Plot Synopsis from StoryGraph:
In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent—a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden.
Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.
There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family’s enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.
Meanwhile, Ravenna’s forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.
As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.
Review:
Our main protagonist in Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez is Ravenna, a innkeeper and secret sculptor living in Italy around the time of the Renaissance. She does something reckless to save a family member and ends up in a dangerous situation. In a world where magic is outlawed and seen as something vile, she wrestles with her own gifts and feelings of worth and self-acceptance.
As this is billed as a “a gorgeous, historical, and romantic fantasy”, there is a tall, dark-haired, handsome man in the picture with a beautiful face. We know his face is beautiful because it is mentioned over and over and over again. And even though he isn’t nice at all initially, our heroine (despite being angry and wanting to stand up to him) cannot resist, especially when he says, “Good girl.”
This is not a romantic fantasy – this is a fantasy romance. And I had hopes that I would really enjoy this book based on the premise but that sentiment turned around within the first few chapters. Instead of being more fantasy focused as the synopsis suggested, I found it romance trope focused with the rest of the elements left to fade into the background. When I saw the phrase “Good girl” thrown in, if it wasn’t an ARC, it would have been an immediate DNF. This is so icky and creepy to me and it’s romanticized and fetishized but is degrading to women given everything loaded behind it. This is one of those romances where the heroine is supposed to be independent and strong but falls apart in seconds of a ‘beautiful’ man coming into sight or stepping close to her. No, thank you.
The style feels very similar to Y.A. rather than Adult so this surprised me given it’s marketed under Adult. Writing is a bit jumpy especially in dialogue (also just feels generally wierd to me in the way that Ravenna and CS talk to each other). Descriptions were also very figurative but in way that didn’t make sense or a bit over the top. Overall, it felt a bit cliche and trope-y (if that’s a word) to be honest. It’s also incredibly repetetive.
The premise held a lot of promise but delivered something else entirely. Absolutely 100% not for me. I’m also not a fan of authors who don’t include readers in their acknowledgments.
Who would enjoy this book: readers who enjoy tropes and fantasy romance or romantasy with human v immortals vibes based in Italy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.