Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on Aug 13, 2017
First Impressions:
The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner is an intriguing narrative of the Borgias. There is drama, backstabbing and poison all tied up in one neat package. I was immediately entranced.
What I Liked:
- The pacing of the novel was fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat waiting upon the next conniving move to be made.
- Lucrezia Borgia was a very likable person despite the atmosphere she grew up in. I thought C.W. Gortner did a good job portraying her innocence and naivete. As she was only 13 when she wed her inexperience in all aspects of life was an interesting look and I enjoyed seeing her mature and using her instinct to manipulate situations.
- Despite her family being horrible I quite liked the interactions between them, no matter how dastardly. However, just when you thought blood was thicker than water I was proved wrong time and time again.
What I Didn't like:
- There were three sex scenes that I didn't care for. The first, while the act of cheating served a purpose and set wheels in motion, I didn't care for how it was done. I thought it was a little too explicit and I would have prefered an "end scene" route. The second, I knew was coming the minute Lucrezia married. Her husband forced himself on her. It just gave me a bad taste in my mouth and was glad it ended quickly. The last involved incest, it was a little too Princess Daisy for my taste and could have been skipped over.
Audio Impressions:
I did listen to part of this on audio and really enjoyed Julia Whelan's interpretation of it. She is fast becoming a go-to narrator as she enhances the vibrant words being read.
Final Impressions
This was my first book by C.W. Gortner and I know it won't be my last. He is so descriptive I could picture the very stones Lucrezia walked on. The author was also so meticulous in bringing these characters to life that they could only be compared to Pinocchio becoming a "real boy". The Borgias were vivid creatures and were as alluring and deceitful as the Tudors. Lucrezia's story is one I will not forget anytime soon.
This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews