From the author of "Entangled" comes a lush, Italian-inspired fantasy romance about a Mafia daughter who magically turns herself into a boy to fight for her family's honor and her father's life.
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From the author of "Entangled" comes a lush, Italian-inspired fantasy romance about a Mafia daughter who magically turns herself into a boy to fight for her family's honor and her father's life.
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Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $1.45, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $1.54, very good condition, Sold by PlumCircle rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from West Mifflin, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Penguin Books.
Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $1.59, very good condition, Sold by PlumCircle rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from West Mifflin, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Penguin Books.
Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $2.35, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers.
Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $2.35, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers.
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Add this copy of The Brilliant Death to cart. $2.72, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2019 by Penguin Books.
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.
I read this book because in the Editor's Letter in the beginning and I knew that I had to read this book because Hello, who doesn't love a Miyazaki style story with a Renaissance Italian setting! I also strongly suggest to not read the synopsis as it kind of made the book sound weirder than it actually was.
This book really reminded me of An Enchantment of Ravens as it was short (around 330 pages) but it felt like I was reading a much longer narrative. The prose was well written and the plot moved rather fast; there weren't any scenes that didn't contribute to the overall plot of the book. The story did end wrapped up but there is definitely room for the author to write a sequel if they chose.
My favorite part of the book was the magic. In Vanalia, those with magic are called Strega, which is Italian for Witch and that makes total sense considering that the setting is Italian inspired, and they aren't loved but they aren't exactly persecuted. Teo, the MC, had magic that was almost like a whole other character. It had a temper and sometimes did what it wanted. Also, I am not going to spoil it but Teo's ability is awesome and so unique. And speaking of magic there is Cielo, Teo's meet-cute friend to lover and a totally awesome character! Cielo is a shapeshifter as long as they have their book with spells. Though I enjoyed the magic, I wish that The Brilliant Death was explained better especially since it was a key feature of the story.
This book was quite queer. Cielo and Teo are both genderfluid. I really liked that Capetta wrote these characters the way that she did because I haven't heard of many books where there is one genderfluid character let alone two and in a relationship, which I totally ship by the way.
The setting of Vanalia was quite interesting though I wish that Capetta went into more detail on who the Capo is. I understand that he is trying to usurp the families that rule to "unify" the land but I didn't really know who he was and I want more of a backstory on him. One thing that I didn't really get vibes of is the "Mafia-style" of the families that the synopsis promises. Yes, they were a bit ruthless but the fate of their world is at stake here so I can understand why they do what they do.
The other characters besides Cielo and Teo were not the best but they were also not the worst. Teo's brother, Luca was sweet and I wish that we could have had more time with him. Then there is Teo's other brother, Beniamo was a complete terror that deserved more then he received.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this novel and I am excited to read other books that Capetta has written.
Alex
Oct 29, 2018
Brilliant Read
The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta has to be one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved how she created a powerful individual through Teodora DiSangro and her unique personality really strikes a chord with readers. Capetta referenced her Italian-inspired influences into a highly colorful narrative which blended into the story so seamlessly.
I also wanted to commend Capetta for creating Cielo. Capetta found a very natural way to be inclusive of a gender fluid individual and, even more so, took on a powerful stance on gender definitions. It's refreshing when authors break gender barriers by equipping themselves with the great faculty of storytelling.
Altogether I found this is a book that takes fantasy to a higher level.