What do you think?
Rate this book
Secrets of the Eternal Rose #3
Starling
The dark, seductive conclusion to the thrilling Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy!
In the final book in the trilogy, Cass and Luca are back in Venice trying to find the Book of the Eternal Rose to clear Luca's name and keep them both out of prison. But the hunters become the hunted when the Order of the Eternal Rose figures out their plan. Filled with twists and turns, danger and torrid romances, this novel brings the Secrets of the Eternal Rose novels to a thrilling, heart-pounding, sexy conclusion.
In the final book in the trilogy, Cass and Luca are back in Venice trying to find the Book of the Eternal Rose to clear Luca's name and keep them both out of prison. But the hunters become the hunted when the Order of the Eternal Rose figures out their plan. Filled with twists and turns, danger and torrid romances, this novel brings the Secrets of the Eternal Rose novels to a thrilling, heart-pounding, sexy conclusion.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published March 20, 2014
About the author
Fiona Paul
11 books410 followersFiona Paul is a pseudonym for author Paula Stokes
****************************************
NOTE TO READERS AND REVIEWERS:
Please contact me via email or twitter.
If you're looking for a review copy of BELLADONNA, please contact Penguin's marketing department directly at [email protected]. Thanks and happy reading! :)
****************************************
NOTE TO READERS AND REVIEWERS:
Please contact me via email or twitter.
If you're looking for a review copy of BELLADONNA, please contact Penguin's marketing department directly at [email protected]. Thanks and happy reading! :)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
December 31, 2020
10 out of 10
Ревью в моем блоге/This review on my blog Living A Thousand Lives (please use Chrome/Yandex browser or Android/IOS to see the page; otherwise, spoiler-tags I use to make my post compact may not work)
Short-Soundtrack:
Fous De La Mer feat. Clair Dietrich – All These Years
Birdy - Let Her Go
James Blunt – Goodbye my lover
Genre: historical fantasy, YA, mystery
Stuff: Renaissance Venice, secret society
WOW: twists, the ending... everything?
POV: 3rd-person, female
Love-Geometry: fading medium
Setting: Venice
Quote-Core:
"Maybe love wasn’t about barriers at all, but rather about choices people made, giving up one thing to secure another."
First of all, I have to tell you how I love the title. That's how: VERY MUCH. By the by, starlings are very beautiful creatures:
And one more thing! While reading Starling , I knew my review would be a spoiler one, 'cause every name, every mood, every nuance of this book are important and contain some clues and hints. From the very first page to the very last word you'd be under the story's spell, under bitter-sweet suspense torture. In this installment Fiona Paul wrapped up every thread and details of her trilogy, no question would be left without answer. And you'd better go blind into Starling 's world. For the sake of strong feelings and an ocean of tears.
So please, If you haven't read this book yet, don't read my review.
SPOILER-ALERT!
It's been a while since I was reading a series thick and fast and had no idea what to expect from the ending. I knew next to nothing about Venom and its book-sisters Belladonna and Starling . And it was amazing.
There are stories that are masterpieces, flawless, powerful. You give them 10 stars but you can't call them your favorites. And there are stories that aren't ideal, they may have cliches or other issues, but you can't help your fall for them, because of the characters and atmosphere. This is that kind of a story.
I don't say this is better than anything I've ever read, but it's one of the best things I've ever felt.
Secrets of the Eternal Rose is about love and some would see it as a romance only despite the mystery part. But what about family, friendship, betrayal things? What about forgiveness, religion, science, hard choices, and becoming a mature person? Even love in this series isn't your typical one. I've never seen such a brilliant conclusion for such a tangled triangle. And sure, I've never been so involved.
I was aware that no matter how the book ends I would be happy and sad at the same time, 'cause I was am in love with both male-leads and one of them was automatically doomed. While reading Starling , I suddenly got what kind of final my heart would endure better and seems like Ms. Fiona figured it out too.
I'm not gonna retell you the plot, 'cause you've already read it, right? If not, you still have a chance to close the page until you are spoiled. This review would become a parade of my feelings and thoughts. Let's begin.
Writing style. I love the way Fiona Paul puts her words into the story. So accurate. She told everything I would love her too, she made me feel a whole world of emotions. It so easy to fly over the pages of her books. Amazing feeling. That's how enjoyable reading should be.
Minor characters. Aunt Agnese and her surprisingly rich past, wonderful Maximus and his magic, funny courtesans and their way to make decent women being jealous, creepy members of the Order and their crazy evils... Every person in this story has his or her righteous place, they all were needed and Paul did forget of no one at the end of a day.
Mystery. Starling (I'll never get tired of this word) has its scary moments, I was all nerves while Piero was chasing Cassandra. But to my liking, the evil was beaten too fast and serendipitously. I mean the Belladonna and Piero's part. With Dubois, it was the same rushed thing, but behind it was a good strategy at least. Don't get me to start on Christian! He became ridiculous. And you know what? I don't give a damn. Villains in this series are means, not goals.
Luca and Falco
I wanna thank Fiona Paul for honest work. Some authors make one of their characters look better by making the other worse. They do it with love-triangles, manipulating readers' sympathy by that. Ms. Paul didn't try to diminish neither Falco nor Luca. They both deserved Cass. But her choice wasn't about decency.
These guys didn't meet, didn't fight, didn't say a word to each other, and didn't share a glance. I wanted them to, but Cass is right:
"They were the sort of men whose paths never should have crossed."
But both of them love her. Actually, for the first half of Starling I was sure Falco is a lustful bastard since he couldn't keep his hands off Cassandra whether they were together. But then I got the point. It's just his way to express love and affection. We all are different. Some people show their feelings via words, some via care and tenderness, while some with their touches. Even Luca might love to act in a Falco's manner, but he was raised to be a gentleman, it was his second nature.
"As much as Cass wanted him with her, she knew he was probably flogging himself for his single moment of impropriety."
See? It's not good or bad, it is what it is. So what do we have at the start of the book are two men with open hearts and souls and one girl with a hard choice: with whom she would be happy, without whom she wouldn't able to live?
Luca
He is sweet, honorable, protective, but always gives Cass space to make her mistakes and decisions. But not his secrets made me prefer him to Falco (for Cass), it was his attitude. I mean the scene when Luca had seen Cass with another man and proceeded like no one YA-boy ever. He made Cass understand that he's hurt, that he was aware of her adventures, and that he won't force her to marry him, she had to make a choice and only then they could or couldn't have another conversation. And he left her. Finally! A man who acts like a man and not like a stupid puppy. A man who won't tolerate 'you both are the same for me, blah-blah-blah' and stuff. A man who has a proper pride. And you know what? Now I see why he asked her to forget about him when he was imprisoned. Letters. Christian was sending him Cass's diary, sheet after sheet, so he knew she was in love with someone else.
"I started to receive strange letters from the messenger. Pages in your handwriting detailing romantic trysts with a man who was ‘different from your fiancé in every way.’"
Ouch, it hurts even me, needless to say about Luca. That's why I was glad when he went away. I thought, 'Let's see, dear Cass, how you would manage without him'. Oh, and can I just say that firstly Luca had asked if Cass had a place to live in and only then left her? Even in anger, he cared about her.
Of course, she collected all the problems she could after that, and when it came to a real danger I had started to wait for Luca, but he didn't show up... I'm not sure I forgave him for it...
When Cass finally found her fiance after the crazy ups and downs of her life, it meant only one thing (at least for Luca): she chose him. But for me, it wasn't a choice. Who do you prefer: dead or alive boyfriend? If you aren't a necrophile, your answer is pretty obvious. I wanted Cass to stay with Luca, but also I wanted her to be reasonable, to make a decision without such convenient circumstances. Would she act in the same manner if Falco was alive? 'Cause he wouldn't leave her be, he wouldn't give up on her. Would she be able to resist this temptation of a man?
Falco
Oh, that boy... I do like Luca, but the strongest emotions I was given by da Padova. I was in love and in fury, adored him and despised, was disappointed with, and was proud of. He was a firework.
“You are—” Her voice cracked, and for a moment she feared she might cry. Inhale. Exhale. She searched for the right word. “Dazzling,” she said. Her lips slanted into a smile. “Knowing you has been magical.”
When I think about him, my mind is filling with starlings and lopsided smiles, with a scent of paint and night air, I hear the splash of canal's water and feel the need to find some troubles.
At first, he was a passion and a flame, pure fun. But it was him and only him, who came for Cass, when she was in deadly troubles, in that moment I saw him in different lights. His bravado and arrogance were just a defense mechanism. He could be serious, he could be selfless. And his love was more than lust.
"Marry me, starling."
I might die. I was tempted to say to him 'yes' for Cass. Really. I knew she wouldn't, but it was such a beautiful proposition. I could see Falco with Cass. I could see them running away from Venice to start a new life. But Cass was right. Their couple was so fairytale-ish, it didn't feel real. Falco was quick-tempered and had another mindset. He might try to accept Cass as she was, but I'm sure it would be futile.
BTW, Cassandra analyzed her potential future with Falco and the relationship they already had. These two were either fighting or kissing. Always. They couldn't talk without controversy, 'cause they were too different. And while Cass was ready to accept Falco with his way of thoughts, he was trying to change hers. Without hard pressure, but he was doing so. Luca acted smarter in this case. He had said Cass that her mind belonged only to her and he didn't care whether she believed in God or in science or in nothing at all. With Falco, Cass could have a hot romance, but with Luca, she could have forever, in harmony and mutual respect.
"She couldn’t substitute Falco for Luca. She couldn’t substitute a series of reckless romantic moments for a life with someone honest and true."
By the by, while we'd been under Falco's spell, we didn't know him at all. He was a half-criminal young artist with Adriatic-blue eyes and nothing more (since we had no additional information). Luca seemed safer, more solid, and real because of this reason too. And when Falco had started to confess in Cass his previous life and love (I was so jealous), I panicked. That was it! Like tragic music in movies when something bad is about to happen. Book-soundtrack is confession. A hero with an enigmatic past starts to spill his secrets out and you know he won't survive the next chapter.
Falco's death
At first, I couldn't believe it. Seriously. Even when Cass came to the burned shop and was told there were found four bodies, I was hoping the 4th belonged to the killed courtesan. But when Falco didn't show up in a day or so, I went crazy. I couldn't enjoy Luca and Cass's time together in full measure, 'cause I always thought about Falco's fate. It wasn't fair. It was a cheap move. I wasn't sure how to feel. To be happy for Cass and Luca? To be angry for Falco? I think it was hope that was keeping me sane. I was looking for Falco everywhere. I needed to hear his 'starling this' and 'starling that' again.
When Maximus had come for Cass to show her something, I was SO ready to see da Padova. But it wasn't him. I thought a stranger in a wedding gondola would turn out to be him. But it was Christian. Then I mistook him for Matteo Querini (though it was ridiculous) when this boy helped Cass to knockout Luca's half-brother. I was expected Falco when Cass went to her parents' crypt. She was going the same path she did when she met Falco 3 books ago. Wasn't it a sign? It wasn't.
I was keeping in mind the portrait Falco had painted of Cass. I wanted her to take it from her armoire, to look at it, and to suffer. Yes, I wanted her to cry a river with me, 'cause, dammit, I was more upset with Falco's death than she was. It was the last 2% of the story when she finally came to her room for this painting. She looked in the mirror and saw how mature and tired she had become. She needed a glimpse of her happy and wild self from the past So she had unfolded the portrait and I started to cry for the thousandth time during my read (oh wait, I've been crying non-stop since Luca left Cass on the street, it just intensity of the tears that was actually changing). Then I heard a voice (see how mad I was? I was hearing voices!):
Goodreads limited review length to 15k, so 4k of this one deleted. Please read it on my blog.
Secrets of the Eternal Rose (Тайны Бессмертной Розы):
— Venom (Под маской любви) #1/3
— Belladonna (Белладонна) #2/3
— Starling (Скворушка) #3/3
August 15, 2016
Final installment's buddy read with The Grinch (Julia) and Katerina. Reading sessions with you, girls, are always a pleasure.
Warning! This review contains spoilers regarding the ending of the trilogy.
My rating is for the whole trilogy. If I am to rate Starling, I'd give it three stars, but in this case I think it is relevant to include the events of the previous parts and rate them all in one. I'll list below some of my thoughts about what I liked and did not like about the transformation of this series from the first book till the final one.
* I wasn't satisfied with the ending: it was too sugary-coated. I liked that Cass chose Luca (I'll elaborate on this topic later), but I didn't like how their wedding was displayed and some too predictable cliche scenes were involved. Maybe it's just me, because I really dislike melodramatic happy endings: sometimes laconic finale is enough.
**Cass annoyed me occasionally. I didn't hate her and I've seen worse (hello, Mare), but sometimes her indecision was childish (she is 15 (?) after all), and in spite of her growth during the trilogy, in the end it wasn't enough for me to label her as one of my favorite heroines.
***Love triangle. It was there and at the same time it wasn't. From one side Cass knew who she wanted, but from the other side she continued to juggle with boys, making them believe she wanted them both. Just one little frank talk with Luca or Falco could've saved a lot of drama time and eye rolls for us. I was always team Luca and am glad that Cass chose him, but closer to the end I was thinking, maybe, it could've been better if boys just dumped Cass (from the precipice *wink to Julia*) and went on with their lives; sometimes it felt like she didn't deserve any of them.
****The mystery was solved naively. I honestly expected more from the whole secret society concept. I did not get what I expected and at one point the whole mystery part turned into a diversion from the romance, which was the main reason for this book or even for the whole trilogy.
*****Villains turned out to be a part of a crazy circus. They were just entertaining us and turning into crazy clowns - barking but not really biting. What was done to Christian is ridiculous. He was a real maniac in Venom, now he just turned into a cliched villain with catchphrases like: Cassandra I came to kill you, mwahahahaahhaha! Pleeeease, am I suppose to be scared?
******I liked the darker side of Venice. It was preserved throughout the trilogy and helped to magnify the creepy moments. I'd say, the atmosphere is one of my favorite parts about these books.
All in all, it was a really nice historical fiction/romance young adult series with mostly likable characters and solid mystery (till the last book). I don't think I would've liked it that much if I read it alone: a very large part of my liking depended on fun reading/discussion sessions with my friends. I was sad that this journey had come to an end, and partly I will miss Cassandra's adventures as much as scolding her. Secrets of the Eternal Rose made me feel different emotions and in the end of the day it matters the most.
P.S. Oh, I totally forgot to mention Slipper (Cass' cat):
But then Slipper bounded through the doorway, and Cass’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest with joy. She forgot all about sleeping as she scooped up the squirmy gray-and-white cat and started covering him with kisses.
This is what I call true love.
August 4, 2014
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Starling by Fiona Paul
Book Three of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series
Publisher: Philomel
Publication Date: March 20, 2014
Rating: 5 stars
Source: ARC sent by the author
Summary (from Goodreads):
To come.
What I Liked:
SPOILER FREE REVIEW! Unless you haven't read Venom. But if you have read both Venom and Belladonna, there are zero spoilers in this review!
Also, I feel like I'm not going to do this book justice with my review.
I don't even know where to start with this book. For me, this series has come a long way. Way back when, I read Venom, and didn't really like, a little more than a month ago, I read Belladonna, and enjoyed it! I was so happy to see several key changes in the series. Three weeks ago, I was sent this novel as a "delta" reader (I rather like that title!), and here we are. Conclusion novels are always difficult for me to review, because I hate seeing a series end, especially the ones that I enjoyed. I also feel the need to compare and review the entire series, in the review for the last book. Which doesn't make much sense. But anyway. I may have disliked Venom, but as I have completed the series, I have come to realize that this YA historical fiction series is one of my favorites.
I have a feeling I'm going to ramble in this review, so I'm going to narrow down what I liked into specific sections. I am so happy to finally *really* understand everything behind the Secrets of the Eternal Rose. Finding this book and clearing Luca's name seems to be the primary objective in the story. The plot might seem straightforward, but I love the twists and turns that Ms. Paul includes that make the story that much more interesting. While I didn't see character development in Venom, I could clearly see the depth of some characters' growth by the end of this book. And the romance - everyone wants to know how it ends. It ends... well. As does the entire series.
I am so happy that the Secrets of the Eternal Rose and the Book and that whole mystery is puzzled out! The series is set around finding the book, so obviously, a resolution of some sort would have been in order, but I'm just really happy that after being disappointed with its lack of mention in Venom, that everything about the Order is resolved in a way.
The plot was probably anything but straightforward. The book picks up where Belladonna left off - with Luca and Cass on the run. They go to Cass's villa, and after that, things get complicated. I'm not going to spoil anything, Ms. Paul kept the pace of the book moving, page after page. It seemed like Cass did not stay in one place for very long. Finding the Book, sneaking into rooms, escaping from places... there was no shortage of action and conflict in this novel. I love this aspect of the book, because this is a huge change from Venom, and (sort of) Belladonna. I found Venom very slow in pace, and Belladonna faster, but Starling kept going. You couldn't stop and absorb for a second!
NOT that that's a bad thing at all! I was pleased by how many situations and conflicts Ms. Paul put in Starling. It's not a confusing book (I promise!), nor is it hard to keep track and remember what happened in the past. That is another excellent thing I found - Ms. Paul has the ability to successfully bring readers back the overall story and the immediate story, without confusing readers or making readers feel like they've forgotten everything and must re-read the previous books.
Not that re-reading the previous books is a bad idea ;)
This is sort of a comparison from the beginning of the series (Venom) to the end of the series (Starling), but I'm very pleased by the evidence of character development in Cass. I feel like the rest of the characters stayed pretty static throughout the series, but Cass definitely changed - and for the better. I complained in my review of Venom how I thought that Cass was an ehhh character, with no development from the beginning of Venom to the end. But as I have finished the series, I can see how she has changed. While I still think her entire being is anachronistic, I love how Cass stands for herself and fights for what she wants, rather than follow someone and wait for things to come to her.
Ms. Paul puts Cass in very difficult and tricky situations, and I like how Cass deals with being placed in those situations. I finally really like Cass in this book, because I think she fights for herself, for reasons that she wants, and not for what she thinks others would want from her. Also, the courtesan thing? SO amusing! I admire Cass's gall to be around the courtesans. And they're pretty cool! The courtesans play a huge and important role in Starling. You'll see what I mean, and I hope you agree with me!
Okay... I've reached the point I'm sure most people care about the most: the romance. While I will NOT insinuate which young man is the lucky one, I will say that regardless of which one you like, I think readers will love the ending of the Starling, in terms of the romance. Forget "Team Luca" and "Team Falco" for a second. Think about Cass, her personality, who she is, what she stands for, and what she knows that SHE wants and needs. The young man she chose... well, she chose him for him, and for her. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, but if you're an astute reader, you'll know without having to know which young man she chooses.
Of course, I know some readers are going to disappointed, because Cass can't have it both ways! But again - regardless of what "team" you are on, I think you will be satisfied with the ending, in terms of romance. AND in terms of everything else!
So, I got the opportunity to read this book in early July as a "delta reader", to read through for historical inaccuracies (anachronisms) and such. One of the things that really bugged me in Venom was the presence of obvious anachronisms in the book. BUT, I have to say, I've read Starling several times now, and I am really happy with Ms. Paul's depth of research and the amount of time and effort she put into painstakingly making sure that she caught as many anachronisms as possible. I know I'm a crazy historical fiction fan and reader, and I look sometimes too deeply into stories, but I am proud of Ms. Paul because I barely found any at all (no obvious ones whatsoever!) in Starling.
And hey - one last point. THE COVER IS PURPLE! Purple is my favorite color! So, um, well, yeah. I'm glad they made this one purple, because it makes it extra special, since it's my favorite of the series.
If you've reached this point and you're reading this sentence and you're STILL not convinced that you should pick up this book and/or series, then I shall say: GO READ IT ANYWAY! Buy the books, borrow them from the library, borrow them from a friend... just go read them.
What I Did Not Like:
I have nothing to say in this section. I'm not saying this book is perfect, but... no comments on dislikes!
Would I Recommend It:
YES! And people - this is coming from the world's pickiest reader that didn't exactly enjoy the first book. I did like the second book though. If you were like me - you didn't enjoy Venom, keep reading! It gets better. And then even better. Just trust me!
Rating:
5 stars - because 4 stars just wasn't enough. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to read this book so early! Thank you, Ms. Paul!
Starling by Fiona Paul
Book Three of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series
Publisher: Philomel
Publication Date: March 20, 2014
Rating: 5 stars
Source: ARC sent by the author
Summary (from Goodreads):
To come.
What I Liked:
SPOILER FREE REVIEW! Unless you haven't read Venom. But if you have read both Venom and Belladonna, there are zero spoilers in this review!
Also, I feel like I'm not going to do this book justice with my review.
I don't even know where to start with this book. For me, this series has come a long way. Way back when, I read Venom, and didn't really like, a little more than a month ago, I read Belladonna, and enjoyed it! I was so happy to see several key changes in the series. Three weeks ago, I was sent this novel as a "delta" reader (I rather like that title!), and here we are. Conclusion novels are always difficult for me to review, because I hate seeing a series end, especially the ones that I enjoyed. I also feel the need to compare and review the entire series, in the review for the last book. Which doesn't make much sense. But anyway. I may have disliked Venom, but as I have completed the series, I have come to realize that this YA historical fiction series is one of my favorites.
I have a feeling I'm going to ramble in this review, so I'm going to narrow down what I liked into specific sections. I am so happy to finally *really* understand everything behind the Secrets of the Eternal Rose. Finding this book and clearing Luca's name seems to be the primary objective in the story. The plot might seem straightforward, but I love the twists and turns that Ms. Paul includes that make the story that much more interesting. While I didn't see character development in Venom, I could clearly see the depth of some characters' growth by the end of this book. And the romance - everyone wants to know how it ends. It ends... well. As does the entire series.
I am so happy that the Secrets of the Eternal Rose and the Book and that whole mystery is puzzled out! The series is set around finding the book, so obviously, a resolution of some sort would have been in order, but I'm just really happy that after being disappointed with its lack of mention in Venom, that everything about the Order is resolved in a way.
The plot was probably anything but straightforward. The book picks up where Belladonna left off - with Luca and Cass on the run. They go to Cass's villa, and after that, things get complicated. I'm not going to spoil anything, Ms. Paul kept the pace of the book moving, page after page. It seemed like Cass did not stay in one place for very long. Finding the Book, sneaking into rooms, escaping from places... there was no shortage of action and conflict in this novel. I love this aspect of the book, because this is a huge change from Venom, and (sort of) Belladonna. I found Venom very slow in pace, and Belladonna faster, but Starling kept going. You couldn't stop and absorb for a second!
NOT that that's a bad thing at all! I was pleased by how many situations and conflicts Ms. Paul put in Starling. It's not a confusing book (I promise!), nor is it hard to keep track and remember what happened in the past. That is another excellent thing I found - Ms. Paul has the ability to successfully bring readers back the overall story and the immediate story, without confusing readers or making readers feel like they've forgotten everything and must re-read the previous books.
Not that re-reading the previous books is a bad idea ;)
This is sort of a comparison from the beginning of the series (Venom) to the end of the series (Starling), but I'm very pleased by the evidence of character development in Cass. I feel like the rest of the characters stayed pretty static throughout the series, but Cass definitely changed - and for the better. I complained in my review of Venom how I thought that Cass was an ehhh character, with no development from the beginning of Venom to the end. But as I have finished the series, I can see how she has changed. While I still think her entire being is anachronistic, I love how Cass stands for herself and fights for what she wants, rather than follow someone and wait for things to come to her.
Ms. Paul puts Cass in very difficult and tricky situations, and I like how Cass deals with being placed in those situations. I finally really like Cass in this book, because I think she fights for herself, for reasons that she wants, and not for what she thinks others would want from her. Also, the courtesan thing? SO amusing! I admire Cass's gall to be around the courtesans. And they're pretty cool! The courtesans play a huge and important role in Starling. You'll see what I mean, and I hope you agree with me!
Okay... I've reached the point I'm sure most people care about the most: the romance. While I will NOT insinuate which young man is the lucky one, I will say that regardless of which one you like, I think readers will love the ending of the Starling, in terms of the romance. Forget "Team Luca" and "Team Falco" for a second. Think about Cass, her personality, who she is, what she stands for, and what she knows that SHE wants and needs. The young man she chose... well, she chose him for him, and for her. I know that probably doesn't make much sense, but if you're an astute reader, you'll know without having to know which young man she chooses.
Of course, I know some readers are going to disappointed, because Cass can't have it both ways! But again - regardless of what "team" you are on, I think you will be satisfied with the ending, in terms of romance. AND in terms of everything else!
So, I got the opportunity to read this book in early July as a "delta reader", to read through for historical inaccuracies (anachronisms) and such. One of the things that really bugged me in Venom was the presence of obvious anachronisms in the book. BUT, I have to say, I've read Starling several times now, and I am really happy with Ms. Paul's depth of research and the amount of time and effort she put into painstakingly making sure that she caught as many anachronisms as possible. I know I'm a crazy historical fiction fan and reader, and I look sometimes too deeply into stories, but I am proud of Ms. Paul because I barely found any at all (no obvious ones whatsoever!) in Starling.
And hey - one last point. THE COVER IS PURPLE! Purple is my favorite color! So, um, well, yeah. I'm glad they made this one purple, because it makes it extra special, since it's my favorite of the series.
If you've reached this point and you're reading this sentence and you're STILL not convinced that you should pick up this book and/or series, then I shall say: GO READ IT ANYWAY! Buy the books, borrow them from the library, borrow them from a friend... just go read them.
What I Did Not Like:
I have nothing to say in this section. I'm not saying this book is perfect, but... no comments on dislikes!
Would I Recommend It:
YES! And people - this is coming from the world's pickiest reader that didn't exactly enjoy the first book. I did like the second book though. If you were like me - you didn't enjoy Venom, keep reading! It gets better. And then even better. Just trust me!
Rating:
5 stars - because 4 stars just wasn't enough. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to read this book so early! Thank you, Ms. Paul!
September 3, 2016
Okay, so here is the thing: I gave this book two stars for the same reason I gave two stars to Siege and Storm. It is a good book, the writing is excellent, the suspense abounds, BUT some parts pissed me off and I didn't like the ending. Yes, I'm a selfish person who rates books not based on the quality of writing and realism of the plot, but rather on the way the story makes me feel, if it ends the way I wanted and if the guy I was rooting for gets the girl. So this rating is deeply personal and in no way means that the book was bad.
Now comes the spoilery part/rant. I can't help but feel disappointed that Cass ended up with
Now comes the spoilery part/rant. I can't help but feel disappointed that Cass ended up with
March 12, 2014
Before I begin I just want to say, that I am disappointed my vote didn't win and this book wasn't called Falco instead, but I think that we can all agree once reading this book that Starling was in actuality the perfect name for this book. And this book, this trilogy is not going to be one I forget for a long time.
Venom set the stage with a bang, a chilling and dark mystery in a very real historical time period. Belladonna got better and continued the mystery with a smart and fast ride that hooked you in and left you gasping in shock with the revelations and the surprises loaded in the book. And Starling, the end has finally come and it could not have ended better. This book hit me in the feels, it hit me in the everywhere else as well.
It’s hard to know what I can say about this book without spoiling anything in the first two. So many feelings are present in this book, and from page one I was hooked in their grasp, racing along to the finish line with these characters that I had grown to love. I was so very curious, no I was DESPERATE to see how it ended for them all.
Espescially in regards to that quite distinct love triangle. Falco versus Luca. The dark and wild artist against the strong and steady friend. We’ve all seen if before in books, but this triangle is different. It’s set up in a way that by the end of Belladonna I was questioning the feels of my feels. I had no idea what to expect and I was just desperate for the end. I’m not going to imply or suggest anything that would spoil the ending to such a wildly discussed and intricate romance. But I will say that what did happen was something so right for this book, and this story and these characters, that I wouldn’t have changed it.
That’s a good story.
What makes these books stand out from other historical fiction is the dark mystery aspects that are prevalent. They are not supernatural, but they are mysterious and quite often creepy. Half of the time I found myself immersed and confused at the same time. But it’s so interesting and well told that you just can’t stop, even if it makes no sense at parts. It’s a very unique aspect and in a way I really liked that dark element.
I literally have nothing else to say. With Starling, Fiona has delivered and spell-binding conclusion that will keep you glued to your chair until the last page when all you have left to do is cry and laugh and feel a LOT of feels.
Thumbs up Fiona. You’ve done yourself proud. Cass, Falco and Luca have forever earned a spot in my heart, and I’ll probably never thing of Italy in the same way again. So by all means, hop on this bandwagon (er, gondola) if you haven’t yet! There’s a steady current ready to take you downriver to Venice.
**For more reviews, visit Book Haven Extraordinaire**
Venom set the stage with a bang, a chilling and dark mystery in a very real historical time period. Belladonna got better and continued the mystery with a smart and fast ride that hooked you in and left you gasping in shock with the revelations and the surprises loaded in the book. And Starling, the end has finally come and it could not have ended better. This book hit me in the feels, it hit me in the everywhere else as well.
It’s hard to know what I can say about this book without spoiling anything in the first two. So many feelings are present in this book, and from page one I was hooked in their grasp, racing along to the finish line with these characters that I had grown to love. I was so very curious, no I was DESPERATE to see how it ended for them all.
Espescially in regards to that quite distinct love triangle. Falco versus Luca. The dark and wild artist against the strong and steady friend. We’ve all seen if before in books, but this triangle is different. It’s set up in a way that by the end of Belladonna I was questioning the feels of my feels. I had no idea what to expect and I was just desperate for the end. I’m not going to imply or suggest anything that would spoil the ending to such a wildly discussed and intricate romance. But I will say that what did happen was something so right for this book, and this story and these characters, that I wouldn’t have changed it.
That’s a good story.
What makes these books stand out from other historical fiction is the dark mystery aspects that are prevalent. They are not supernatural, but they are mysterious and quite often creepy. Half of the time I found myself immersed and confused at the same time. But it’s so interesting and well told that you just can’t stop, even if it makes no sense at parts. It’s a very unique aspect and in a way I really liked that dark element.
I literally have nothing else to say. With Starling, Fiona has delivered and spell-binding conclusion that will keep you glued to your chair until the last page when all you have left to do is cry and laugh and feel a LOT of feels.
Thumbs up Fiona. You’ve done yourself proud. Cass, Falco and Luca have forever earned a spot in my heart, and I’ll probably never thing of Italy in the same way again. So by all means, hop on this bandwagon (er, gondola) if you haven’t yet! There’s a steady current ready to take you downriver to Venice.
**For more reviews, visit Book Haven Extraordinaire**
Read
August 28, 2013Hi GR :) Author-person here. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who hung in for all 3 books of the trilogy. I am not a fan of open endings, so rest assured that STARLING resolves both the romance and the mystery, as well as ties up several loose ends.
Working on a project of this magnitude with Paper Lantern Lit has been exciting and educational, but I am super-excited to now be writing solo projects under my real name. My first book, THE ART OF LAINEY (HarperTeen), comes out just a couple of months after STARLING.
It's a fun, fluffy, first-person contemporary--very different from the VENOM books. You can check it out here: The Art of Lainey
Working on a project of this magnitude with Paper Lantern Lit has been exciting and educational, but I am super-excited to now be writing solo projects under my real name. My first book, THE ART OF LAINEY (HarperTeen), comes out just a couple of months after STARLING.
It's a fun, fluffy, first-person contemporary--very different from the VENOM books. You can check it out here: The Art of Lainey
July 19, 2013
Disclaimers include that Fiona gave me her personal copy of this book to borrow to read and review (and it'll be soooo hard to give it back!) and that we are good personal friends. Also, she was kind enough to add me to the acknowledgments for me being a supportive blogger. That said, she'll be the first to tell you that I'm really honest about reviews, and either I'll review it honestly, or not review it at all.
Now on to the good stuff. Starling is the final installment of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy, which has been ramping up in Venom and Belladonna, its predecessors. If you have seen my previous reviews, you'll remember that I thought Belladonna was a vast improvement in both plot and writing from Venom, and Starling just shows more growth from there. Cass, our main character, continues to evade death at every turn, but at the same time, we see her growth and her final steps towards adulthood. We continue to also track down evildoers and swoon over both Falco and Luca (OK there's only one that I personally swoon over but I digress). Will Cass be able to track down the Book of the Eternal Rose without losing more loved ones?
I want to start the rest of this review by talking a bit about third and final books in trilogies. These books may be the hardest books to write. By this time, the author is exhausted and may never want to see the characters again. Also, there are the expectations of all the fans who have loved the first two books-- will the third book tie everything together in a satisfactory way? There's a ton of pressure. Since the craze of YA, we are finally getting the ends to several trilogies that were written after Hunger Games. I can count on one hand the number of trilogies that ended well from my perspective. But I can now happily add Starling to the stack.
Why do I say that? We've seen Cass grow from book to book, until in this book, she really matures and grows into a woman that we can all love and admire. So many trilogies fail to see this overarching growth of their characters through three books. Second, even though I had a good sense of where the plot would go, I was still surprised with what some of the characters ended up doing-- which is something I always look for in a good book. Third, the love triangle resolved in a very satisfactory way. Cass can't choose both boys, but the way it was dealt with makes a whole lot of sense.
Overall, a triumphant, and yes, swoon and drool worthy completion of this trilogy. I rarely purchase all three books in a trilogy-- this will be one of the exceptions.
Now on to the good stuff. Starling is the final installment of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy, which has been ramping up in Venom and Belladonna, its predecessors. If you have seen my previous reviews, you'll remember that I thought Belladonna was a vast improvement in both plot and writing from Venom, and Starling just shows more growth from there. Cass, our main character, continues to evade death at every turn, but at the same time, we see her growth and her final steps towards adulthood. We continue to also track down evildoers and swoon over both Falco and Luca (OK there's only one that I personally swoon over but I digress). Will Cass be able to track down the Book of the Eternal Rose without losing more loved ones?
I want to start the rest of this review by talking a bit about third and final books in trilogies. These books may be the hardest books to write. By this time, the author is exhausted and may never want to see the characters again. Also, there are the expectations of all the fans who have loved the first two books-- will the third book tie everything together in a satisfactory way? There's a ton of pressure. Since the craze of YA, we are finally getting the ends to several trilogies that were written after Hunger Games. I can count on one hand the number of trilogies that ended well from my perspective. But I can now happily add Starling to the stack.
Why do I say that? We've seen Cass grow from book to book, until in this book, she really matures and grows into a woman that we can all love and admire. So many trilogies fail to see this overarching growth of their characters through three books. Second, even though I had a good sense of where the plot would go, I was still surprised with what some of the characters ended up doing-- which is something I always look for in a good book. Third, the love triangle resolved in a very satisfactory way. Cass can't choose both boys, but the way it was dealt with makes a whole lot of sense.
Overall, a triumphant, and yes, swoon and drool worthy completion of this trilogy. I rarely purchase all three books in a trilogy-- this will be one of the exceptions.
July 19, 2014
More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives
Love love love love love love love. That is what I want to say about this book, but since that isn’t really helpful, I’ll expand. Starling was everything I hoped for in the conclusion and so much more. It was another fantastic addition to the series and honestly pulled me in from beginning to end.
Cass is such a wonderful heroine and I love the woman she grew into over the course of the series. The girl we met in Venom is so different from the woman we end up with in Starling. I loved watching her grow and bloom into such a wonderful, strong, courageous, and deadly smart woman; especially considering her time period. She goes to incredible lengths for those she loves and even in the face of death and seemingly insurmountable circumstances she stays strong and uses her brains to get out of those situations.
Then we have Falco and Luca and this is seriously one of the best love triangles I have ever read. I started out all about Falco, but then somewhere along the lines I fell hard for Luca and it snuck up on me. Something happens to threaten Luca and Cass, and when it did, it broke me. That is when I realized how much I had come to love Luca and it was weird because I NEVER change my mind when it comes to book boyfriends. So this was a first. And well, I can’t truly say I changed my mind because I still adore Falco, more I wanted everyone to be happy because I had come to love them both so much. Unfortunately, one of them had to be left behind and while it BROKE me to read that scene, I was also happy with the choice Cass made because it was the right choice for her.
What I love most about this series is that the heroine takes care of herself. She doesn’t need to rely on a guy and a guy does not need to be present to help drive the story. Cass drives the story all by herself. I also love the mystery and surprises along the way. I love how slowly the story unravels and that I piece everything together a little at a time. The author did such a wonderful job bringing all the pieces together and wrapping each and every one of them up at the end. It was a beautiful conclusion.
Starling was the perfect ending to this beautiful series. I am so sad to see it end, but I look forward to visiting Renaissance Italy with Cass, Falco, and Luca again.
Love love love love love love love. That is what I want to say about this book, but since that isn’t really helpful, I’ll expand. Starling was everything I hoped for in the conclusion and so much more. It was another fantastic addition to the series and honestly pulled me in from beginning to end.
Cass is such a wonderful heroine and I love the woman she grew into over the course of the series. The girl we met in Venom is so different from the woman we end up with in Starling. I loved watching her grow and bloom into such a wonderful, strong, courageous, and deadly smart woman; especially considering her time period. She goes to incredible lengths for those she loves and even in the face of death and seemingly insurmountable circumstances she stays strong and uses her brains to get out of those situations.
Then we have Falco and Luca and this is seriously one of the best love triangles I have ever read. I started out all about Falco, but then somewhere along the lines I fell hard for Luca and it snuck up on me. Something happens to threaten Luca and Cass, and when it did, it broke me. That is when I realized how much I had come to love Luca and it was weird because I NEVER change my mind when it comes to book boyfriends. So this was a first. And well, I can’t truly say I changed my mind because I still adore Falco, more I wanted everyone to be happy because I had come to love them both so much. Unfortunately, one of them had to be left behind and while it BROKE me to read that scene, I was also happy with the choice Cass made because it was the right choice for her.
What I love most about this series is that the heroine takes care of herself. She doesn’t need to rely on a guy and a guy does not need to be present to help drive the story. Cass drives the story all by herself. I also love the mystery and surprises along the way. I love how slowly the story unravels and that I piece everything together a little at a time. The author did such a wonderful job bringing all the pieces together and wrapping each and every one of them up at the end. It was a beautiful conclusion.
Starling was the perfect ending to this beautiful series. I am so sad to see it end, but I look forward to visiting Renaissance Italy with Cass, Falco, and Luca again.
April 24, 2017
Okay. I have to start by saying that - for me - the romance corrupted the plot. I really enjoyed it in book 1 and less and less after that, not only because it's a love triangle and that love triangles makes my eyes bleed. I probably missed a lot on the story itself because of this exhausting and finally irritating back and forth between the two guys.
SPOILERS BELOW
Did I mention SPOILERS?
Well, SPOILERS.
And meaningless rant. This is not a review. Just rant.
So, remember what I said in my review of Venom ? That Love Triangles are crap because it's either too obvious OR you end up disappointed because it's not your ship that sails in the end? WELL IT'S OPTION 2 AND I'M MAD.
The awaited character development for good-guy-Luca never came, he was mainly absent from book 2 and for a chunk of book 3, and suddenly he's on a secret island training to be a warrior with mercenaries. Probably shirtless, tanned from the practice under the sun and with broader shoulders. Not sure, I was skimming.
So as you guessed if you managed to read my rant is that I was team Falco and YES I KNOW HE'S A CLICHE but I'm a weak woman.
Also, If I want to push things a bit far, I didn't like Cass ending up with Luca because I just took it as "a rich girl can only end up with a rich guy" and I don't like that kind of message. I'm pretty sure it was not what the author tried to say here but that's how you can read it. If you want to push it a bit far. Hmm, HOT ARTIST? Tops rich guy anytime...
Anyway, concerning the plot, I had the feeling it could have been done in two books instead of three, plus TOO MUCH LOVE TRIANGLE.
I'll probably rant more later but the baby's hungry and when he's hungry he screams like a young wild pig. He's very cute though. And smart. I bet he also cries because NEVERENDING LOVE TRIANGLE.
SPOILERS BELOW
Did I mention SPOILERS?
Well, SPOILERS.
And meaningless rant. This is not a review. Just rant.
So, remember what I said in my review of Venom ? That Love Triangles are crap because it's either too obvious OR you end up disappointed because it's not your ship that sails in the end? WELL IT'S OPTION 2 AND I'M MAD.
The awaited character development for good-guy-Luca never came, he was mainly absent from book 2 and for a chunk of book 3, and suddenly he's on a secret island training to be a warrior with mercenaries. Probably shirtless, tanned from the practice under the sun and with broader shoulders. Not sure, I was skimming.
So as you guessed if you managed to read my rant is that I was team Falco and YES I KNOW HE'S A CLICHE but I'm a weak woman.
Also, If I want to push things a bit far, I didn't like Cass ending up with Luca because I just took it as "a rich girl can only end up with a rich guy" and I don't like that kind of message. I'm pretty sure it was not what the author tried to say here but that's how you can read it. If you want to push it a bit far. Hmm, HOT ARTIST? Tops rich guy anytime...
Anyway, concerning the plot, I had the feeling it could have been done in two books instead of three, plus TOO MUCH LOVE TRIANGLE.
I'll probably rant more later but the baby's hungry and when he's hungry he screams like a young wild pig. He's very cute though. And smart. I bet he also cries because NEVERENDING LOVE TRIANGLE.
July 31, 2014
*4.5*
Amazing conclusion!!!
It was so easy getting back into this world and story. I love the setting so much, it's so realistic and captivating. I also love how dark these books are! My heart was racing at times and some things were downright scary. The mystery is fantastic and I loved the inclusion of some action scenes. There was never a dull moment in this book.
It was a wonderful journey seeing Cass grow throughout these books. I also love what happened in the romance story line.
However, I can't give this book a full 5 stars because it didn't make me feel ALL THE FEELS. With that said, this is still a beautiful and dark trilogy that I can definitely call one of my favorites.
Amazing conclusion!!!
It was so easy getting back into this world and story. I love the setting so much, it's so realistic and captivating. I also love how dark these books are! My heart was racing at times and some things were downright scary. The mystery is fantastic and I loved the inclusion of some action scenes. There was never a dull moment in this book.
It was a wonderful journey seeing Cass grow throughout these books. I also love what happened in the romance story line.
However, I can't give this book a full 5 stars because it didn't make me feel ALL THE FEELS. With that said, this is still a beautiful and dark trilogy that I can definitely call one of my favorites.
July 18, 2014
With all the major conflicts being resolved and the love triangle wrapped up nicely, Starling is quite a solid conclusion to the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series. Although there were perhaps one or two minor flaws, overall, this book was definitely a most satisfying end to a great series.
The pace is just ridiculously fast in this book. There's most definitely no lack of action, and it's really the sort of book you want to get read in one sitting. You're completely hooked, wanting to find out what happens next- how Cass gets out of conflict after conflict. However, because there are so many things are happening, I do also feel that you hardly get any time to dwell on one event before BAM something else equally shocking happens. I feel like the individual events weren't really developed enough. It was just a series of somewhat disconnected events: this happened. That happened. Also, this happened.
Surprisingly, the love triangle actually didn't go the way I expected it to go. I suppose now that I think about it, I actually didn't mind who Cass ended up with. While in Venom, I was definitely shipping Falco x Cass, by Belladonna, both love interests seem equally suitable for her. I won't say who she ends up with in this non-spoiler section, but I do feel like, by the time the end of Starling comes around, you do actually understand why she would have ended up with that person.
Some further spoilery thoughts on the love triangle. Warning: MAJOR spoilers
I did enjoy Starling overall, but not quite as much as Belladonna or Venom. Still, this series as a whole is definitely one I'd recommend to anyone looking for an excellent YA historical with a twist of paranormal fantasy.
The pace is just ridiculously fast in this book. There's most definitely no lack of action, and it's really the sort of book you want to get read in one sitting. You're completely hooked, wanting to find out what happens next- how Cass gets out of conflict after conflict. However, because there are so many things are happening, I do also feel that you hardly get any time to dwell on one event before BAM something else equally shocking happens. I feel like the individual events weren't really developed enough. It was just a series of somewhat disconnected events: this happened. That happened. Also, this happened.
Surprisingly, the love triangle actually didn't go the way I expected it to go. I suppose now that I think about it, I actually didn't mind who Cass ended up with. While in Venom, I was definitely shipping Falco x Cass, by Belladonna, both love interests seem equally suitable for her. I won't say who she ends up with in this non-spoiler section, but I do feel like, by the time the end of Starling comes around, you do actually understand why she would have ended up with that person.
Some further spoilery thoughts on the love triangle. Warning: MAJOR spoilers
I did enjoy Starling overall, but not quite as much as Belladonna or Venom. Still, this series as a whole is definitely one I'd recommend to anyone looking for an excellent YA historical with a twist of paranormal fantasy.
Read
September 30, 2016Read to 80% Kept meaning to finish but just never did. I LOVED the first book but the next two just didn't hold my attention. I was a huge fan of Falco and he was pushed to the side after the first book.
September 4, 2013
This was my favorite of the series. Loved the action and the kissing and the everything about it. I didn't want it to end, but I loved how it did.
January 17, 2019
When I finally went to check this out at my library, I saw they didn't have it, and couldn't purchase it. So I ended up doing my first inter library loan to get this, and was able to squeeze it in before the new year, so I read the whole series in 2018.
It had been long enough since I read book 2 that I forgot some things. I refreshed myself with my review of book 2. I had forgotten someone stole the book from Belladonna.
Cass showed less emotion for her aunt dying than her maid. She didn't even cry.
She mentions how she told Luca she loves him and wondered if she meant it, then a short while later when Luca tells her he loves her, she says it back without hesitation. I can't stand fickle characters.
She says it's none of her business if Falco and his patroness were lovers. How would it not be your business?
She said she knew exactly what happened when Falco brought women back to Tommaso's studio, but that wasn't said in book one. She didn't think he'd done that to women before her.
We're told Feliciana traveled back with Falco, because that makes sense. And that she's been staying with him. Cass doesn't wanna go see him making eyes at her handmaid. There was the courtesan he painted, then belladonna, must we now think of him with Feliciana too? My gosh, this boy must have a timetable to schedule all these women in.
Maximus the magician was always suspicious, yet here Cass treats him like a friend, her earlier suspicions seemingly forgotten. That was bizarre to me.
They mentioned The Odyssey, and Cass said men like to think of their women sitting dutifully by the fire embroidering while they're out journeying to courtesans. When Flavia asks if Odysseus is faithful to his wife, she says not exactly, but he never stopped loving her. I couldn't believe Cass would even say that. That's exactly what happened in the story. And mirrors her story too closely.
We get told that courtesans find peasant boys and street artists to practice on, that they enjoy assisting them. She imagined Seraphina coming back with a willing Falco and wonders if that's how Falco paid girls' modeling fees. That was never a concern so why bring it up now?
I was surprised the author admitted Cass hadn't spent much time with Luca since he'd returned to Venice because she's trying to pass them off as some great romance.
This author seems fascinated by courtesans and that whole world, while I don't like being in it.
Cass says perhaps courtesans had carved out a better path, one that gave them and not men or society power over their lives. Yet they're still beholden to men for money. Men are the ones who keep them in business and how they can have their own houses.
There was a weird moment when Seraphine kissed her cheek, tucked her hair back, her hand lingering on Cass's jaw.
Cass envied the courtesans for their dresses, hair, and invitations to the best events, as if she wasn't a noblewoman and had those things at her disposal.
'Courtesans had freedom and respect of which noblewoman could only dream. They were beautiful and talented. Desired. Powerful.' Since when do courtesans have respect? And noblewomen can't be beautiful and desired? Are you saying courtesans are more respected than noblewomen??
I didn't like all the changes in here. It wasn't as smooth a transition from this book and the last than the second was to the first book. Feliciana was back with Dubois, Mada is pregnant after only a few weeks of marriage. Angelo de Gradi was killed off page. He was a key member so I didn't like how that went down.
Cass caught Falco in an intimate moment with his patroness and so he...says "back from the dead," grabs and kisses her. That is not what you do when someone thinks you've cheated. I was so annoyed. Especially how Cass gets swept away in it like she doesn't even care. She said Falco betrayed her with Belladonna at the end of book 2, but she sure didn't act like it.
Mada found Falco after Cass left Florence, so Falco hadn't even left the villa after Cass! Wth! I thought he immediately left Florence to right things with Cass, but it sounds like he wouldn't have left at all if Mada hadn't went to him.
He says it wasn't what it looked like and he wouldn't do just anything to keep his position, that no other woman makes him feel as she does. Why would you say that unless you've been with other women since Cass? This was a half-ass explanation and not the conversation it should have been.
It was such a stretch for Falco to hear of a new courtesan teaching another one to read Michel de Montaigne and he thinks it's Cass.
The bastard said he's beginning to believe Cass was right about his patroness.
We need some contrition, some remorse, some explanation from Falco. All he wants to do is kiss her. And stupid Cass just lets him.
I thought Cristian would be the one who sent Luca her diary. Cass certainly deserved it for being fickle. So I was disappointed when Luca ends up seeing them together. I thought he'd receive the diary while they're on the run.
Luca received the pages from her journal after the attack in book 1, off screen, not even mentioned in book 2. How could he go an entire book without hinting he knew?
I knew Luca had been the one to spot her and Falco in the boat! I couldn't believe Luca said he thought Cass was just bored or lonely and that the guy was betrothed to one of her friends. Why would Cass get with her friends betrothed?!
Luca was still sweet, I felt bad for him. "I didn't do it for you. I did it to spare myself." "You were my reason not to die, Cass."
Apparently their engagement was nullified by his sentence from the Senate.
I hated that we were made to think Luca said Falco might be part of the order. I've never thought that.
I thought this book would be of Cass and Luca searching to destroy the order, yet that plot was scrapped and they search alone. I didn't like the switch in the plot like that.
Falco was ridiculous for getting mad at Cass for turning him down, acting disgusted. She should be disgusted with him, yet all he does is joke around when she's upset.
Falco is still selfish, thinking of no one but himself. Didn't apologize for what he said about wishing Luca would die, wants her to run away with him and leave the order to kill people.
The scene with Feliciana and Piero emerging and drugging her was so frustrating! I hated that she was captured. I wanted her to search for info!
Cass mentions having seen a man like Cristian in Florence, then thinks it might have been him and that he was at the villa then. But she realized the man wasn't Cristian. You can't go back and claim it was really him when you'd already discounted it in book 2.
Falco said he suspected something wasn't right and searched Piero's room. What does that even mean? What did you suspect? There were some holes in here that were never filled, like Falco after Cass left.
Cass just isn't smart. Bella tells her Feliciana led Cass to Piero and when she tells Falco that Feliciana was going to sneak her into Palazzo Dubois she doesn't even mention that she betrayed her. She says she doesn't know if Feliciana is alright, and may have drowned. She was working with the enemies! They didn't drown her.
It annoyed me when she gives away Maximus' dagger after barely having it & then Bella takes her necklace.
Bella says Falco 'coyly spurned my advances' and I wonder what exactly that means. How far did it go, and how did he 'coyly' turn her down?
I was mad when Piero tells Bella of Falco's betrayal, and he lies, saying he knows Cass but came looking for Bella because she was in danger. How about manning up and admitting you love Cass and tried to save her? Don't pretend to still be loyal to Bella.
She says Feliciana would take the book to the senate. It's like she didn't even hear that Feliciana led her to Piero.
Falco doesn't even react to Angelo dying like he didn't hear it.
I didn't like that Falco loved someone when he was 14 and planned to marry her.
Falco finally apologizes for his harsh words and not believing her, but there's no more conversation of the betrayal she thought happened before she left Florence.
He says he was going to move to Florence but it was too close to home so he went to Venice and then fell in love. But how long had he been in Venice before meeting Cass? Apparently a while if he started working for Angelo. I feel like we're still missing stuff there.
Cass was more emotional about Minerva dying, someone she didn't even know, a cell mate, than her own aunt.
I hate how they escaped and a minute later Bella and Piero came. It was so annoying how they caught fire. With the book that Cass stopped trying to get. And Falco was left in the building. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. They don't deserve to die easily like that. They deserve to rot in prison, or be hanged publicly.
They killed the innocent guard too which wasn't right.
When two key players are killed like that around pg 200, I wondered what the rest of the book could possibly be about.
After all she's gone through with Falco I was seriously upset that we're led to believe he died in the fire. Some freak fire that happened so randomly in the first place.
Crazy Cristian wants her blood to bring Mariabella back from the dead. That was just an insane little side plot that wasn't needed.
Piero and Bella should not die before Cristian, who's a lesser threat. And in such a random way. That's like instead of Voldemort dying in a battle with Harry, he's killed by some freak accident, like slipping down the stairs, before the end of the book. Not that I'm saying this is on the level of Harry Potter--at all--but it's like the final battle is scrapped and the enemy is instead killed in a random way.
It upset the crap out of me when Cass said Falco never recovered from losing his first love Ghita and perhaps they'd reunited, like she wasn't that affected with his death.
It turns out Maximus is from Scotland and lived on this mysterious island with his brother.
The way things happen are so vague. We're supposed to take them at face value with no explanation. Like how Falco returns with Feliciana. Like how Maximus hears Luca wants to train and somehow tracks him down, even though Luca is in hiding & where would you even find him at??
I never thought they would need weapon training to defeat the order, so Luca at this weird fight school and Cass learning weapons was a random addition.
All Cass has to say is "And Falco, he--I don't know what that was. But we never..." And "You are the only one I want" when she's spent more time with Falco! As if their relationship meant nothing.
She literally changes her mind to whoever she's with at the time.
What was the point of Falco not getting with Bella if it didn't end things between them? Why have him be faithful and Cass still not choose him? I was livid.
How can you love someone and continue getting with him even after Luca left you and then sum up the entire relationship as 'you don't know what happened there.'
Usually in a book you can tell when someone's about to die. This gave no indication. There were no sweet last words, no leading up to it. It was so freaking random and senseless. Just an easy way to get rid of one of the love interests.
It really made me mad how easy it was for Cass to forget Falco, how she barely mourned him. Just said it would be a long time before she forgave herself & then is with Luca in the same room she was with Falco in.
Apparently her and Luca had sex though it was brushed over and not even clear if they did or they just slept together.
It turns out Luca suspected Siena had feelings for him. Something else that happened off page.
Luca said Zanotta and Domacetti were arrested as well as Duboius and I didn't remember who they were.
Based on comments in book two I knew her aunt had a mysterious past, possibly a connection to an artist herself the way she let Cass keep her painting. And the old woman at the convent knowing someone who looked like Cass I figured her aunt had a connection to the brothel. The way this author loves courtesans and brothels it's no wonder Agnese turned out to have been a courtesan before she was married. Which doesn't add up to her personality and how proper she was.
Luca's sword training and Cass's 'training' with the dagger were useless. It wasn't even needed with Dubois, and we didn't even get to see Luca or the others obtain Dubois. His arrest and the pope receiving the letter were off page, which was very disappointing. This needed more action.
Her aunt wrote: 'Luca's love for her was powerful, and I sensed that her feelings for him were deepening before his imprisonment. That sort of connection strengthens people. Love strengthens people. And Cassandra and Luca have always been two of the strongest people I know.'
How could her aunt know Luca's feelings when he'd been young before he went to school and only came back for a short while before his arrest? And teens are the strongest people you know, really??
Of course Cass is assuaged of guilt, thinking she caused her aunt to die, & then her aunt conveniently wrote that she believed her and Luca were alive and that her illness was weakening her. So that's one less death on Cass's hands.
Bella and Piero should also go to the gallows. I didn't know Domacetti and whoever Zanotta is were involved.
There were so many names of people, villas, towns, it was hard to keep up with.
The necklace Bella took she never got back. I'm not sure what the point of that was, why Bella took the necklace in the first place. Just pointless, really. Looking back, I guess it was just so Falco would think it was her who died. & likewise, she thought Falco had died.
These lines killed me:
'The image of Falco flitted through her mind, but didn't say long. Falco was gone. And even if he hadn't been, Cass knew her feelings for him had been based on excitement and danger.'
'Their time together had been intense and tumultuous, but fleeting. She and Falco, they had never felt quite real.'
This had an agenda feel to it:
'Nowhere in the bible did it say that the existence of god meant there would be no agents of evil.'
'It was his right to believe solely in science. Science could answer many questions. But science couldn't give Cass the answers she needed.'
I had forgotten all about Cristian after everything that happened. I was so surprised when he was in the gondola.
In a bizarre appearance, the elusive Matteo shows up and saves the day against Cristian, worthy of any soap opera.
I kept waiting for Falco to return and when he didn't I thought the author was actually gonna kill him. Who makes an appearance pages away from the end when she's marrying someone else? What's the point?
He lost his first love and now he lost Cass. He's not so lucky in love.
What made it worse is that he looked for her after the fire. He went to look for her and saw her and Luca practicing with weapons.
Now he's returning to stupid Florence.
Lines designed to rip your heart out:
"I'm so glad that you're alive. But as you said, Luca and I are happy."
-"When I saw you with Luca, it looked to me as if you were where you were supposed to be. I suppose I just had to lay eyes on you one last time to be certain, you understand?"
-"Tell Luca that he'd better take good care of you. If he hurts you, I'll come back for him. I'll come back for both of you."
That just killed me, it was so heartbreaking.
And I don't wanna think about him getting with someone else!
She said Maximus befriended her when she was scared and helped Luca find himself when he was lost,& brought them back together, so I guess I have Maximus to be upset with for that.
Soldiers come for Cristian off page. She tells Maximus about Mariabella off page.
So sad how Falco drew a picture of a starling saying "congratulations, starling. You were meant to fly.'
The title made it seem like she'll end with Falco because that's his nickname for her. I was assured by the title of this book that she'd end up with Falco, so that's what I had in my head when I read this. How can you title your book the nickname from one of the boys and then not have her end up with him??
Then calling Luca her wings and heart, when Falco called her starling. It's all wrong.
I wanted her to end up with Falco and for him to paint pictures of her in chapels like he said in book 1 or 2. That would have been so sweet.
Of course heroines always end up with the rich guy. They never choose love to be with the lower class.
We don't even know Luca's surprise for her because she was waylaid by Cristian.
Her and Falco don't even talk about Dubois or the book, but I guess Falco never cared about that anyway.
Her future was a little unclear. They're just moving to France so Luca can finish school, then what?
In book 1, I wanted her with Falco, although he annoyed me in book 2 and in this one. He was just too selfish; it's like he didn't care at all that innocent people were being killed by the order. Also, his inability to be serious really annoyed me, as did the way all he did with Cass was want to kiss her.
Cass literally gets with whoever is there at the time. If she thought Luca had died, I think she easily would have switched to Falco & would have run away with him. All her romantic feelings come from convenience; she chooses whoever she's with at the time.
I read this quickly the first day; it was easy to get through. I just sailed right through it and had to make myself slow down so I could read it over three days.
This, like book two, could almost be 1 star. There was very little that was good or enjoyable about this book.
The author took the plot and scrapped it, and instead of going in a clear direction, she just did a bunch of random things and for some reason chose to have all the action off page.
She couldn't even squeeze in a scene with her friend Mada.
This last book just broke my heart. Love triangles are only good if the heroine ends up with who you want them to. Disappointed in the person she ended up with, the lack of action, the holes that were never explained. Very unsatisfying conclusion to a series.
It had been long enough since I read book 2 that I forgot some things. I refreshed myself with my review of book 2. I had forgotten someone stole the book from Belladonna.
Cass showed less emotion for her aunt dying than her maid. She didn't even cry.
She mentions how she told Luca she loves him and wondered if she meant it, then a short while later when Luca tells her he loves her, she says it back without hesitation. I can't stand fickle characters.
She says it's none of her business if Falco and his patroness were lovers. How would it not be your business?
She said she knew exactly what happened when Falco brought women back to Tommaso's studio, but that wasn't said in book one. She didn't think he'd done that to women before her.
We're told Feliciana traveled back with Falco, because that makes sense. And that she's been staying with him. Cass doesn't wanna go see him making eyes at her handmaid. There was the courtesan he painted, then belladonna, must we now think of him with Feliciana too? My gosh, this boy must have a timetable to schedule all these women in.
Maximus the magician was always suspicious, yet here Cass treats him like a friend, her earlier suspicions seemingly forgotten. That was bizarre to me.
They mentioned The Odyssey, and Cass said men like to think of their women sitting dutifully by the fire embroidering while they're out journeying to courtesans. When Flavia asks if Odysseus is faithful to his wife, she says not exactly, but he never stopped loving her. I couldn't believe Cass would even say that. That's exactly what happened in the story. And mirrors her story too closely.
We get told that courtesans find peasant boys and street artists to practice on, that they enjoy assisting them. She imagined Seraphina coming back with a willing Falco and wonders if that's how Falco paid girls' modeling fees. That was never a concern so why bring it up now?
I was surprised the author admitted Cass hadn't spent much time with Luca since he'd returned to Venice because she's trying to pass them off as some great romance.
This author seems fascinated by courtesans and that whole world, while I don't like being in it.
Cass says perhaps courtesans had carved out a better path, one that gave them and not men or society power over their lives. Yet they're still beholden to men for money. Men are the ones who keep them in business and how they can have their own houses.
There was a weird moment when Seraphine kissed her cheek, tucked her hair back, her hand lingering on Cass's jaw.
Cass envied the courtesans for their dresses, hair, and invitations to the best events, as if she wasn't a noblewoman and had those things at her disposal.
'Courtesans had freedom and respect of which noblewoman could only dream. They were beautiful and talented. Desired. Powerful.' Since when do courtesans have respect? And noblewomen can't be beautiful and desired? Are you saying courtesans are more respected than noblewomen??
I didn't like all the changes in here. It wasn't as smooth a transition from this book and the last than the second was to the first book. Feliciana was back with Dubois, Mada is pregnant after only a few weeks of marriage. Angelo de Gradi was killed off page. He was a key member so I didn't like how that went down.
Cass caught Falco in an intimate moment with his patroness and so he...says "back from the dead," grabs and kisses her. That is not what you do when someone thinks you've cheated. I was so annoyed. Especially how Cass gets swept away in it like she doesn't even care. She said Falco betrayed her with Belladonna at the end of book 2, but she sure didn't act like it.
Mada found Falco after Cass left Florence, so Falco hadn't even left the villa after Cass! Wth! I thought he immediately left Florence to right things with Cass, but it sounds like he wouldn't have left at all if Mada hadn't went to him.
He says it wasn't what it looked like and he wouldn't do just anything to keep his position, that no other woman makes him feel as she does. Why would you say that unless you've been with other women since Cass? This was a half-ass explanation and not the conversation it should have been.
It was such a stretch for Falco to hear of a new courtesan teaching another one to read Michel de Montaigne and he thinks it's Cass.
The bastard said he's beginning to believe Cass was right about his patroness.
We need some contrition, some remorse, some explanation from Falco. All he wants to do is kiss her. And stupid Cass just lets him.
I thought Cristian would be the one who sent Luca her diary. Cass certainly deserved it for being fickle. So I was disappointed when Luca ends up seeing them together. I thought he'd receive the diary while they're on the run.
Luca received the pages from her journal after the attack in book 1, off screen, not even mentioned in book 2. How could he go an entire book without hinting he knew?
I knew Luca had been the one to spot her and Falco in the boat! I couldn't believe Luca said he thought Cass was just bored or lonely and that the guy was betrothed to one of her friends. Why would Cass get with her friends betrothed?!
Luca was still sweet, I felt bad for him. "I didn't do it for you. I did it to spare myself." "You were my reason not to die, Cass."
Apparently their engagement was nullified by his sentence from the Senate.
I hated that we were made to think Luca said Falco might be part of the order. I've never thought that.
I thought this book would be of Cass and Luca searching to destroy the order, yet that plot was scrapped and they search alone. I didn't like the switch in the plot like that.
Falco was ridiculous for getting mad at Cass for turning him down, acting disgusted. She should be disgusted with him, yet all he does is joke around when she's upset.
Falco is still selfish, thinking of no one but himself. Didn't apologize for what he said about wishing Luca would die, wants her to run away with him and leave the order to kill people.
The scene with Feliciana and Piero emerging and drugging her was so frustrating! I hated that she was captured. I wanted her to search for info!
Cass mentions having seen a man like Cristian in Florence, then thinks it might have been him and that he was at the villa then. But she realized the man wasn't Cristian. You can't go back and claim it was really him when you'd already discounted it in book 2.
Falco said he suspected something wasn't right and searched Piero's room. What does that even mean? What did you suspect? There were some holes in here that were never filled, like Falco after Cass left.
Cass just isn't smart. Bella tells her Feliciana led Cass to Piero and when she tells Falco that Feliciana was going to sneak her into Palazzo Dubois she doesn't even mention that she betrayed her. She says she doesn't know if Feliciana is alright, and may have drowned. She was working with the enemies! They didn't drown her.
It annoyed me when she gives away Maximus' dagger after barely having it & then Bella takes her necklace.
Bella says Falco 'coyly spurned my advances' and I wonder what exactly that means. How far did it go, and how did he 'coyly' turn her down?
I was mad when Piero tells Bella of Falco's betrayal, and he lies, saying he knows Cass but came looking for Bella because she was in danger. How about manning up and admitting you love Cass and tried to save her? Don't pretend to still be loyal to Bella.
She says Feliciana would take the book to the senate. It's like she didn't even hear that Feliciana led her to Piero.
Falco doesn't even react to Angelo dying like he didn't hear it.
I didn't like that Falco loved someone when he was 14 and planned to marry her.
Falco finally apologizes for his harsh words and not believing her, but there's no more conversation of the betrayal she thought happened before she left Florence.
He says he was going to move to Florence but it was too close to home so he went to Venice and then fell in love. But how long had he been in Venice before meeting Cass? Apparently a while if he started working for Angelo. I feel like we're still missing stuff there.
Cass was more emotional about Minerva dying, someone she didn't even know, a cell mate, than her own aunt.
I hate how they escaped and a minute later Bella and Piero came. It was so annoying how they caught fire. With the book that Cass stopped trying to get. And Falco was left in the building. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. They don't deserve to die easily like that. They deserve to rot in prison, or be hanged publicly.
They killed the innocent guard too which wasn't right.
When two key players are killed like that around pg 200, I wondered what the rest of the book could possibly be about.
After all she's gone through with Falco I was seriously upset that we're led to believe he died in the fire. Some freak fire that happened so randomly in the first place.
Crazy Cristian wants her blood to bring Mariabella back from the dead. That was just an insane little side plot that wasn't needed.
Piero and Bella should not die before Cristian, who's a lesser threat. And in such a random way. That's like instead of Voldemort dying in a battle with Harry, he's killed by some freak accident, like slipping down the stairs, before the end of the book. Not that I'm saying this is on the level of Harry Potter--at all--but it's like the final battle is scrapped and the enemy is instead killed in a random way.
It upset the crap out of me when Cass said Falco never recovered from losing his first love Ghita and perhaps they'd reunited, like she wasn't that affected with his death.
It turns out Maximus is from Scotland and lived on this mysterious island with his brother.
The way things happen are so vague. We're supposed to take them at face value with no explanation. Like how Falco returns with Feliciana. Like how Maximus hears Luca wants to train and somehow tracks him down, even though Luca is in hiding & where would you even find him at??
I never thought they would need weapon training to defeat the order, so Luca at this weird fight school and Cass learning weapons was a random addition.
All Cass has to say is "And Falco, he--I don't know what that was. But we never..." And "You are the only one I want" when she's spent more time with Falco! As if their relationship meant nothing.
She literally changes her mind to whoever she's with at the time.
What was the point of Falco not getting with Bella if it didn't end things between them? Why have him be faithful and Cass still not choose him? I was livid.
How can you love someone and continue getting with him even after Luca left you and then sum up the entire relationship as 'you don't know what happened there.'
Usually in a book you can tell when someone's about to die. This gave no indication. There were no sweet last words, no leading up to it. It was so freaking random and senseless. Just an easy way to get rid of one of the love interests.
It really made me mad how easy it was for Cass to forget Falco, how she barely mourned him. Just said it would be a long time before she forgave herself & then is with Luca in the same room she was with Falco in.
Apparently her and Luca had sex though it was brushed over and not even clear if they did or they just slept together.
It turns out Luca suspected Siena had feelings for him. Something else that happened off page.
Luca said Zanotta and Domacetti were arrested as well as Duboius and I didn't remember who they were.
Based on comments in book two I knew her aunt had a mysterious past, possibly a connection to an artist herself the way she let Cass keep her painting. And the old woman at the convent knowing someone who looked like Cass I figured her aunt had a connection to the brothel. The way this author loves courtesans and brothels it's no wonder Agnese turned out to have been a courtesan before she was married. Which doesn't add up to her personality and how proper she was.
Luca's sword training and Cass's 'training' with the dagger were useless. It wasn't even needed with Dubois, and we didn't even get to see Luca or the others obtain Dubois. His arrest and the pope receiving the letter were off page, which was very disappointing. This needed more action.
Her aunt wrote: 'Luca's love for her was powerful, and I sensed that her feelings for him were deepening before his imprisonment. That sort of connection strengthens people. Love strengthens people. And Cassandra and Luca have always been two of the strongest people I know.'
How could her aunt know Luca's feelings when he'd been young before he went to school and only came back for a short while before his arrest? And teens are the strongest people you know, really??
Of course Cass is assuaged of guilt, thinking she caused her aunt to die, & then her aunt conveniently wrote that she believed her and Luca were alive and that her illness was weakening her. So that's one less death on Cass's hands.
Bella and Piero should also go to the gallows. I didn't know Domacetti and whoever Zanotta is were involved.
There were so many names of people, villas, towns, it was hard to keep up with.
The necklace Bella took she never got back. I'm not sure what the point of that was, why Bella took the necklace in the first place. Just pointless, really. Looking back, I guess it was just so Falco would think it was her who died. & likewise, she thought Falco had died.
These lines killed me:
'The image of Falco flitted through her mind, but didn't say long. Falco was gone. And even if he hadn't been, Cass knew her feelings for him had been based on excitement and danger.'
'Their time together had been intense and tumultuous, but fleeting. She and Falco, they had never felt quite real.'
This had an agenda feel to it:
'Nowhere in the bible did it say that the existence of god meant there would be no agents of evil.'
'It was his right to believe solely in science. Science could answer many questions. But science couldn't give Cass the answers she needed.'
I had forgotten all about Cristian after everything that happened. I was so surprised when he was in the gondola.
In a bizarre appearance, the elusive Matteo shows up and saves the day against Cristian, worthy of any soap opera.
I kept waiting for Falco to return and when he didn't I thought the author was actually gonna kill him. Who makes an appearance pages away from the end when she's marrying someone else? What's the point?
He lost his first love and now he lost Cass. He's not so lucky in love.
What made it worse is that he looked for her after the fire. He went to look for her and saw her and Luca practicing with weapons.
Now he's returning to stupid Florence.
Lines designed to rip your heart out:
"I'm so glad that you're alive. But as you said, Luca and I are happy."
-"When I saw you with Luca, it looked to me as if you were where you were supposed to be. I suppose I just had to lay eyes on you one last time to be certain, you understand?"
-"Tell Luca that he'd better take good care of you. If he hurts you, I'll come back for him. I'll come back for both of you."
That just killed me, it was so heartbreaking.
And I don't wanna think about him getting with someone else!
She said Maximus befriended her when she was scared and helped Luca find himself when he was lost,& brought them back together, so I guess I have Maximus to be upset with for that.
Soldiers come for Cristian off page. She tells Maximus about Mariabella off page.
So sad how Falco drew a picture of a starling saying "congratulations, starling. You were meant to fly.'
The title made it seem like she'll end with Falco because that's his nickname for her. I was assured by the title of this book that she'd end up with Falco, so that's what I had in my head when I read this. How can you title your book the nickname from one of the boys and then not have her end up with him??
Then calling Luca her wings and heart, when Falco called her starling. It's all wrong.
I wanted her to end up with Falco and for him to paint pictures of her in chapels like he said in book 1 or 2. That would have been so sweet.
Of course heroines always end up with the rich guy. They never choose love to be with the lower class.
We don't even know Luca's surprise for her because she was waylaid by Cristian.
Her and Falco don't even talk about Dubois or the book, but I guess Falco never cared about that anyway.
Her future was a little unclear. They're just moving to France so Luca can finish school, then what?
In book 1, I wanted her with Falco, although he annoyed me in book 2 and in this one. He was just too selfish; it's like he didn't care at all that innocent people were being killed by the order. Also, his inability to be serious really annoyed me, as did the way all he did with Cass was want to kiss her.
Cass literally gets with whoever is there at the time. If she thought Luca had died, I think she easily would have switched to Falco & would have run away with him. All her romantic feelings come from convenience; she chooses whoever she's with at the time.
I read this quickly the first day; it was easy to get through. I just sailed right through it and had to make myself slow down so I could read it over three days.
This, like book two, could almost be 1 star. There was very little that was good or enjoyable about this book.
The author took the plot and scrapped it, and instead of going in a clear direction, she just did a bunch of random things and for some reason chose to have all the action off page.
She couldn't even squeeze in a scene with her friend Mada.
This last book just broke my heart. Love triangles are only good if the heroine ends up with who you want them to. Disappointed in the person she ended up with, the lack of action, the holes that were never explained. Very unsatisfying conclusion to a series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2014
This is a series that I have adored from the very beginning, so to say I had high hopes going into Starling would be extremely accurate. However, I don't think I could have asked for a better ending to this trilogy. I really don't. Starling was everything I wanted for Cass and for this story and I am left feeling so satisfied with this final installment.
The plot of Starling was an excellent balance of wrapping up the mystery and exciting storyline that has run through the series as well as bringing the love triangle to a believable and well-executed conclusion. The early parts of the novel recap from Belladonna well without being a long, drawn out bore of an infodump. There are tidbits thrown in to help readers remember what happened but not so much that it became tired. Of course, the central plot line surrounding the secret society of sorts and the mystery of the Eternal Rose is brought to its ultimate climax here and I very much enjoyed it. There were elements I was hoping for that panned out and there was much I didn't expect that made this an exciting and often tense and somewhat nerve wracking finale. It fit very well with the events and the atmosphere that the series has established thus far and was, ultimately, a wonderful ending.
As much as I love the boys of the series, Falco and Luca, this book was about Cass and I was so appreciative of that. Cass has been on such a wild ride throughout this series but she never once gives up. Her determination and her bravery are as evident and admirable as ever. It's not as though she has been through a complete transformation - she is still the Cass I enjoyed reading about from the beginning. She is still very smart. She is also still very impulsive and brave to the point of recklessness. But she has shown a wonderful emotional growth over the course of the series - especially in growing more confident in herself, what she can accomplish, and what she wants - and I adore the arc her character has taken.
Another thing I absolutely LOVED about Starling is the way the love triangle was resolved. This was a very well done triangle from the beginning: the boys were drastically different people but they both offered something to Cass that made them a worthy choice. Both offer romance and the chance for real love (by the end of Belladonna, at least), but Luca offers her stability and a quiet life while Falco offers a more exciting but dangerous one. They are both viable choices for Cass but Paul has made it how I truly hoped it would be: the resolution to the triangle is truly about what Cass wants and needs for her life. It is about what it best for her and for the kind of person she has grown to become by the end of the series. That, in my opinion, is exactly how the series should have ended. It also does both boys justice, which I was very appreciative of. There are so many ways to cop out of a triangle. Paul proves that there's also a way to resolve them completely in a way that is true to the characters.
Overall, I am leaving this series with nothing but a happy heart and having had a great experience with the books. Thank you, Fiona Paul, for such an exciting and interesting story, characters that I feel I know and love, and an ending that left me with nothing but adoration.
*I received an ARC from Paper Lantern Lit in exchange for a fair and honest review*
The plot of Starling was an excellent balance of wrapping up the mystery and exciting storyline that has run through the series as well as bringing the love triangle to a believable and well-executed conclusion. The early parts of the novel recap from Belladonna well without being a long, drawn out bore of an infodump. There are tidbits thrown in to help readers remember what happened but not so much that it became tired. Of course, the central plot line surrounding the secret society of sorts and the mystery of the Eternal Rose is brought to its ultimate climax here and I very much enjoyed it. There were elements I was hoping for that panned out and there was much I didn't expect that made this an exciting and often tense and somewhat nerve wracking finale. It fit very well with the events and the atmosphere that the series has established thus far and was, ultimately, a wonderful ending.
As much as I love the boys of the series, Falco and Luca, this book was about Cass and I was so appreciative of that. Cass has been on such a wild ride throughout this series but she never once gives up. Her determination and her bravery are as evident and admirable as ever. It's not as though she has been through a complete transformation - she is still the Cass I enjoyed reading about from the beginning. She is still very smart. She is also still very impulsive and brave to the point of recklessness. But she has shown a wonderful emotional growth over the course of the series - especially in growing more confident in herself, what she can accomplish, and what she wants - and I adore the arc her character has taken.
Another thing I absolutely LOVED about Starling is the way the love triangle was resolved. This was a very well done triangle from the beginning: the boys were drastically different people but they both offered something to Cass that made them a worthy choice. Both offer romance and the chance for real love (by the end of Belladonna, at least), but Luca offers her stability and a quiet life while Falco offers a more exciting but dangerous one. They are both viable choices for Cass but Paul has made it how I truly hoped it would be: the resolution to the triangle is truly about what Cass wants and needs for her life. It is about what it best for her and for the kind of person she has grown to become by the end of the series. That, in my opinion, is exactly how the series should have ended. It also does both boys justice, which I was very appreciative of. There are so many ways to cop out of a triangle. Paul proves that there's also a way to resolve them completely in a way that is true to the characters.
Overall, I am leaving this series with nothing but a happy heart and having had a great experience with the books. Thank you, Fiona Paul, for such an exciting and interesting story, characters that I feel I know and love, and an ending that left me with nothing but adoration.
*I received an ARC from Paper Lantern Lit in exchange for a fair and honest review*
March 25, 2014
You can find more of my reviews at Forever 17 Books.
4.5 stars!
Starling is the highly anticipated finale of one of my most beloved series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose. The books have been filled with beautiful and captivating writing, a mystery that kept me on my toes and a cast of characters I fell in love with. I was so anxious to see how it would all end and Fiona Paul did not disappoint! I will keep this review extremely brief as to not spoil anything on the conclusion.
The hunt for answers about the Order of the Eternal Rose group continues in this installment and of course is filled with the danger and intrigue we saw in the previous books. Every last piece of the puzzle was wrapped up in an exciting and heart-pounding way. There were nail-biting moments and those that creeped me out but it made for one incredible read.
The characters have all shown so much growth and development since Venom but none as much as our main character, Cass. Cass has developed into such a strong and determined woman who knows what she wants. That is miles above where she was when we first met her. This also relates directly to the conclusion on the love triangle between Cass, Luca, and Falco. I will not spoil what happens but I honestly and truly feel like all parties will be satisfied with the resolution. Of course I did find myself emotional at times since I did develop an attachment to Cass’s relationships with both men, but Fiona Paul handles this dilemma beautifully and respectfully.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about the writing in this series. I am not a huge historical fiction reader, but the writing had the ability to transfer me to Renaissance Italy and all its beauty. The research of the time and the locations is extremely apparent throughout all three novels and plays a huge part of why I enjoyed these books so immensely. Everything is so detailed and I found myself learning things I knew nothing about!
To wrap things up, fans of this series will not be disappointed in the conclusion. And if you are someone who has yet to start these books, I cannot recommend it enough. I am left feeling bittersweet – sad that the story had to come to an end, but satisfied it did in just the right way. Now I move on to what the author has to come under her author name, Paula Stokes!
4.5 stars!
Starling is the highly anticipated finale of one of my most beloved series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose. The books have been filled with beautiful and captivating writing, a mystery that kept me on my toes and a cast of characters I fell in love with. I was so anxious to see how it would all end and Fiona Paul did not disappoint! I will keep this review extremely brief as to not spoil anything on the conclusion.
The hunt for answers about the Order of the Eternal Rose group continues in this installment and of course is filled with the danger and intrigue we saw in the previous books. Every last piece of the puzzle was wrapped up in an exciting and heart-pounding way. There were nail-biting moments and those that creeped me out but it made for one incredible read.
The characters have all shown so much growth and development since Venom but none as much as our main character, Cass. Cass has developed into such a strong and determined woman who knows what she wants. That is miles above where she was when we first met her. This also relates directly to the conclusion on the love triangle between Cass, Luca, and Falco. I will not spoil what happens but I honestly and truly feel like all parties will be satisfied with the resolution. Of course I did find myself emotional at times since I did develop an attachment to Cass’s relationships with both men, but Fiona Paul handles this dilemma beautifully and respectfully.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about the writing in this series. I am not a huge historical fiction reader, but the writing had the ability to transfer me to Renaissance Italy and all its beauty. The research of the time and the locations is extremely apparent throughout all three novels and plays a huge part of why I enjoyed these books so immensely. Everything is so detailed and I found myself learning things I knew nothing about!
To wrap things up, fans of this series will not be disappointed in the conclusion. And if you are someone who has yet to start these books, I cannot recommend it enough. I am left feeling bittersweet – sad that the story had to come to an end, but satisfied it did in just the right way. Now I move on to what the author has to come under her author name, Paula Stokes!
November 19, 2014
What do have Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man and Harry Potter in common? What do they need to succeed, save the world, catch the villain? Sidekicks. Harry wouldn´t have gotten past the first challenge in the Sorcerer´s stone. Holmes probably would´ve died from his eccentricity and narcissism and I so, so want Jarvis. So bad. He´d make life much easier.
Historical novels have one thing in common: the perfect sidekick. In this case, Cass has a house full of them. I´m talking about the courtesans in Palazzo Dolce. Courtesans all share the same traits, which make them so likeable. Whenever I´ve come across a book with courtesans in it, they were my favourite characters. Intelligence, loyalty, beauty, kindness, understanding (everything you need a best friend to be), all that combined in girls who are basically social outcasts. Also, they are much smarter than all the nobles who think earth rotates around them. They are the most honest persons and the ones the heroine always could count on and for that I think they deserve to be mentioned first, as the best characters in this book.
The final instalment was (surprise, surprise) really good, everything clarifies quite fine. It didn´t loose its thrill and action and the final encounter with Belladonna was pretty epic. I can´t help but think Cristian´s end was rather uncreative. It somehow seemed like he was necessary for the first book and for some tasks in the 3rd book, but the author didn´t know what to do with him afterwards. His presence felt as forced as his end.
What I really didn´t like was the way the love triangle was resolved. First, Cass suddenly speaks of love where doubts have been all the time before. Again, Luca isn´t present most of the time and I couldn´t make any connection to him because of that. But what I got mad at wasn´t Cass´ choice in the end at all, but the way everything went down. So unbelievably happy. It was cheap. It isn´t like Falco and it isn´t like Cass to act as they did. I know it sounds harsh, but one of them dead would´ve been better than this cheesy ending. Nothing in the story was like that before, it didn´t fit the rest.
I loved the story; I really loved it as much as the first and second book. It was wonderful and exciting and had everything a good story needs. Except for a suitable ending.
Historical novels have one thing in common: the perfect sidekick. In this case, Cass has a house full of them. I´m talking about the courtesans in Palazzo Dolce. Courtesans all share the same traits, which make them so likeable. Whenever I´ve come across a book with courtesans in it, they were my favourite characters. Intelligence, loyalty, beauty, kindness, understanding (everything you need a best friend to be), all that combined in girls who are basically social outcasts. Also, they are much smarter than all the nobles who think earth rotates around them. They are the most honest persons and the ones the heroine always could count on and for that I think they deserve to be mentioned first, as the best characters in this book.
The final instalment was (surprise, surprise) really good, everything clarifies quite fine. It didn´t loose its thrill and action and the final encounter with Belladonna was pretty epic. I can´t help but think Cristian´s end was rather uncreative. It somehow seemed like he was necessary for the first book and for some tasks in the 3rd book, but the author didn´t know what to do with him afterwards. His presence felt as forced as his end.
What I really didn´t like was the way the love triangle was resolved. First, Cass suddenly speaks of love where doubts have been all the time before. Again, Luca isn´t present most of the time and I couldn´t make any connection to him because of that. But what I got mad at wasn´t Cass´ choice in the end at all, but the way everything went down. So unbelievably happy. It was cheap. It isn´t like Falco and it isn´t like Cass to act as they did. I know it sounds harsh, but one of them dead would´ve been better than this cheesy ending. Nothing in the story was like that before, it didn´t fit the rest.
I loved the story; I really loved it as much as the first and second book. It was wonderful and exciting and had everything a good story needs. Except for a suitable ending.
September 22, 2014
I basically had to force myself to read this. I really enjoyed Venom, the first book, but after the series went downhill. The romance has been bothering me since book two, but in this book the mystery plot was also weak and Cass started to get annoying.
I’m still completely uninterested in the romance/love triangle. Belladonna clearly showed that Ms. Paul though Luca was end game and then had to take back everything she built in the first book. Honestly, there’s just no chemistry between Luca and Cass. I think I said this in my previous review: the series would have been better without the romance.
The mystery plot with The Order was what redeemed Belladonna. But I thought this was book was slow and choppy. There would be an issue and then it got resolved in a chapter. This happened several times. I’m just used to bigger conflict in a final book. Plus some…ok a lot…of the conflicts were resolved quickly.
And then there’s Cass. I actually liked her in the first two books. But in this book I felt like she got whiny. She was very woe is me. And I could tell Ms. Paul was trying to give her some strength or agency by teaching her to fight. But it was so brief (like many things in this book) that it fell flat. Personally, I felt like she was constantly talking herself into loving Luca.
I did like some parts of the book. Mostly it had a lot of potential that wasn’t fully developed. We learned more about Cass’ aunt which was interesting and I wish there had been more. I did enjoy most of the ladies from the brothel. Those were the parts I liked the most and there definitely could have been more.
Originally posted: http://daydreamingthroughbooks.blogsp...
July 22, 2016
The "bestest" one of the three. :) I just loved it!!!
Az angol értékelések és a második kötet elolvasása után számítottam rá, hogy legalább kicsit tetszeni fog. Tévedtem. Letehetetlennek bizonyult. Ez a Cass nem az a Cass, akit az első részben megismertem és igen kevésbé kedveltem. Még meg-meginog, de már igazi, szerethető, romantikus hősnő. És a két fiú... Igen, Cass jól választott, de Alyssának is igaza volt az értékelésében: mindegy, hogy Falcót vagy Lucát kedveled, elégedett leszel a dolog kimenetelével. Az előző részekhez képes a régi szereplők (főgonoszok:) kevés szerepet kapnak, vagy csak nekem tűnt úgy, mert annyira Cass áll az események középpontjában. Új, rokonszenves szereplők kerülnek a képbe, és Agnese néniről is kiderül néhány meglepő dolog.
Izgalmas, fordulatos, pergő... az első rész után nem gondoltam volna, hogy FP-lal kapcsolatban leírom ezeket a jelzőket, a második után reménykedtem, hogy mégis valami jóra bukkant az amerikai szerkesztő, s most alig várom, hogy a harmadik részre rátegyem a kezem. :)
Az első kötet (Méreg) már olvasható magyarul, a második kötet (Belladonna) még idén megjelenik. A Starling amerikai megjelenésének időpontja idén március.
Mindenkinek ajánlom a sorozatot, aki szereti a történelmi romantikát, a rejtélyeket, az izgalmakat... és a XVII. századi Itáliát: Velencét, Firenzét.
Az angol értékelések és a második kötet elolvasása után számítottam rá, hogy legalább kicsit tetszeni fog. Tévedtem. Letehetetlennek bizonyult. Ez a Cass nem az a Cass, akit az első részben megismertem és igen kevésbé kedveltem. Még meg-meginog, de már igazi, szerethető, romantikus hősnő. És a két fiú... Igen, Cass jól választott, de Alyssának is igaza volt az értékelésében: mindegy, hogy Falcót vagy Lucát kedveled, elégedett leszel a dolog kimenetelével. Az előző részekhez képes a régi szereplők (főgonoszok:) kevés szerepet kapnak, vagy csak nekem tűnt úgy, mert annyira Cass áll az események középpontjában. Új, rokonszenves szereplők kerülnek a képbe, és Agnese néniről is kiderül néhány meglepő dolog.
Izgalmas, fordulatos, pergő... az első rész után nem gondoltam volna, hogy FP-lal kapcsolatban leírom ezeket a jelzőket, a második után reménykedtem, hogy mégis valami jóra bukkant az amerikai szerkesztő, s most alig várom, hogy a harmadik részre rátegyem a kezem. :)
Az első kötet (Méreg) már olvasható magyarul, a második kötet (Belladonna) még idén megjelenik. A Starling amerikai megjelenésének időpontja idén március.
Mindenkinek ajánlom a sorozatot, aki szereti a történelmi romantikát, a rejtélyeket, az izgalmakat... és a XVII. századi Itáliát: Velencét, Firenzét.
December 30, 2013
Love love love!!! Another great ending to a great series.
The twists and turns continue in this book. The choices, actions, betrayals will keep you reading to figure out the ending to this mystery. Cass is still not giving up, she wants answers and to bring down Secrets of the Eternal Rose but she might not have to look too far since they are also looking for Cass. She is scared, confused and a little out of her element, but is going to do that ever it takes to make sure they don't hurt anyone else.
Cass comes alive along with Italy in this book. She is more mature, and is now knowing what she wants. She has grown so much in this book that I want to hug her. She goes through so much and is still pretty optimistic about the turn out. She puts her life in danger for others and just does it without thinking.
I loved this series and this was a great ending to it!!!
The twists and turns continue in this book. The choices, actions, betrayals will keep you reading to figure out the ending to this mystery. Cass is still not giving up, she wants answers and to bring down Secrets of the Eternal Rose but she might not have to look too far since they are also looking for Cass. She is scared, confused and a little out of her element, but is going to do that ever it takes to make sure they don't hurt anyone else.
Cass comes alive along with Italy in this book. She is more mature, and is now knowing what she wants. She has grown so much in this book that I want to hug her. She goes through so much and is still pretty optimistic about the turn out. She puts her life in danger for others and just does it without thinking.
I loved this series and this was a great ending to it!!!
May 20, 2016
4,5/5 (ale no čo, stále je to bližšie k 4* ako k 5*)
Toto bolo opäť perfektné (čakal snáď niekto niečo iné? O.o). Akurát nie som tak úplne spokojná s koncom (preto polhviezdička dole). Popravde... nie som si celkom istá, čo je na tejto sérií také úžasné, prečo si ma tak získala a prečo patrí k mojim úplne najobľúbenejším knižným sériam. Ale patrí. A mne je ľúto, že je koniec.
Úprimne dúfam, že autorka napíše ešte niečo ďalšie. Tiež tak úžasné (ale to už prečítam asi v angličtine, lebo obálky k tejto sérii, ktoré vyrobil Egmont - teda Belladonna a toto - sú naozaj strašné. Hlavne táto je des, Belladonnu pokazili len tým rúžom)
Toto bolo opäť perfektné (čakal snáď niekto niečo iné? O.o). Akurát nie som tak úplne spokojná s koncom (preto polhviezdička dole). Popravde... nie som si celkom istá, čo je na tejto sérií také úžasné, prečo si ma tak získala a prečo patrí k mojim úplne najobľúbenejším knižným sériam. Ale patrí. A mne je ľúto, že je koniec.
Úprimne dúfam, že autorka napíše ešte niečo ďalšie. Tiež tak úžasné (ale to už prečítam asi v angličtine, lebo obálky k tejto sérii, ktoré vyrobil Egmont - teda Belladonna a toto - sú naozaj strašné. Hlavne táto je des, Belladonnu pokazili len tým rúžom)
April 9, 2014
Well that's it. Starling is just as exciting as the first two, if not more. There was a good-but-not-too-perfect ending that I admired even though everything didn't turn out as awesomesocks as I had hoped. Fiona has a strong voice and I hope she keeps on writing, especially historical stories.
February 1, 2015
Minus one star, because I can't shake off the feeling that the writing was a little off. But otherwise a perfect conclusion to the series. Thank you, Miss Paul, for this awesome journey into Renaissance Italy with Cass, Falco and Luca.
March 16, 2014
Oh my fucking God. FIONA PAUL. I CAN'T.
February 28, 2020
2.25*
At the end of the day, I’m a little confused and annoyed with the final book of The Secrets of the Eternal Rose series. Starting from the very beginning, I HATE the title. No, it’s not the name itself and yes, I liked the nickname Falco gave Cass in book #1.
Throughout this book, Cass also continued to be the same annoyingly self-absorbed child we met in Venom (book 1). Yes, she would have fleeting thoughts of others, but not for more than a minute or two, before she’d be back to thinking about herself, how she can take down the order, and focus on how much she’s changed. Yes, Cass became more fearless and brave throughout this series, something I really enjoyed watching her transition in to, but she shows no true emotion for the people around her. She showed more emotion for her cat in 1 scene than she did for her aunt dying.
Additionally, Cass plays with both boys’ feelings during the entirety of this novel. Instead of being honest with either of them, Cass leads both Falco and Luca on. Honestly, when Luca walked away from Cass and Falco left her at the party, I thought that both of them may have made the right decision to walk away, because Cass certainly didn’t inspire confidence in her ability to deserve either boy.
There’s a part in the novel when Feliciana is upset with Cass for basically always getting everything she wants and never getting hurt in the process (even when other people lose their lives). I too, began to feel this way. Cass has somehow gotten through capture, torture, fire, attacking one of the most powerful men in Venice, etc. without a single scratch or hair out of place. Umm….okay, sure. Feliciana is right. Cass is unrealistically unscathed and she literally ends up with everything she wants.
But that’s not where it ends. Feliciana betrays Cass in a really big way. Because of her actions, Falco dies and Cass faces imprisonment and what was going to lead to her own death. When Cass escapes, Cass immediately treats it like water under the bridge. No feelings of hurt and betrayal, no real loss of trust, no anger, no strong emotion whatsoever. It’s just “meh, it’s fine. I’m alive, so that’s all that matters.” Excuse me? Look, I’m all about forgiveness, but this just seemed like it was completely disregarded and not a life-threatening situation. It was the most poorly written betrayal I’ve ever seen and if that’s how Cass was going to react, I’m not sure why the author included it at all.
And that ending! The ending of this book was very unsatisfying for me. First, let’s talk about the man she’s marrying. It’s not that I hated Luca, but from the very beginning, Falco was the boy for me, so even though by the end of Belladonna (book 2), I had a suspicion that things weren’t going to go my way in the romance department, I certainly didn’t resign myself to that (and again, we got a “hint” with the title – that turned out not be to a hint at all, but still). I wasn’t happy with the groom so this book would never have had a spectacular ending for me anyway.
Secondly, the wedding itself. Neither Cass nor Luca has any family left but even between the 2 of them, they have 0 friends from their upper-class world. ZERO. These are still 2 prominent families coming together in Venice and instead of getting married among their peers (which I will again remind you that half of Luca’s appeal was that he was from the same world as Cass) they get married in front of servants, street magicians, and courtesans. In this time period, even their wedding would have caused the biggest scandal and they would probably be shunned from polite society – you remember, that society Cass still wanted to be a part of? Poof gone.
But there’s a problem with Luca himself anyway. He never developed much as a character and I never fell in love with him. He was safe, sure, but he was also staid and boring (even when he practices his swordsmanship). Yes, he was the realistic choice for Cass. They’re both from prominent Venetian families and come from the same world but Luca never made my heart flutter. Luca was passion-less and had little to no personality. She likes how “solid” Luca’s feelings are for her but Cass is fickle and selfish and I hate that she, nor her feelings, ever really evolved throughout the series. When Cass and Luca are together, Luca is eclipsed by Cass’ personality and there was no chemistry between them, whereas Falco was always the better choice for Cass. He’s the impulsive rebel of this story, not afraid to push the bounds or fight for what he wants. Falco could keep up with her and their moments together were always filled with tension.
Thirdly, Falco showing up at her wedding to just pop-in (after Cass had thought he was dead), say he thought she looked happy while playing with knives with her fiancé that one time, and wish her well. Falco, what are you doing? Why didn’t you reveal yourself to Cass earlier than her wedding day? And why have you stopped fighting for her? Get it together.
And finally, the way in which the Order of the Eternal Rose is disbanded. Although we’re left with some resolution and the villains of the story all get their comeuppance, for all of the build-up and the novels revolving around the Order, not only were the descriptions about the destruction of the Order very vague and fleeting, but we don’t even really see some of the villains get the punishment they deserve. Sure, it’s nice to see everything get wrapped up in a nice bow by the end of the series, but the focus seemed to be more on the romance versus the downfall of the Order, which is what this entire series has been leading up to. It was just a little bit of a letdown.
However, I continued to like the atmosphere the author created and the Venetian environment. It continued to be one of the best things about this series and was enjoyable throughout the novel.
This wasn’t a terrible conclusion to the series, but definitely a bit disappointing.
At the end of the day, I’m a little confused and annoyed with the final book of The Secrets of the Eternal Rose series. Starting from the very beginning, I HATE the title. No, it’s not the name itself and yes, I liked the nickname Falco gave Cass in book #1.
Throughout this book, Cass also continued to be the same annoyingly self-absorbed child we met in Venom (book 1). Yes, she would have fleeting thoughts of others, but not for more than a minute or two, before she’d be back to thinking about herself, how she can take down the order, and focus on how much she’s changed. Yes, Cass became more fearless and brave throughout this series, something I really enjoyed watching her transition in to, but she shows no true emotion for the people around her. She showed more emotion for her cat in 1 scene than she did for her aunt dying.
Additionally, Cass plays with both boys’ feelings during the entirety of this novel. Instead of being honest with either of them, Cass leads both Falco and Luca on. Honestly, when Luca walked away from Cass and Falco left her at the party, I thought that both of them may have made the right decision to walk away, because Cass certainly didn’t inspire confidence in her ability to deserve either boy.
There’s a part in the novel when Feliciana is upset with Cass for basically always getting everything she wants and never getting hurt in the process (even when other people lose their lives). I too, began to feel this way. Cass has somehow gotten through capture, torture, fire, attacking one of the most powerful men in Venice, etc. without a single scratch or hair out of place. Umm….okay, sure. Feliciana is right. Cass is unrealistically unscathed and she literally ends up with everything she wants.
But that’s not where it ends. Feliciana betrays Cass in a really big way. Because of her actions, Falco dies and Cass faces imprisonment and what was going to lead to her own death. When Cass escapes, Cass immediately treats it like water under the bridge. No feelings of hurt and betrayal, no real loss of trust, no anger, no strong emotion whatsoever. It’s just “meh, it’s fine. I’m alive, so that’s all that matters.” Excuse me? Look, I’m all about forgiveness, but this just seemed like it was completely disregarded and not a life-threatening situation. It was the most poorly written betrayal I’ve ever seen and if that’s how Cass was going to react, I’m not sure why the author included it at all.
And that ending! The ending of this book was very unsatisfying for me. First, let’s talk about the man she’s marrying. It’s not that I hated Luca, but from the very beginning, Falco was the boy for me, so even though by the end of Belladonna (book 2), I had a suspicion that things weren’t going to go my way in the romance department, I certainly didn’t resign myself to that (and again, we got a “hint” with the title – that turned out not be to a hint at all, but still). I wasn’t happy with the groom so this book would never have had a spectacular ending for me anyway.
Secondly, the wedding itself. Neither Cass nor Luca has any family left but even between the 2 of them, they have 0 friends from their upper-class world. ZERO. These are still 2 prominent families coming together in Venice and instead of getting married among their peers (which I will again remind you that half of Luca’s appeal was that he was from the same world as Cass) they get married in front of servants, street magicians, and courtesans. In this time period, even their wedding would have caused the biggest scandal and they would probably be shunned from polite society – you remember, that society Cass still wanted to be a part of? Poof gone.
But there’s a problem with Luca himself anyway. He never developed much as a character and I never fell in love with him. He was safe, sure, but he was also staid and boring (even when he practices his swordsmanship). Yes, he was the realistic choice for Cass. They’re both from prominent Venetian families and come from the same world but Luca never made my heart flutter. Luca was passion-less and had little to no personality. She likes how “solid” Luca’s feelings are for her but Cass is fickle and selfish and I hate that she, nor her feelings, ever really evolved throughout the series. When Cass and Luca are together, Luca is eclipsed by Cass’ personality and there was no chemistry between them, whereas Falco was always the better choice for Cass. He’s the impulsive rebel of this story, not afraid to push the bounds or fight for what he wants. Falco could keep up with her and their moments together were always filled with tension.
Thirdly, Falco showing up at her wedding to just pop-in (after Cass had thought he was dead), say he thought she looked happy while playing with knives with her fiancé that one time, and wish her well. Falco, what are you doing? Why didn’t you reveal yourself to Cass earlier than her wedding day? And why have you stopped fighting for her? Get it together.
And finally, the way in which the Order of the Eternal Rose is disbanded. Although we’re left with some resolution and the villains of the story all get their comeuppance, for all of the build-up and the novels revolving around the Order, not only were the descriptions about the destruction of the Order very vague and fleeting, but we don’t even really see some of the villains get the punishment they deserve. Sure, it’s nice to see everything get wrapped up in a nice bow by the end of the series, but the focus seemed to be more on the romance versus the downfall of the Order, which is what this entire series has been leading up to. It was just a little bit of a letdown.
However, I continued to like the atmosphere the author created and the Venetian environment. It continued to be one of the best things about this series and was enjoyable throughout the novel.
This wasn’t a terrible conclusion to the series, but definitely a bit disappointing.
September 10, 2014
"When we strike, it must be as rapid as the wind, as silent as stars."
Setting:Venice, Italy; the Renaissance
Coverly Love?:No! I loved the original covers with the girl wearing the mask. These new covers look cheesy.
Plot:After their deadly encounter with the sinister Belladonna, Cassandra and Luca are running for their lives. Targeted as fugitives by the government and hunted by the Order of the Eternal Rose, Cass and Luca must work together to find the book that contains the secrets of the order to destroy it. What Cass wasn't expecting was the death of her beloved aunt and the return of her former lover, Falco. Not to mention that there are plenty of people that want Cass dead on an account of both the bounty on her head and her pure blood. In the intrigue of the Italian Renaissance, Cass must trust some unlikely allies and old friends in her quest to destroy the Order of the Eternal Rose from taking any more victims. In the conclusion to this thrilling trilogy, mystery, intrigue and romance are alive in the Italian Renaissance.
This was a wonderful conclusion to a great series. Despite many of its flaws, I found this overall to be a solid final novel. I love the atmosphere the author portrays of the Italian Renaissance, and I love the descriptions the author uses when describing Venice. Major props are in order for finally(!) fully explaining how the Order works. That REALLY bugged me in the first two books, as it was confusing the heck out of me. Now that I finally know what the Order of the Eternal Rose is about, I could sit back and enjoy the books for what they were. There was just enough mystery, romance and lush descriptions to keep this historical fiction lover satisfied, and the ending to the trilogy was completely satisfying and final. Job well done!!
Characters:While Cass as a whole has grown quite a lot as a person from when the series started, she still can be a tad bit annoying and occasionally helpless. She definitely kicks some more ass than compared to the first two books, but she still largely depends on others to help her. I guess I'm one of those independent, free thinking women, LOL! Cass can be quite tenacious and clever when it comes to getting out of the many sticky situations she finds herself in (which is far too often). I have to agree with one other character that sometimes, Cass can act selfishly when it comes to saving her own skin and following her own ambitions, but overall, I enjoyed the improvement in her overall character and judgment. And Slipper :D
Luca, Cass's fiancé, has also grown quite a bit as a character. His bravery leaves something to be desired though. I personally thought he was kind of a wuss to be honest. Even more than Cass, which is saying something. Luca is kind, caring and compassionate... and that's all I can think about him at the moment. He really doesn't have much personality or spunk, and Cass tends to overshadow him when it comes to liveliness. Come to think of it, he doesn't really do much of anything here in this novel, except half-heartedly attempt to help Cass in her quest.
Falco, Cass's second suitor, appears for about half of the novel (the other half is Luca's). And again, all he really does is try and help Cass bring down the Order (and woo her back). He had a much stronger personality than his romantic rival Luca, but he can also be brash, impulsive, and not always capable of thinking out his actions before he proceeds. He's the dreamer, the rebel, the one always thinking outside the box. Compared to Luca, I rather liked his personality, maybe because he was a much better fit for Cass (in my humble opinion). Some may find him to be annoying because he can also be extremely arrogant,
The many villains of this novel were surprisingly well-written and complete. It didn't really feel like they were cliché or your typical villains, so that was nice to read about. The other secondary characters either didn't play that much of a role in the story or were not really significant to the plot enough for the main characters to care about.
Pros:I liked the way this novel ended; nice and complete, unlike those open ending books. And the series has progressed leaps and bounds from when it first started.
Cons:For the love of God, make up your mind about who you love Cass!!! I didn't appreciate her indecisiveness about her love life; I could have done with much less of that, thank you very much!!! >:(
Love Triangle?:Yes; we still have Luca vs. Cass vs. Falco. Let me put it this way: if which dude Katniss picked at the end of the Hunger Games series, you'll like Cass's decision.
Instalove?:Nope!
A Little Romance?:Luca and Falco are completely different from each other personality wise. It's like comparing Kim Kartrashian with Princess Kate. These personality differences certainly make this love triangle interesting, to say the least. Luca's kind of meh, and Falco can be overly passionate.
Conclusion:An overall wonderful historical fiction series that deftly captures the spirit of Renaissance Italy. The love triangle aspect can be a bit frustrating, but the mystery and intrigue quickly make up for it. Recommended for historical fiction lovers or those who love Renaissance Italy.
Read This!:Venom and Belladonna by Fiona Paul, if you wish to begin the series.
October 6, 2017
Not as good as Belladonna but still kept me awake at night. After all those things that happened in the second book I expected better thought-out story with more epic finale. This felt a little bit rushed but in the end I'm ok with the way it ended so I can't really complain.
Overall I think this is a decent trilogy and it deserves more recognition as it's quite different from what we see in our usual YA. Besides, you know it's good when the setting plays character on it's own. Even if I hated everything else about the series I couldn't give lower rating solely because of Venice.
Overall I think this is a decent trilogy and it deserves more recognition as it's quite different from what we see in our usual YA. Besides, you know it's good when the setting plays character on it's own. Even if I hated everything else about the series I couldn't give lower rating solely because of Venice.
June 25, 2020
Seri bitti...Güzel ama bazı yerlerinde durağan bir seri oldu benim için.
Yibe de ilginç bir okuma oldu benim için..
Yibe de ilginç bir okuma oldu benim için..
January 26, 2021
extremely mad abt the ending 😔🤚🏻 but god i love falco
September 15, 2015
Starling is the exciting conclusion in the Secrets of The Eternal Rose trilogy by Fiona Paul. In this series, we are transported to Renaissance Venice where we follow our young heroine Cassandra (known as Cass) as she tries to understand and fight her feelings for Falco and save her fiancé Luca from the gallows, all the while trying to take down the nefarious Order of The Eternal Rose and those behind it.
WARNING: This is a spoiler free review for those who have read Venom and Belladonna. However, if you have not yet read the first two books then proceed with caution.
In Venom, we meet the key players and the stage is set for this daring trilogy filled with mystery, romance, betrayal, and even cults posed as monsters. In Belladonna, we meet new characters including the ring leader of Order of The Eternal Rose and begin to understand what they are truly up to and who is behind their evil schemes. Starling picks up right where Belladonna left off, when Cass is forced to leave Falco behind in order to get to Luca in time to save him and take down The Order before they can do any more harm.
I loved Cass' growth over the course of this series. When we first meet her, she's a sheltered, pampered young noblewoman with no idea of the sins that lurk in her hometown of Venice. It is a horrifying discovery and a chance encounter with a peasant artist (Falco) that turn her life upside down. By the time we get to Starling, Cass is no longer that sheltered girl. Instead, she's transformed into an incredibly independent, brave, and determined woman. She also knows that she cannot love two men and she needs to make a decision. Love isn't easy to figure out and she understands that her time with Falco is life-changing and precious, yet she is starting to see Luca through different eyes. Falco is wild, passionate, and volatile. He is a whirlwind! Luca is the antithesis of Falco. He's well-mannered and civilized, he's strong and steady and loving. Falco and Luca are so very different and they each spoke to a different part of her heart.
By the conclusion of Starling, I was very pleased with the way the love triangle was handled. Cass made the decision that truly was best for her (and for him) knowing that her time with the other would never be forgotten. It ended quite beautifully!
The world building is one of my favorite qualities about this series. Fiona Paul did an incredible job taking us to a place and time that is romantic, mysterious, haunting, and sometimes terrifying. Daytime Venice is colorful and bustling, full of interesting and diverse characters. Nighttime Venice is dark and dangerous, full of shady and dishonest characters. I love the way she set the scene with her descriptions of the character's clothing and their activities. I was very impressed with her level of research to ensure that this story is told as accurately as possible.
While the love triangle and Cass' relationships are a big part of the story, ultimately, they are not what this tale is about. Venom has no shortage of adventure, but it really only hints to the Order of The Eternal Rose. It isn't until books 2 and 3 that we begin to understand how big of a role this group plays. In Starling, Cass' primary objective is to clear Luca's name and find the book that will incriminate the real villains as evil, murderous heretics. We have to consider the relevance and power of the Catholic church in this time and I thought that Fiona did a fantastic job of blending religion with politics, science, and sociology. Fear not for there is no shortage of adventure and conflict, though. Cass dares to do what most others wouldn't even consider, but at a price. She lands herself in impossible situations and still manages to find it within herself to conquer her fear.
Overall, this is my favorite of the three books and a perfect ending to the series. I highly recommend these books, especially if you're a fan of historical fiction and mystery/drama.
WARNING: This is a spoiler free review for those who have read Venom and Belladonna. However, if you have not yet read the first two books then proceed with caution.
In Venom, we meet the key players and the stage is set for this daring trilogy filled with mystery, romance, betrayal, and even cults posed as monsters. In Belladonna, we meet new characters including the ring leader of Order of The Eternal Rose and begin to understand what they are truly up to and who is behind their evil schemes. Starling picks up right where Belladonna left off, when Cass is forced to leave Falco behind in order to get to Luca in time to save him and take down The Order before they can do any more harm.
I loved Cass' growth over the course of this series. When we first meet her, she's a sheltered, pampered young noblewoman with no idea of the sins that lurk in her hometown of Venice. It is a horrifying discovery and a chance encounter with a peasant artist (Falco) that turn her life upside down. By the time we get to Starling, Cass is no longer that sheltered girl. Instead, she's transformed into an incredibly independent, brave, and determined woman. She also knows that she cannot love two men and she needs to make a decision. Love isn't easy to figure out and she understands that her time with Falco is life-changing and precious, yet she is starting to see Luca through different eyes. Falco is wild, passionate, and volatile. He is a whirlwind! Luca is the antithesis of Falco. He's well-mannered and civilized, he's strong and steady and loving. Falco and Luca are so very different and they each spoke to a different part of her heart.
By the conclusion of Starling, I was very pleased with the way the love triangle was handled. Cass made the decision that truly was best for her (and for him) knowing that her time with the other would never be forgotten. It ended quite beautifully!
The world building is one of my favorite qualities about this series. Fiona Paul did an incredible job taking us to a place and time that is romantic, mysterious, haunting, and sometimes terrifying. Daytime Venice is colorful and bustling, full of interesting and diverse characters. Nighttime Venice is dark and dangerous, full of shady and dishonest characters. I love the way she set the scene with her descriptions of the character's clothing and their activities. I was very impressed with her level of research to ensure that this story is told as accurately as possible.
While the love triangle and Cass' relationships are a big part of the story, ultimately, they are not what this tale is about. Venom has no shortage of adventure, but it really only hints to the Order of The Eternal Rose. It isn't until books 2 and 3 that we begin to understand how big of a role this group plays. In Starling, Cass' primary objective is to clear Luca's name and find the book that will incriminate the real villains as evil, murderous heretics. We have to consider the relevance and power of the Catholic church in this time and I thought that Fiona did a fantastic job of blending religion with politics, science, and sociology. Fear not for there is no shortage of adventure and conflict, though. Cass dares to do what most others wouldn't even consider, but at a price. She lands herself in impossible situations and still manages to find it within herself to conquer her fear.
Overall, this is my favorite of the three books and a perfect ending to the series. I highly recommend these books, especially if you're a fan of historical fiction and mystery/drama.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews