The Orphan of Florence is one of the rare gems that is just waiting to be found . The minute I opened the book I was transported back to 1400 Florence, Italy . A time when powerful families ruled the country- men like the Medici's , Borgia's, Albizzi's & Pazzi's.
From the time she was born, Guilianna was an Orphan, soon after she left the confinements of the orphanage she was thrust into the city to fend for herself. Dressing as a boy, she transformed into a rather good pick-pocketer to survive in the corrupt streets of Florence.
When one of her "marks" turns out to be someone powerful, someone who can change her life she believes destiny is on her side. Guilianns finds herself in a dangerous world where every move she makes has dire consequences. More abandonment, higher risks, & greater consequences can turn out to be too much for this young orphan to handle.
This book had me intrigued from the beginning. It is a unique story set against the backdrop of one of my favorite time periods. The author does a great job in his decriptions of the city & the comings and goings of everything around him.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced copy - I would recommend this book to anyone looking to be transported back to 1400 Florence, Italy.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Jeanne Kalogridis has created an enchanting, alchemical, mystery/romance that will blow your socks off. It's that good!

Fast-paced story, with lots of intrigue and drama. Beautiful description that make me want to book a trip to Florence. Great book, well worth the time reading.

In 15th century Florence, Giulia has learned to take care of herself. Raised in an orphanage, the young woman decided to take her chances on the streets rather than be subjected to a loveless marriage. She and her young charge Tomasso make their way by lying and stealing, becoming adept pick pockets. Things rub along well enough until they pick the wrong person to rob. If you are interested in Florence and its history, you’ll love this book. There are many, highly detailed descriptions of the city and its inhabitants, and while I liked this aspect of the book (it gave me a real feel for the story), I think it may be a bit tedious for some readers

Atmospheric and entertaining historical fiction! Guilia is a survivor, for sure, and she needs to be in Medici era Florence. Thank goodness 15 year old girls no longer find themselves faced with the choice of the nunnery or marriage. Sadly, though, the streets are less kind than they were to Guilia, who supports herself as a pickpocket until she meets the Magician, Ser Abramo. I liked the descriptions of the various talismans. You'll like this if you're familiar with or interested in the complicated politics and intrigue of the period. I also enjoyed it for the characters, not only Guilia, but also Tomaso and Nicolo. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't take this too seriously- it's not meant to be a definitive history- enjoy it for what it is, historical fiction with a heart.

I am usually a huge fan of historical fiction set in the Renaissance; however, this book was a flop for me. I was tempted to not finish the novel but I ultimately decided to finish it. Most of the novel is spent detailing the magical/talisman making process which led to flat characters and a predictable plot.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley.

I started this novel with high, high expectations because I have read and thoroughly enjoyed several of this author's previous works. While this book is not my favorite novel by Kalogridis, it did not disappoint. The plot is fast=paced, with lots of drama and intrigue. The vivid descriptions of Florence invoke a sense of place and time that enhance the novel to the extent that the city herself is almost another character. While elements of the paranormal are critical to the progress of the plot and the main players undoubtedly believe in the power of magic, the bounds of realism are not breached so a modern reader would not find anything hard to believe or explain. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or has an interest in Renaissance Italy should not miss this book.

The Orphan of Florence was a fun read. Set in a historical period in Italy, the story tells of a young girl who had to fight for her entire young life until a benevolent magician takes her in to train her. Although some parts of this novel dragged for me for I felt there were many unnecessary parts, I quickly skimmed over those parts to get the grit of the story. I don't like to skip parts in a story but even though I did, the story was still an interesting read.

The heroine, Giulia, disguised herself as a boy to make life as a pickpocket much easier and with less hassle should she get stuck in certain situations. There was a bit of romance in the book but I felt the rushed romance between the heroine and the anti-hero in the book was unneeded. The story itself would have been fine if Giulia didn't have a romantic attachment.

Overall, The Orphan of Florence is an action-packed book with some clever elements of magic and thievery thrown in to keep you interested in reading towards the end of the story.

I loved every page - every sentence - of this book! I think the background research was meticulously done and beautifully written into what was a seamlessly told story. One with characters that made me care about them. I'm hoping to see them all again.

I generally love historical fiction, but the supernatural/metaphysical element in this just doesn't interest me.

I actually decided to read this book after receiving a recommendation for it in my inbox. It sounded intriguing, but I didn't know much about it or what to expect. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself quite unable to put the book down!

Giulia's life has been a difficult one. She has gone from orphan to pick-pocket. She is smart, which keeps her and her little rag-tag "family" alive and fed. But one day she aims for the wrong (perhaps right?) pocket, and her life changes forever.

The author does an incredible job of dropping his reader right in the heart of Florence in the 1400's, bringing Italy to life in the best of ways. The characters were rich and well-developed, growing in depth as the story progressed, each distinct in their personalities. The plot was fast-paced and interesting, and kept me thinking about it when I had to step away from the book. All-in-all a wonderful read and one that I highly recommend.

The drawn-out style of writing and somehow predictable action is not the style of writing I like to read. Therefore, I’m not the right reviewer for this book. There are others who appreciate this style of writing and they will reveal veracious reviews.

Giuliano 15 and an orphan, hated by Mother Superior at the orphanage, lived on the streets for two years being a pickpocket and thief. Tommaso is 6, he was at the font crying because his mother died of plague. The sisters would not take him into the orphanage, he was four at the time. So Giuliano took him and was responsible for him. Abramo caught Giuliano when he tried to pick his pocket. Niccolo was raised by Abramo, he also was an orphan and skilled with arms, he spent everyday with Giuliano teaching the little they had time for.
There is a battle, traitors and spies abound. The spies and traitors are horrible people, they murder, attempt murder, torture, lies and other awful things. Lorenzo and his mother have changed and become hardened because of all the unrest and death. The descriptions are surprising. After church every sunday, Tommaso would go to the Baptistery, where he looked at the brass Bas-Relief panels on the three famous doors. His favorite was the one of the Angel staying Abraham's hand before he killed his son Issac, you could see them in your mind. It is a complex tale of the time of the de Medici's and Pope Sixtus IV..The characters are are so natural as was the dialogue. It all came together to make a strong, even paced and well written book. I enjoyed it. The care Giuliano gave to his friends, His help supporting them and even though he would never admit it, the love he had for them. This is a remarkable book and the author should be commended.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed.

I am an absolute sucker for anything set in (Renaissance) Florence, but the author is a bit of a hit or miss for me, and I approached the novel with trepidation…

And fell right into the consuming rabbit hole of the story. Wow!

My other absolute sucker-ness is for stories with women getting by in the world masquerading as men.

I loved Guilia—she knew from the get-go that her mind was different than the other children and adults around her. Smart as she is, she struggles to overcome the real talent that keeps her alive—her distrust of all things except for the small family she’s made of a former prostitute and a street urchin. She supports them by being a pickpocket, until she picks the right pocket, and though her circumstances are much improved after that fateful encounter, her new life is far more dangerous than the life she had led on the streets.

Medici spies versus Roman spies, orphans, codes and ciphers, and best of all, magic.

I loved the descriptions of Florence and the arcana—the author hit all the right notes for me from the moment I started reading. The fight scenes with Niccolo are absorbing and well researched.

BUT—does Guilia really need to say “OK” in this setting? I only laughed and moved on, but some might not. It takes more away from the story than adds to it, and as this is an ARC, I hope they remove “ok” from the finished manuscript.

P.S. Da Vinci, as much as I love him, doesn’t need to appear in every story set in Renaissance Florence, and for anyone who thinks “Da Vinci’s Demons” is history—it’s not, it’s an AU.

thank you for allowing me to read this novel. I'll put the link up when I get the blog post set up :)

The Orphan of Florence is set in Florence, Italy in 1478. The story follows Giulia’s life from her time as an orphan to pick pocket to something quite special. Through a series of events she becomes apprenticed to the great Magician of Florence, learning the tricks of his trade while trying to hide the fact that she is in fact a woman. Graced with eyes of two different colors, Giulia is not only different, it’s apparent to everyone around her. The story starts off well and has great promise. However, towards the climax of the book it simply feels like the writer is trying too hard. Dialog becomes stiff, the storyline a little unbelievable. Overall, an interesting read, technically sound, giving the reader a glimpse into the life of the Medici’s from a unique point of view.

This fast paced novel involving Jewish mysticism follows a foundling pickpocket who winds up apprenticing with a Jewish magician in Renaissance Florence, not realizing he holds the key to her past, or what kind of danger she's landed herself in when she gets involved in the war between Lorenzo de Medici and the Pope.

It seemed a little unrealistic at first, but then things come together. Well written and plot driven, the action, espionage, and mystery keeps you wanting to know more. I liked the characters but wasn't extremely attached to them - sometimes the main character was a little slow to realize what was going on. I felt like the mysticism was a little heavy handed but I guess that's just Kalogridis' style. Over all, a quick, enjoyable read, but don't expect too much from it.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

I've read several of Jeanne Kalogridis's novels: The Borgia Bride; I, Mona Lisa; The Devil's Queen; The Inquisitor's Wife; The Scarlet Contessa. Basically anything that she's written sans the vampire books, I've read. This novel was, by far, my least favorite. Not only is the cover deceiving (the "orphan" dresses as a boy the entire book, so why is there a picture of a girl on the cover?), but several times throughout the novel the incorrect pronoun is used ("she") when the "bad guys" didn't know that Guiliano was actually Guiliana. While the story itself was semi-interesting, there was just too much back-and-forth with the plot and characters for me to be genuinely interested. Have of the story consists of descriptions about the magic (just draw circles with your fingers was my take-away message), the Magician's lair (lots of keys and courtyards), and/or half-assed ways in which to create a fake fight (entwine your leg with another dude's and then straighten your leg).

Overall this was a big fat flop for me. I just couldn't care less what happened to the characters and only wanted to finish the story for the sake of loyalty to the author's previous novels.