"The other life is just a dream."
This is one of those rare books where I don't care much for the main character, but I enjoyed everything else, especially the plot.
The plot is slightly elevated and a lot more is at stake for the Stravaganti and Talia. The beginning is a little slow, but I enjoyed the last two thirds. The last third is extremely engrossing because so much happens. The plot progression is great. There are several events that lead to other events so naturally and it also kept me on the edge of my seat.
Each book in this series explores a different city and the atmosphere, layout, rules, trade etc. in each city is different. It adds something interesting and fresh to a series with an extremely repetitive plot. There are plot holes, especially with the time travelling aspect, but they are easy to ignore and aren't detrimental to the overall story.
The protagonist, Sky, is boring and lacks character depth. I wasn't invested in his struggles and he didn't have much of a part in anything. However, I was interested in the arcs of many other characters such as Luciano, Arianna, Silvia, the Stravaganti Brotherhood members, Sandro, Brother Sulien, the di Chimici family and Falco/Nicholas.
The characters aren't complex, but they are likable. It's interesting to see Arianna stepping up to the mantle of Duchessa, but still living life on her own terms and Georgia's newfound confidence and self-assurance is a joy to witness. The Arianna and Luciano 'drama' is amusing so I was really happy with how it got resolved. On another note, I didn't appreciate Alice's spoilt and entitled attitude. I understand her feelings of being left out, but the way she deals with it isn't great.
City of Flowers deals with politics and family rivalries and shows the di Chimici family in all its glory. The family is made up of characters who are good, bad and morally grey, and though the large family is difficult to keep track of, the dynamics between them and the events that play out because of their influence makes this a good read.
City of Flowers has an engaging plot and deals with interesting concepts, but I wish the protagonist had more character depth.
"There are some choices you can only make one. You can't go back to where you made a choice and then take the other one."