When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco? Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.
I had a pretty epically awful trip to Italy in 2006, and ever since it's kind of hard to think about Italy and not be a little sour. Don't get me wrong, the country is beautiful, the history fascinating, and everything about it is pretty amazing. I just have some bad memories and feelings associated with it. However, since I revisited it a couple years ago when I went to Rome with a couple friends, I've been slowly forgiving Italy. Now, after reading Venom, I'm so much closer to falling in love with the country. I couldn't help but relive some of my fonder memories while hanging out with Cass in Venice. Even memories that made me a little bitter at the time - like my little brother ditching me to give roses to random girls - filled me with happy nostalgia.
This book is a trip to Venice. Even better, it's a trip to historical Venice. I absolutely love that you get to see both sides, as well. You get the gritty, dangerous side with the masks, the frivolity, and the loose morals. But you also get the pious side where social protocol and religion govern the household. Fiona Paul is incredibly skilled at bringing such a beautiful place to life. The gondolas, the streets, the people, the graveyards - everything was described so wonderfully.
Then there's the mystery of missing bodies, girls being murdered, and an abandoned place with dead bodies. So chilling. I'm very selective about the mystery books that i read because they have a tendency to be disappointing to me. I picked this one up for the historical fiction aspect, more than the mystery. Yet, I'm so impressed with the way it was handled. It isn't your typical -figure out why this is happening and find the person responsible mystery. It's more complex than that and there really isn't one answer. Somehow, by the end the web seems more tangled, which is generally what happens when you start asking questions and getting answers.
Even better, this book made me actually sit back and think for a few minutes. Cass has to make a decision between who she loves and who is "right" for her, but like the mystery in this story the answer isn't obvious. It had me thinking about who I would choose in that situation. A lot of books, a lot of stories, are about falling in love with the wrong person. Or the wrong person in the eyes of society. In dystopian fiction or historical fiction, the heroine is often given a choice. Choose the right boy - the one that won't rip your family apart, devastate your country, upset your social balance even though you don't have feelings? Or choose the wrong boy - the one who you can only be with after you give everything else up, but you know you can't live without him? Who do you choose? The right boy or the wrong boy?
This book is beautifully written and definitely intriguing. I wanted to applaud at the ending (if you've read it you're probably perplexed by this reaction, but to me she makes the right decision) and I believe the second book, Belladonna, will live up to the first. I'm very interested to see where Cass goes from here. And I'd really like to know what your answer is to my above question, who would you choose? Let me know!
