Venom [Hardcover]

Before getting to my review of the content of this book, I have to clarify that while I think the cover for Venom is pretty it isn't remarkable and didn't make me want to read the book at all - and frankly, I think to a large extent it actually does a disservice to the book itself.

The cover here gives you no idea how fast-paced, mysterious, and dark this story is. It lured me in from the very start and kept me hooked until the end - I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Reasons to Read:

1. Follow the mystery along Venice's twisted underground...:

I was completely hooked on the plot in Venom; from the very beginning there are missing people, dead bodies turning up... and body parts. Um, yeah. I really don't want to say more because I DON'T WANT TO RUIN A THING FOR YOU, but just believe me when I tell you this is like historical CSI in YA form. I mean, I know that sounds weird but trust me because it's so, so good!

2. Well, hello, Falco:

Fiona Paul took me for such a ride when it came to Falco. Everything was so up and down, and emotions were turbulent and I had a hard time figuring out exactly how I felt about him (probably because Cass had the same struggles). But I love that I was kept guessing about his character and he had plenty of surprises up his sleeve. Oh, and there's totally some swoony romance in there that you won't want to miss.

3. Gorgeous historical setting:

I love author's that can bring the written world to life and Fiona was brilliant at accomplishing just that. The reader is fully immersed in the Venetian world (both aristocratic class and underground) which is exactly what good historical fiction does for you. Venom is a fantastic example of YA historical fiction, and one I'd recommend even for readers who are more hesitant about trying it out.

The only issue I had with Venom was that there seemed to be too many details included for the first book in a new series; I liked getting all sorts of little hints towards what might be going on, but it felt like too much for one book. And I wasn't much of a fan of the "big reveal" at the end - but I think that's because I like being held in suspense for longer and I'd rather hold out for a really great twist.

All in all, Venom is one of the books this year that I felt was an excellent start to a fresh series and one that I still have trouble getting out of my head!

ARC received from Penguin Canada for my honest review; no other compensation was received.

Cover:
I always liked covers with masks. And this has relevance to the story as Cass goes to a masked dance. Though her eyes in the book were green, does the girl in the cover look like she has green or brown eyes?

Writing:
(3/5) The writing definitively drew me in from page one.

Setting:
(5/5) The book was set in the Italian renaissance and I have to say that Fiona Paul masterfully crafted that setting. Throughout the book I had a clear image of the world Fiona Paul described. Plus, as popular as Italy is, I don't see much YA books with a historical setting of it. Or any other place really, (besides Victorian England), so this was a nice breath of fresh air.

Plot:
(4/5) I'm not a fan of mysteries or thrillers, but I found myself drawn into the series of killings Cass discovers as she races to find who was behind it. I enjoyed the mixture of historical and romance that was added into the mystery. I was at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and who the killer could possibly be. My only problem was the revelation itself, it didn't turn out at all as I expected and I wondered if Fiona Paul really left enough clues to point to this person. There is a lot of room for more things to be revealed in the sequel. With Cass figuring out the mystery to the murder, there seems to be an even greater mystery hinted throughout the book. I'm curious to see what will be revealed in the next book, that's for sure.

Main Character:
(2.5/5) As you probably realized from the summary, Cass is one of those headstrong girls that don't like their constricted high class life. That's been done, god knows how much times, and sure I wouldn't mind if it was done again if there was something that was different about this character than all the rest. But sadly I couldn't really find anything in Cass. I didn't really hate her, I just didn't feel anything toward her, she didn't move me in anyway.

Villain:
(2/5) As I mentioned above I didn't expect this person to be the villain but that wasn't the main reason I didn't like them, it was their motivation as well as their back story. I thought it was meant to be dramatic and gasp worthy but it kind of just had me roll my eyes.

Other Characters:
(4/5) What I liked the most with what Fiona Paul did with her other characters was that she didn't make them 2-dimensional. At first she presented them as simple characters, but as the story progressed Cass started to see that there was more to each and every one of them. They were complex as humans are and good characters should be.

Romance:
(5/5) The romance was well done, it didn't hit you out of nowhere but was paced well. Throughout the book, there was a lot of tension with Cass and Falco. Plus I loved Falco, he was such a bold and mischievous character.

Overall:
(25.5/35) The main character was unoriginal but I loved the setting of a historical Italy, mixed with romance and a mystery that kept me wondering where it would lead.

If I were asked to describe this book in one word it would be "long". Despite it only being a 432 page book (I know, I'm also considering my sanity by writing "despite it only being a 432 page book"- what can I say? I've grown accustomed to books that are at least 500 pages long) it felt much, much longer. Everything just felt so long drawn out and slow- from the plot, all of the descriptions that Fiona writes, and the likes of. And as such, I personally could only read a few chapters every night (for almost a week and a half) when I am used to reading a book in a single sitting.

But then there is a flip-side, I did finish it despite my complaints- this means that I liked it enough and was intrigued enough to do so. What made the story for me were the characters- Cassanda and Falco. Despite not typically being a fan of female characters I did really like Cass. I found that overall she had a fairly strong head on her shoulders and was someone that readers can really relate with. While Falco may not have started out as being totally swoon-worthy with his cocky arrogance I did soon find myself swept off of my feet by him as the story progressed and we learned more and more of his true character.

I was also interested in the love triangle- who is better for Cass? The boy who makes her loose her inhibitions and feel alive? Or the boy who is unwavering solid and can offer her not only the world, but her family? However, personally I believe that it was one of the most dissatisfying love triangles I have ever encountered before mainly because I love love and I hate to see it go to waste (Let's just say that if you weren't a fan of how the love triangle ended in Lili St. Crow's "Strange Angels" series that you will most likely not be a fan of how this love triangle also ends).

Another aspect which I am a bit iffy on is the ending- the last chapter is mainly composed of Cass questioning everyone and everything around her- by the end of this book very little is revealed (I mean, the series is named "Secrets of the Eternal Rose" yet the Eternal Rose is mentioned all of two? Three times? It's not like Cassie Clare named her "Mortal Instrument" series as such and didn't make mention of the Mortal Instruments until the third book or so).

All in all, despite my complaints, I, as mentioned, did enjoy the book- it is an extremely unique YA, "The Diviners" by Libba Bray meets "The Thief Lord" Cornelia Funk. Furthermore, I do plan on continuing with this series if only to see how it all wraps up.