Tuesday 23 April 2019

Book Review: The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen (Fantasy / Mystery)

Title: The Immortal City
Author: Amy Kuivalainen
Publisher:
BHC Press

Publication Date: 19 September 2019
Pages:
268
Format:
eBook - EPUB
Genre:
Fantasy / Mystery
Source:
ARC via NetGalley




In the heart of Venice, a woman is sacrificed to a forgotten god, sparking a mystery lost for thousands of years.

Dr. Penelope Bryne is ridiculed by the academic community for her quest to find the remnants of Atlantis, but when an ancient and mysterious script is found at a murder site, she flies to Venice determined to help the police before the killer strikes again.

Penelope has spent her entire life trying to ignore the unexplainable and magical history of Atlantis, but when she meets the enigmatic Alexis Donato, everything she believes will be challenged. Little does she know, Alexis has spent the last three years doing his best to sabotage Penelope’s career so doesn’t learn the truth—Atlantis had seven magicians who survived, and who he has a duty to protect.

As Alexis draws her into the darkly, seductive world of magic and history, Penelope will have to use her heart as well as her head if she is to find the answers she seeks.

With the new MOSE system due to come online, and Carnivale exploding around them, Penelope and Alexis will have to work together to stop the killer and prevent dark magic from pulling Venice into the sea.



I wish I could have liked The Immortal City more than I did. It has a great premise with plenty of potential, and it was a fast-paced, quick read. However, I found Penelope hard to fathom, as she acted a bit 'young' at times. I also would have liked a little more menace around the murders, as I never really felt that concerned about any of it. Every time she got captured, I wanted to roll my eyes at her stupidity, but I was never truly worried. The foreign-language use nagged at me, too, as the Italian wasn't always correct. In one sentence there was a random Spanish word, instead of Italian, for example. If you are going to include foreign text, it does need to be properly checked for accuracy. That said, this was entertaining enough as stories go, so I am still giving it three stars as it will appeal to readers of fantasy mystery or Atlantis fans. It certainly wasn't unreadable; however, it could have been better.


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