Rate this book

Starling (2014)

by Fiona Paul(Favorite Author)

3.98 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0399257276 (ISBN13: 9780399257278)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Philomel

series

Secrets of the Eternal Rose

review 1: Starling is the third and final volume of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy. It's been a while since I read book 2, but when I spotted Starling on a display shelf at my local library, I figured it was time I finished the series. I didn't actually have high expectations for Starling; the first book, Venom, wasn't stellar, but the second book, Belladonna, kept me interested at most every turn.Synopsis: It's been a week since Cass broke her fiance Luca out of prison. After hiding in a shed on a small island outside of Venice waiting for the search for them to die down, the two finally venture out to Cass' aunt's home in search of food, supplies, and money. Unfortunately, Cass returns only to discover her aunt died while Cass was away. With the help of her aunt's ma... moreid Narissa, Cass and Luca head into Venice proper to investigate rumors of vampire activity - the same rumors that flew about Florence, the same rumors that mean Belladonna, or Angelo de Gradi, has arrived. They spit up to cover more territory, and Cass accidentally finds Cristian, Luca's bastard half-brother, is still alive, in hiding, and still up to his old tricks. She also runs into Feliciana, Siena's sister, and has to break the news of her sister's death. Naturally, Feliciana does not take it well. Aided by the mysterious magician Maximus (from Venom), Cass takes up residence in Palazzo Dolce, a courtesan house, and goes with the girls to a party at Joseph Dubois' mansion in the hopes that she will be able to steal the Book of the Eternal Rose. While there, she sees Belladonna in person, and overhears her form a partnership with Dubois to secure more girls for their experiments. Naturally, Cass worries that they'll find her and once again drain her of her blood. Cass also runs into Falco at this party, and Luca witnesses him profess his love for Cass. Cass must decide between them, avoid capture, find the Book of the Eternal Rose and expose Belladonna and Dubois, and somehow survive Cristian's continued attempts to kill her.I gave Starling four stars because of one particular thing: Cass' character development. The writing vacillated back and forth between really vivid and engaging, to brusque and emotionless, then back again. This happened more toward the end, and I could feel Paul trying to get all her characters in place for the final battle scene; it's like she had to arm wrestle them there and chose to employ the one-to-two-sentence "paragraph" tactic to just rush through things that could have benefited from more detail. However, through all that, Cass herself still progressed well as a person, which surprised me. In Venom, she was a flaky rich girl who constantly complained that she wanted a different life. In Belladonna, Cass realized she must affect her own change, and that she CAN. In Starling, Cass takes matters into her own hands, plans her own tactics, and literally fights her enemies. She's not a scared, weak child anymore. She's an intelligent, driven woman, and as such, she can finally address the issue of which man she truly wants. I'm happy to say that once she makes a decision, she sticks with it, largely because her reasons are sound. I don't find that often in YA novels.SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS Cass realizes that while there is passion between her and Falco, that's the ONLY thing, and it's just as likely to make them argue as it is lead them into intimate situations. Cass and Luca, on the other hand, have a stronger foundation than that: they believe the same things, like doing the same things, have a common history in their childhoods; each makes the other want to be better, but above all, neither Cass nor Luca try to force each other to be anything other than who they are. If anything, they want to become more of themselves, together. Falco, conversely, keeps criticizing Cass' beliefs, and Cass gets frustrated with Falco's flippancy and nonchalance to anything important. While he served a purpose in her emotional development during Venom and Belladonna, he also served as the catalyst for her realization that Luca had become the man she wanted while she wasn't looking, and she stuck to her guns about it when Falco tried to convince her otherwise. Kudos, Cass.End Spoilers.I'm also happy to say that all loose ends got tied up in this installment. I wasn't quite satisfied with the high-level explanation about Cass' parents' involvement in the Order, but at least they were acquitted of being supporters. We also get a peek into Falco's past, specifically why he hates religion so much. Also, the mystery-solving, danger-escaping, evil-thwarting action definitely helped keep my attention to the last page. I felt Belladonna and Piero's demise was abbreviated and early, but satisfyingly ironic, given Cristian's role in certain things. The reveal on that was a little understated, but when it finally hit me, I couldn't help feel a sense of satisfaction.I'm on the fence about whether I want to own the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy. One one hand, Cass' emotional arc blew me away, and I do love Italy, but I'm not sure how often I'd read the books. Perhaps if I found them for a good deal, I'd add them to my collection. As it is, support your local library!
review 2: So many happy happy happy feelings towards this truly magical trilogy. I would be here all day if I were to write all the things I loved about this book, so instead I shall keep it short and sweet. Thank you Fiona Paul for allowing Renaissance Venice to come to life on your enticing, tumultuous pages that I turned at a rapid rate. To Cassandra for being the first protagonist in a very long time who I have genuinely admired and liked, and to the man of the two who she chooses, (you make me want to live in the 1700's).Overall, if you are thinkingof reading Secrets of the Eternal Rose, consider your deliberation over. You must read this trilogy! less

Download links for: Starling

Advertising