Short Story: Cursed by Treachery by Luciana Cavallaro

Accursed Women by Luciana CavallaroAll Medousa wanted was a life of love and acceptance but one fateful night it changed. While she’s alone in the Temple of Athene tending to the sacred fire, Poseidon pays a visit. No human can stop an immortal from taking what they want.

[Full disclosure: As a thank you for reviewing her four previous short stories, Luciana Cavallaro sent me the paperback Accursed Women as a thank you.  I was not expected to review Cursed by Treachery and as always this review is honest.]

The thing I like most about all of Luciana Cavallaro’s short stories is the level of detail she goes into.  She doesn’t just rehash the common re-tellings of myths that we’ve all heard here in the Western hemisphere.  She actually goes to different source material and tells quite a refreshing version of famous Greek myths.  In this story, for example, Medousa is the daughter of Titans.  That’s not a detail you find in the more common version of this myth.

All of the short stories in the Accursed Women anthology are unique in the way they’re told.  In Cursed by Treachery we see things from Perseus’ viewpoint and that’s interrupted by flashes of Medousa’s life as a Gorgon and her old life as a priestess in Athena’s temple.  It’s a fascinating way to tell Medousa’s tragic story and you would think it would be confusing but it isn’t.  We slowly learn how Medousa came to be a priestess in Athena’s temple and the horrible events that led to Athena cursing her for something that was hardly her fault.

Was Medousa’s tale my absolute favourite story in the whole anthology?  Not really.  But it’s a testament to the strength of Luciana Cavallaro’s writing that I still enjoyed it while learning something new.  It’s a well-written short story with interesting subject matter and a very interesting ending.  What more can you ask for?

I give this short story 5/5 stars.

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Discussion: Your All-Time Favourite Book

For people who read a lot of books it’s almost impossible to pick just one favourite.  Anyone who asks me what my favourite book is will usually get a blank stare followed by an explanation of how much I actually read in a year.  It’s nearly impossible to pick a favourite book, especially if you’re put on the spot.

All-time favourite books are slightly different from just ‘favourite books’ for me.  An all-time favourite is one that had the largest effect on me at the time, the one that I read over and over again, etc.  All-time favourite books have staying power, whereas favourite books can change in a couple of months if you read a lot.

I can pretty much guarantee that I’ve read more than 1,000 books at this point in my life.  Out of all of these books I’d have to say that my absolute favourite is Inkspell by Cornelia Funke.  I read it as a pre-teen and it taught me a lot about love, life, self-esteem and the beauty of losing yourself in a magical world.  Harry Potter is definitely my all-time favourite series, but on an individual basis Inkspell (the second book in the Inkworld trilogy) will always hold a special place in my heart.

I still have my old beat up copy of Inkspell and even though the binding has almost totally fallen apart and the pages are yellowed from being out in the sun so much, I refuse to throw it out and get a new version.  Memories live on in the pages of books and there are so many good memories for me in Inkspell.

What I want to know is this: If you had to pick an all-time favourite book, what book would it be?  Why?

The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn

SerpentPearl_CV.indd(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous–or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web…
Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope–and passionately in love with her.
Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope’s shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

This could have quite easily strayed into cliché territory the whole time.  At times, it was a little cliché but nothing on the level I expected it to be.  I’ll explain a little bit.

Leonello is sort of Kate Quinn’s answer to George R. R. Martin’s Tyrion.  He’s quick-thinking, uses his wits to keep alive and gets quite a few women (considering the views of the time).  He always seems to find himself in the centre of intrigue.  For those of you that have read the series A Song of Ice and Fire you know full well this could be applied to Tyrion just the same as it could be applied to Leonello.  There are a few differences between the characters but I was sort of disappointed in how similar the two were, even if they are both awesome in their own right.

The thing that I liked most about The Serpent and the Pearl is the characters.  Carmelina has a fascinating backstory and makes her way into a world traditionally inhabited by men only—being the master chef to powerful men.  She’s not your typical Feisty Female that seems to be the requirement in fiction these days so I actually quite enjoyed her point of view.  The character that I liked most was, surprisingly, Giulia Farnese.  She can be quite a vain, indolent sort of creature but there’s no denying that as the story goes on and she grows up a bit she becomes a force to be reckoned with in Rome.  Unlike a lot of heroines she is capable of acting and lying but never really loses her temper with anyone.  Considering how she grew up, this is far more believable than the ridiculous obvious Girl Power characters that historical fiction writers try to transform every woman into.  Some women are not obviously girl power figures, but Giulia sort of becomes one in a quiet, unique kind of way that fits with her personality.

The plot dragged a little bit in a couple of places, but there weren’t any major slow downs.  I did enjoy all of the little historical details Kate Quinn put into her novel, including all the recipes Carmelina used.  Some historical figures were portrayed very differently than I was used to (Sancha of Aragon most notably) but others were pleasantly surprising, like Giulia and the Borgia Pope himself.  I can’t speak to how historically accurate this novel is, but I definitely felt immersed in the world of Renaissance Italy and the intrigues of Rome.

If you like historical fiction that has a little bit of a different take on traditionally maligned characters, I’d have to recommend The Serpent and the Pearl.  It certainly isn’t for everyone but I personally enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading The Lion and the Rose.  Especially since Kate Quinn ended the book on such a horrible cliffhanger.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Short Story: Lost in the Seven Worlds by Petronela Ungureanu

Lost in the Seven Worlds by Petronela Ungureanu(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Lost in the Seven Worlds is the debut work of Petronela Ungureanu, an avante-garde Romanian writer.

When a young woman finds herself captive in another world, she makes the mistake of falling for one of the disgraced beings. In the name of love, she is confronted with a most disturbing demand and faces a crucial decision. Will she remain lost in the Seven Worlds, or will she accept the challenge of a love beyond mortality?

[Full disclosure: I was given a free ebook copy of this short story by the author in exchange for an honest review.]

Petronela Ungureanu has one of the more beautiful, unique writing styles that I’ve encountered of late.  It’s wonderfully descriptive in an old-fashioned sort of way and you really feel like you’re immersed in her fantasy world.  In a longer piece than Lost in the Seven Worlds it would drag down the plot, but in a short story it just enhances the world she’s created.

From what little I could gather the world-building in this story is much more complex than could be contained in a short story.  I would love to learn more about the Daevas and their customs but short stories are, well, just too short.  The details that were included were all relevant to the story and were interesting but there just weren’t enough to make a fully realized world.

This is a great short story, it truly is.  The only problem is the story itself is far too complex for the medium.  In all honesty, this would be a great novel.  However, I have to judge it based on its format.  And the truth is, Lost in the Seven Worlds was more than a little confusing, especially at the end.  There was a huge twist at the end and although I read the story through a couple of times I still don’t understand it.  It’s nice to end on a bit of a cliffhanger but readers have to also understand what’s going on.

Overall, I think this short story was decent.  It’s just that the ending was a little too rushed.

I give this short story 3.5/5 stars.

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