This is a YA fantasy book set in an alternative Italian-style setting. There are several regions, each with a ruling family. The Capo rules over everyone, mafia-style. The main protagonist, Theodora has the ability to turn things (including people) into other things. She used the skill most notably to turn enemies of her family into inanimate objects, such as music boxes. She has to hide her power because magic is frowned upon.
In the beginning of the book, the Capo poisons the heads of the five families, including Theodora's father. Each of the families sends their eldest sons to the Capo to negotiate a move forward as a united country. Now, Theodora's brothers are not quite up to the challenge - her older brother is violent, and her younger brother is uninterested in leading the family. So, Theodora sets out to the capital, and that's where the story kicks off. On the way, she meets another person with magical powers, Cielo. Cielo is a shape-shifter and they can shape-shift between male and female as well as animal forms.
There is a lot of discussion around gender and gender fluidity and what it means to be a woman, a man, comfortable in your own skin. Cielo teaches Theodora about magic and finding comfort in who they are, especially the notion so ingrained in society that women aren't strong. The book challenges the idea that you have to be either male or female, whether through appearance, behavior, status, etc.
The characters are well fleshed out and the premise of the story is fun, but I found everyone to be rather unlikeable.

I received an ARC of this book from Novelist in return for an honest review.

This book was so good it put me in a week long book-hangover. I’m really hoping Capetta writes a follow-up because I need more Teo and Cielo goodness!

The Brilliant Death follows Teodora di Sangro, or Teo for short, as she makes her way to the Capitol to meet with the Capo. The Capo is trying to unify Vinalia, but he needs the help of the heirs to the five families, and the best way to do that is to keep their first born sons under his thumb. To that end, he has poisoned the heads of the five families, including Teo’s father, and has demanded that the heirs attend him at his castle.

Teo, who is a strega (unbeknownst to her family and the rest of her townspeople) and has been quietly using her powers to get rid of her family’s enemies for years, decides to answer the Capo’s call. On the way to the city, she meets Cielo, another strega who can shift genders as easily as breathing, and shows Teo just how powerful she might become if she learns to harness her magic.

As Teo’s powers, and her attraction to Cielo, grow the strega starts to wonder if she can ever go back to living life in the shadows. That is, if the Capo decides to let her live at all.

Part of what I really loved about this book was Capetta’s use of language; “wordsmith” is definitely a term I’d use here. Like with this line from early on in Teo’s journey to the Capitol - “At some hazy point, after so much walking that my feet became the high note in an aria of discomfort, one spot in the sky turned raw pink.”

Also, I totally loved the relationship between Teo and Cielo and all its genderfluid glory. “It’s true that I contain more than one thing,” Cielo said. “And sometimes the balance shifts.”

Also, also, the way Capetta explores feminism and being a woman in a patriarchy-fueled society is spot on, but I don’t want to say any more here for fear of spoiling some plot-points.

All-in-all, I found this truly a wonderful read.

Teodora DiSangro is the daughter of one of the heads of the five families. And, while most people wouldn’t expect this of a woman, she’s the heavy. That’s because she’s got a secret: she a streghe, a witch. She can turn people into inanimate objects. So, when her father is poisoned by the Capo, she heads to the capital. Not just to represent her family as the new head of the family: her ultimate goal is revenge. NO ONE crosses the DiSangros. No one.
I really enjoyed this one! YA fantasy is one of my preferred genres, but after a while, much of it can seem pat or a bit too similar, so it feels so refreshing when something new comes along. This was something new, at least to me. A mob story that features gender queer protagonists who also happen to be a witches? I loved everything about that, and the book delivered on the plot and character development as well. The worldbuilding is rich, the characters are likable with understandable and clear motivations, and there are a few twists and turns that will keep most readers guessing. I’m not sure if there’s a sequel planned, but the book was tied up nicely with enough loose threads to justify a sequel should the author choose to write one. I know I’d read it.
TLDR: Looking for a mob based fantasy with a strong, engaging gender queer protag? Not to worry – The Brilliant Death has you covered. For fans of The Godfather and/or The Brooklyn Brujas, or really for anyone who likes inventive and inclusive YA fantasy. 4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the advance copy which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Brilliant Death will be available for purchase on 30 October 2018, but you can put your copy on hold today!