City of Masks (Stravaganza) (Bloomsbury Educational Editions)

by Mary Hoffman

'City of Masks is a poignant, touching and exciting novel, difficult to put down. This is one of the best time-slip stories that I have read in recent years. Without doubt a masterwork of contemporary children's literature.' - Edgardo Zaghini, Children's Literature Officer, Booktrust. This is a fantastic first novel in a trilogy. Set in a parallel world, in an Italy that in this world is called Talia and in a Venice that in this world is called Bellezza, the narrative follows Lucien, who in this world is ill with cancer. Given a marbled notebook to help him communicate when his throat hurts too much to speak, this notebook is the means that transports Lucien to this magical, dangerous new world. This is a world which is set in the C16, and thrills to the delight of political intrigue, including assassination attempts both foiled and successful. The parallel Venice is astonishingly evoked, with the silks and velvets, the sensuousness of the food and the elegance of the city and its waterways all beautifully and powerfully described. The world of Talia is unforgettably and convincingly real.

• ISBN10: 1582349177
• ISBN13: 9781582349176
• Publish Date: 4 October 2004 (first published 1 January 2002)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 27 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 344
• Language: English

Reviews

[mysticalmanuscripts]

City of Masks has a decent plot, but it’s unfocused and unrefined. The lack of good pacing and tension was the main reason I struggled to continue reading. The narrative lacks a logical conclusion and jumps between scenes without explanation. Her characters are dull, her world is contradictory, and her climax is unsatisfying because Hoffman doesn’t dwell on anything. Hoffman uses Lucian's illness as a cheap ploy to garner sympathy from the audience, which cannot work. I didn't care about any character in the book. It's hard to understand the characters' relationships because the dialogue feels forced and is usually short. The way Lucian and Arianna conversed gave me the impression that they were children instead of being teenagers.

Hoffman writes about whatever she feels like, leaving blanks. This story had no clear direction for me.

There isn’t much happening. They resolved conflicts within a few pages and with no one's involvement. I don’t understand why Hoffman didn’t just use Renascence Italy for Lucian’s escape instead of creating a parallel world. In one scene, Lucian goes to real modern-day Italy and alludes to the differences between Bellazza and Venice. They only changed the pronunciation of Italian words.

The only thing I can think of is that Hoffman underestimated her intended audience. Despite its misguided nature and rapid ending, the story is not terrible. This isn't a book aimed at teens. City of Masks intended for children.

As far as this series is concerned, I won’t continue it.

You can see all my reviews here

3,5 stars

The Stravaganza Sequence is one of my favourite childhood series and I'm glad that I enjoyed rereading City of Masks. 

City of Masks isn't complex and lacks depth, but it's still an interesting story. I couldn't put it down and this is my third read. It does have sad, dark and dangerous moments, but it doesn't dwell on them for too long. 

The characters are likable and I wanted things to go well for them, but they're one-note. The protagonist is heroic and has some cool moments, but it's the female characters who steal the show. The Duchessa of Belezza is probably the most complex character in City of Masks. She's clever, cunning and shrewd, but she has an affinity for drama and extravagance, while still being human. I also like the friendship that develops between Lucien and Arianna and the relationship dynamics between the Duchessa and everyone else.  

There is a weird mix of Historical Fiction, Sci-fi and Fantasy, but it comes together in an organic way. The concept of this series, which involves time travelling to Renaissance Italy, makes City of Masks interesting. Belezza is a parallel Venice and the city - its rules, religions, festivals, politics and aura - lends a beautiful atmosphere to the story.

A negative, that took me a while to get used to, is the narrative style. The story is told from multiple PoVs, ranging from the main characters to completely random ones, but the narrative is also omnipresent. There are short PoV sections and the transitions are choppy and jarring. This negatively affected the mystery aspect to some extent, because almost all the plot twists are alluded to or revealed ahead of time. However, there is still enough of uncertainty and the unknown to keep the story moving forward. 

City of Masks deals with interesting concepts, but the plot and characters aren't complex and the story lacks depth. It's still a lovely read that kept me engrossed and even melted my cold dead heart at times.