a historical reader either, but this book sounds great! And I desperately want to meet this Falco after all the teasers you've been posting. ;) Amazing review!

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    1. You must meet Falco! Everyone must meet Falco! LOL Not a historical reader but I really got into the setting. I would love a gondola ride!

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  15. This sounds like a great read. Thank you for your great review and recommendation. It seems like there are a lot of covers lately with masks. Just an interesting observation.

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    1. Now that you mention it, yes I have seen quite a few mask covers. I really like them though. I hope you get a chance to read this and enjoy the book!

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  16. This book looks awesome. The cover reminds me of the books by Michelle Madow. I have not read too many historical YA books but renaissance italy is one of my favorite time periods in history so I bet I would enjoy it a lot. And as long as it is well done, love triangles don't bug me too much. Sometimes.

    Thanks for the great review :)

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    1. This love triangle might not bug you. It was intriguing...I just worry. The girl never ends up with the guy I want! LOL I love the Michelle Madow cover! I still need to read that book too. Renaissance Italy was really interesting. I started googling it. Really enjoyed the setting. Hope you enjoy it!

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  17. I am so happy that you loved this one! I really, really, really am looking forward to it, and if it was bad I would be sad ): But since you loved it, that gives me a lot of hope that I will, too! I actually have a ARC, but I must use self-control as I am not scheduled to read this one until late August. Sigh.

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    1. I have no self control. I read stuff whenever! Falco is to die for so I hope you love him and enjoy this! It's a little slow at first but Falco will suck you in. :-D

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  18. AHHHHHH.......SO EXCITED TO READ THIS ONE!!! I have been seeing it everywhere, so I am very curious to see how it turns out! And Falco....oh man...he sounds YUMMY! LOL ;p Can't wait to meet him! Glad you LOVED this! Fantabulous review! :D

    ~ Maida @ Literary Love Affair

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  19. Thanks for such a great review! I've heard conflicting things about this book, so even though it sounded promising to me, I've been reluctant to read it. But I hadn't read any reviews that were this rational and thorough--you've definitely swayed me back over! Putting it at the top of my TBR now :)

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  20. Eeek! I've heard very good things about Venom and I REALLY want to read it. I'm glad to hear more good news! I've heard the characters are lots fo fun, and I'm actually a huge fan of 3rd person, so I'll definitely be reading this now. Though, I might think about waiting awhile just so that I don't have to wait very long between books.

    Brynna

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