Author: Kylie Fornasier
Genre: Young Adult, Historical.
Publication Date: July 23rd 2014
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Rating: 4/5
Set in an age of decadence made famous by Casanova, Masquerade uncovers the secrets of seven teens, from the highest aristocrat to the lowest servant – their dreams, desires, loves, loyalties ... and betrayals.
All the world's a stage. Let the show begin.
I first heard about Masquerade at PTA Live (Penguin Teen
Australia) earlier this year. Not only did I love the cover – purple is my
favourite colour, but the story sounded amazing. Granted, it took me a little
while to actually get to this (those damn book buying bans!) but I’m so glad I
did.
I’ve only ever read one other book set in Renaissance
Venice, which was Venom – the stories are pretty different, but I have to say I
think I actually liked Masquerade a little more. The book follows a few
different characters – Veronica and Angelique who are complete opposites of
each other despite being sister, Bastian, a sort of Venetian bad boy if you
will, Claudia who is desperate to escape from her mother, her brother Marco,
Anna, a maid with a talent for singing and a few secrets of her own and
finally, Orelia, a recently orphaned girl who has just moved to Venice. I liked
each of the characters – I admit, it took me a while to love to a couple of
them but my favourite was definitely Orelia. I personally found Orelia’s story
the most interesting and I could relate to her more than the others.
The setting is amazing – I cannot even begin to fathom how
much research Kylie would have put into this book. I know that she did travel
to Venice to research this, and you can definitely tell that she knows what
she’s talking about. This is one of those books that really pulls you into the
world with its writing – I honestly felt like I was going along in a gondola
beside Orelia. I also want to mention that the way Kylie writes makes it feel
very Italian – I don’t really know how else to describe this, but I could just
imagine every word being said with an Italian accent.
All in all, I’m definitely glad that I got to Masquerade
this year because it is a truly magnificent book. I think you all read it if
you haven’t already so you too can bask in its beauty. Also, didn’t you read?
Venetian bad boy…what more could you want?
