Customer Reviews

Stravaganza: City of Flowers (Part 3)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WOW! Mary Hoffman really concluded the series nicely! But I still like the second book, City of Stars, better. So, here's a summary:

Sky goes to the same school as Georiga and Lucien (previous stravagantes) and Nicholas (who used to live in Talia, a parallel world of Italy). He finds a fragrant bottle left on his doorstep, and it turns out to be a talisman that takes him to a friar's- Brother Sulien- cell in Giglia (Florence in Italy). In Giglia, there are going to be four di Chimici weddings. There is probably going to be a murder there by the Nucci clan (a rival of the di Cimici) and the stravagantes are preparing for the danger. A lot of people of both Nucci and di Chimici families are either wounded or hurt, and Niccolo ends up challenging Luciano to a duel, which if I describe too much, will give everything away!

There is a little bit of romance in this book too... and Georgia and Nicholas are going to go back. I would DEFINITELY recommend it!

I loved the first one in this series and this one is no different. The setting of the story is wonderfully described and gives ground for a plot that is sure to arouse one's curiosity. The delicate web of the colorful characters upon which the book revolves around becomes even more vivid in this fabulous book. I could barely get anthing accomlished I was so intent on finding out what happened next. I highly recommend this book for any reader who desires a mysterious, passionate, and irresistible read.

This, the third book in the "Stravaganza" series, is almost twice the size of the first installment City Of Masks and I can't help but feel that its pacing suffers as a result. Though still rich in detail and description, "City of Flowers" feels rather sluggish at times, with none of the intrigue or urgency that filled the pages of its predecessors. It picks up considerably toward the end of the novel, with weddings and feuds and floods and murders most foul, but the getting there seems to take forever.

The Stravaganza books are built on the conceit that certain people from our world are able to "stravagate" in their sleep to an alternative-world version of Italy, a country made up of several city-states known collectively as Talia. There are several conditions in place for stravagation to occur: travellers first have to be in possession of a talisman specially chosen to allow transportation, they cannot stay in Talia overnight due to the fact their earthly bodies are in a comatose-state whilst they are away, and once they reach Talia they are identifiable by their lack of a shadow. Likewise, Talian citizens are able to stravagate into our world, and throughout the series Mary Hoffman has explored the implications and consequences of such journeys back and forth, adding new characters each time.

This time the new Stravagante is Sky Meadows, a teenager who is being raised by a single mother. He has never met his father, a famous rock-singer known as the Rainbow Warrior (and how a rock singer builds a career on that name is a mystery to me). Older than his years, he struggles with his mother's mental illness as well as the usual tribulations of teenage life. But all that is about to change when he discovers a small glass bottle on his doorstep and falls asleep with it in his hands.

He awakens in the city of Giglia among a brotherhood of scientist-friars who inform him that he is the latest in a line of Stravagante, brought to the city for an important though as yet unknown reason. It probably has something to do with the power-hungry Duke Niccolo and the rest of the di Chimici family, the antagonists of the previous books. Here in Giglia they are rivals with the equally wealthy Nucci family, and the upcoming joint-wedding of Niccolo's sons seems a perfect opportunity for the feud to break out. The stravagante band together in order to protect the wedding ceremony, little knowing how deep and bitter the rivalry really is between the two families.

Meanwhile, Sky has his own problems back in the real world, what with his girlfriend getting suspicious over his new friendship with other Stravagante, his mother's ongoing illness, and his estranged father's unexpected arrival back into his life. As well as this there are other little subplots concerning various other characters, including the Duchesse Arianna of Bellezza and her unwelcome proposal from Duke Niccolo, Luciano's struggle with his secret feelings for Arianna, Nicolas's desire to return to Talia, and a young orphan boy's tribulations in the employment of long-time di Chimici spy: the man known as the Eel.

Juggling all these plot-threads is a challenge that Hoffman handles admirably, but as mentioned, "City of Flowers" is the longest book yet, and sometimes gets bogged down with its vast array of characters. A family tree and dramatis personae have been included at the back of the book in order to keep track of everyone, and any reader who skips the previous two books will find themselves hopelessly lost.

Sky himself, ostensibly meant to be the protagonist, is practically superfluous to the plot and doesn't really seem to do anything that could not be handled just as easily by the other stravagante (who are given certain powers hitherto unmentioned in the previous books) and not even Hoffman herself seems particularly interested in his backstory. He's certainly a much blander character than the others, and I wonder if it would have been better to just stick with Luciano, Arianna, Georgia and Nicolas as the protagonists, since they all had much more poignant and interesting stories to tell.

Still, Hoffman's world-building is still the main draw-card, as she vividly describes the city of Giglia and its surrounding area, filled with buildings, vineyards, churches, rivers and friaries. In her afterwords, in which she explains the inspiration for the di Chimici family was the de Medici, and the template for Giglia was Florence, I wasn't surprised to learn that she was actually in the city when writing the book. Also noteworthy is the way in which no character is purely good or evil, but rather a particular shade of grey. Even Duke Niccolo has his weaknesses and moments of genuine warmth, fear and humanity. Rather than a typical fantasy scenario of good versus evil, the "Stravaganza" books concern a human drama.

Plenty of threads are tied up in this book, with the death of a significant character and definitive endings for at least two others. Nevertheless, there are more books that follow this one, and I'll be interested to see whether Hoffman continues with this massive cast, or whether she cuts down for the sake of simplicity. I loved reading City Of Masks and I hope that the series gets some of that first magic back again.

An excellent young Adult series cleverly incorporating time travel from current day to an alternative Italy. The first in the series, City of Masks, hooked me. Each book can be read individually and thoroughly enjoyed. However reading the series explains a background from some of the characters. An interesting depiction of time travel and absorbing details about Italy. Unfortunately the title may be offputting for male readers, however the stories are all equally enjoyable for everyone.

This was a GREAT book. I loved the first book in the series, City of Masks, and thought that none of the sequels could be any better. I was wrong!! The plot is full of twists and turns and so much happens on every page, there were some points I thought I would get lost. The author, however, does a perfect job of distinguishing each plot line and making everything clear. It was great to see all of the characters together and I enjoyed every part of the book. I would definately recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book, but only after reading the first two. This is the sort of book you can read over and over.

Being the third in the series of Strvaganza, don't read this until you have read the first two books: City of Masks and City of Stars! You'll be hooked after you finish the first book ! Unimaginably irresitable to read!!!!! Filled with intrigue, mystery, love, adventure, and magic, this is a book for any age level! What are you waiting for? Start reading!

this book will make you laugh, cry, sigh, smile, and everything else you can think of !!!!!!!! It is the best book i have ever read and it is certainly the best book for teens!!!!! It has the adventure scenes, romance, fear, bravery, and deep emotion !!!!! READ IT !! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!! AND YOU TO WILL HAVE TO RATE THIS A 5 STAR BOOK !!!!! GO TALIA & LUCIEN,GEORGIA AND SKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

all i have to say is : READ THIS IT IS AMAZING, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER (and that is not an exsageration)JUST LIKE IT CHANGED MINE!!!! YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE NOT A TEENAGER; READ IT!!!!!! *dont read this before City of Masks and City of Stars!!!

I would have to say the Stravaganza series is one that get's worse in each book. I'm not so sure if the switching main chara's in each book was what did it, but I felt no liking for our third chara.

Because of this, the ending feels rather cheap when we return to Lucien and Arianna. The whole, and they "fell in love and lived happily ever after" only works when the two chara's actually spend time together and develop. That way it doesn't sound so fairy tale like. (I have a strong liking to books like HP, where fantasy feels realistic)

Yes, its exciting, but I wish it had been dull through the beginning, so I didn't rush to the end only to find I would never pick this book up again.

The relationships dont feel whole hearted, but rather, "I'm choosing you cuz I have no other choice and the book is nearly over,"

Also, through the whole series the Pagan worldview is blunt and annoying. The whole, "we worship a woman cuz we dont like men" came off feminist and disturbing. When it was introduced long ago it felt unneeded, since Lucien, and everyone else never felt time to wonder if she was even real. One has to wonder why we even have it?

If you care nothing for religion, and dont find yourself nitpicking over the unreal love in badly written stories (I confess, it's easy to want to live happily ever after no matter what) then you will enjoy this last book.
Why does it seem so many authors rush the last book????

This book is a must read!!!! but not unless you've read City Of Masks and City of Stars. Hoffman creates and incredible world in (unfortunately) the last installment of this AMAZING series. You'll want to stay in Talia forever. This book had the perfect combination of love, adventure, suspense, and wit. For those of you who read the first 2 books to me City of Flowers was very shocking but in a good way. *****