I found this book dull which was a huge disappointment as I love the city of Venice
The story was very hard to get into and there were too many characters

I found this book to be boring. I expected vivid scenery and descriptions given the setting. Resolution was also left for a future book and that just wrote off the book for me. Too much was left unanswered by the end.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. A great read that kept me engaged until the end.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF. This was so incredibly slow. It took so long for anything to really build and get going, and when it did, it was confusing and there were way too many characters. I had high hopes for the premise, but this doesn’t deliver.

Another poor unfortunate girl has been murdered and dismembered in Venice and only the painter Tintoretto cares. Well actually no that’s not true it turns out quite a few people are interested in the the death of a maid who worked in shop that rented clothes. Because she knew something or did she? The Wolves of Venice there are four of them not less don’t let them tell you less.
This book was a slow burn Connor lays down multiple threads and in doing so we don’t particularly get to know any of the characters very well and later in that becomes tricky because their actions seem irrational. Marco the poor little rich boy is sort of the lead character, in that is turns out he is retelling the tale some 40 years in the future so there’s a lot of doom laden foreshadowing. About two thirds of that way through he even tells us outright what happens to him which totally ruined it for me and popped all the tension that had been building. There’s a key death that actually made me groan and want to stop reading. After that everything happens at lightening speed and nothing is resolved. I didn’t realise this was a series And expected things to get tied up. They didn’t. We didn’t get any clues as to who or even what the wolves of Venice are, the original murder wasn’t even solved. Nothing. It isn’t badly written and the characters are good but we need something, anything as a reward for all the doom.

I was in love with this book from start to finish.
A little slow sometimes.
But I liked the setting, the intrigues ... okay I liked everything

16th century Venice. The contrast between the rich of Venice and the life of Jews in the ghetto is startling and brutal. There is also a hidden society in Venice. Those on the fringe of the very rich serving them as a matter of survival but inwardly hating their way of life and what they stand for, but with no choice in the matter.

We have Arettino and Baptista are two of the biggest controllers of all that goes on in Venice. Using the art of blackmail, they squeeze as much as possible out of the rich and famous, all of whom have secrets they have to keep. Having done as much harm as possible to Jacopo, they now go after the son Marco and in turn to hurt him hit out at those closest to him. Rosella and her brother the clever Doctor Tarbat looked upto even in Venetian circles are drawn into this tight net and ultimate end up paying with their lives.

The Wolves of Venice show the lascivious, and the corrupt belly of Venice leaving aside the arts and the beauty of Venice aside. Not a very pleasant, uplifting read because we only associate Venice with much beauty but a side we would like to ignore. A intriguing story.

I requested The Wolves of Venice from Netgalley because I recognised the name of the author and know that she writes historical thrillers with art related themes. I know the author is highly praised so I thought this was just the book for me, especially because it is set in Venice, where I have spend a couple of weeks over the years.

It turned out to be quite a disappointment. There were just too many characters, none of them very rounded or sympathetic, and there are too many different story lines that are left unfinished at the end of the book.

Even though I knew that this was an advanced reader copy and it probably wasn't fully proof read, there were too many errors in the language (spelling errors, missing words, incomplete sentences, etc), stylistic errors and confusion in names and persons which made it a struggle to read the book too its end. I sincerely hope that the final print of the book was closely edited before publication.

I'm sad to say that I didn't like the book, it was rather dull. I kept struggling until the end in the hope that it would get better, but was sadly disappointed that most of the story lines didn't even have a proper ending and some of the main characters were summarily "written of" in the last paragraph in a kind of retrospective.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Wolves of Venice by Alex Connor is a historical fiction novel, which takes place in Italy in the early to mid-1500s. It is a complicated story with lots of characters, making the beginning difficult. It is told as if from afar and can be cumbersome to read in some parts. It is a cautionary tale of the search for fame and power, and all that comes with them. It is the story of a man who manipulates lives just because he can and destroys that which he manipulates. People die, murdered in different ways, and some just sink away into oblivion as their lives are destroyed by Pietro Aretino, a writer, in the court of the Doge. Some people have the good sense to be frightened of him and leave, others are not so lucky. Included in the story is the painter Tintoretto, and to a much lesser extent, Titian.

The reader gets a view of life in early Renaissance Venice; one of the interesting tidbits being that in order to stay in style and appear to be richer, people, nobles and courtesans alike, rented clothing. This way, they never had to appear twice in the same assemblage and so, clothing/shoe rental was a burgeoning business. Another interesting point made was that often people can be blackmailed, by someone who really has not proof of anything, but they are so frightened by the innuendo, they gives their lives to it. . . a cautionary tale. This story is convoluted and jumps from situation to situation, coming together at various points. A terrific trope if a reader's mind works that way. Interesting. I recommend it for that reason alone.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Wolves of Venice. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thewolvesofvenice

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I did read through some of the other reviews before adding mine which I don't usually do
Disappointingly, some were lukewarm but I do understand why

The setting of Venice is what drew me in - I have visited previously not during summer but in spring and winter where the city is more atmospheric so thought the setting was terrific

It does have a more complicated story with lots of characters but that just meant paying more attention whilst reading

Personally I loved it and can't wait for the sequel

I found this book to be quite dry, dull. The story is set in Venice and sounds intriguing. However, I found it hard to finish. The story was hard to follow because of the large cast of characters.

In one word? Disappointing. The book made a lot of promises but failed to deliver. Yes, I understand it is a part-one of the story and a sequel is a must. However, I did not appreciate being left in the dark on many points and sub-plots.

Plus, all the issues with the text itself. Hey, Jews do not eat seafood. Full stop. And many more. Yes, there was intrigue. I loved the bad guys more than the 'good guys and girls' (they were not interesting at all). Marco was a laughable weakling trying to be revengeful demon and failing miserably.

Details on life in the Venetian Republic were interesting. However, given that I've read the book till the end, I can take them with a pinch of salt.

Murders, even though horrific and demanding investigations, were more like an 'after thought'.

All in all, I could not see how everything ties together. Too many stories, too many characters and no finale...

Even if I found the blurb promising the story didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Venice is the perfect setting for a book, particularly if it involves spies and mystery. I’ve visited Venice a few times, so that helps me to visualize what is happening. I found this story to be a bit convoluted and not as easy to get involved with as I’d hoped. I didn’t really identify with or like the characters. I felt like readers were really left hanging at the end. But since it is a planned trilogy, answers shall be forthcoming.

I love both Paris and Venice as settings and have to admit that influenced my request for this book. I did get some taste of Venice, but unfortunately not as much as I'd hoped for.

The story itself has possibilities, though it moves rather slowly and the author over uses the word 'had'. It isn't necessary in 99% of the sentences when you're already writing in past tense! It got really irritating and distracted me from the story.

The other thing the book got wrong is what too many series are doing these days, leaving resolution for a future sequel. I have to admit this has made me generally avoid series written in this century, with very few exceptions.

There is mystery and intrigue, but too much left unanswered at the end.

If one of the things that attracts you to a book is its strong depiction of time and place, THE WOLVES OF VENICE will appeal to you. This chilling story plunges the reader into a murky world of money, intrigue and question after question about what is really going on.

It is a complex story with chilling characters and I both loved it and was repelled by it at the same time. There were definitely characters to admire, but far more whose life was simply a struggle to escape the predatory practices of others. This is not a tale for those readers who want to be uplifted by the state of humanity, but it is a fascinating study of character and an interesting foray into another time and place.

NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

The Wolves of Venice by Alex Connor is the first book in her new series and I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book! I didn’t realize that the book was part of a series and was so horrified by the way it ended. However, upon finding out that there is a book following it, I can breathe easier because that ending needs more answers!

Connor introduces a whole revolving door of characters, most of whom are fascinating and could well be the protagonist of the book. The character who actually is the protagonist, Marco, however, frustrated me to no end. A childhood devoid of love is hardly enough of an excuse for his sorry behavior! Maybe it was the juxtaposition with the really intriguing characters that made me have no patience for him.

Still, the book was engaging and I enjoyed it. Much of the book was atmospheric and a slow build up of the plot. With the initial arc settled, I presume most of the players are positioned where the main meat of the story can come in and I am beyond excited for it!

Diversity meter:
Strong female characters

Set in 16th century Venice, this is a novel about intrique, betrayal and blackmail.
I must admit that Venice as a setting is one of my favourites, especially an historical setting. It is a city perfect for mystery and plotting. Unfortunately, this novel didn't do it justice. Firstly, the setting didn't come through very strongly and there was no atmosphere. Secondly, so many characters were introduced from the beginning that it was rather confusing to work out who was who. The characters were not particularly well-drawn or likeable. Thirdly, the story plodded along at a slow pace. There was not much action and I kept on reading waiting for everything to kick off only to realise nearer the end that there wasn't going to be any action or resolution because this is not a stand-alone novel.
Overall, this was a disappointing read and I won't be reading any sequels.

I found this book quite dull: considering it is set in Venice, the writing was neither atmospheric nor evocative. The story was hard to get into and follow because of the large cast of characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

First things first: This is not a standalone book. The mysteries laid out at the beginning—who are the four Wolves of Venice, who killed the various women—are not answered here. Apparently there is a sequel, and I guess the mysteries are resolved there. So right off the bad, I finished this book angry, feeling duped for having invested all this time reading it for no payoff.

Then there's the fact that the book itself is a hot mess. Some of it might be down to translation issues, but some of it is sloppy editing (characters are misnamed, for instance), and some of it is just poor research and writing. An observant 16th-century Jew eats shellfish (not kosher); a character muses on his subconscious motives (the word subconscious wasn't even invented until the 19th century). The characters seem less like well-rounded individuals and more like the wax figurines the artist Tintoretto makes as models in the book.

Thank you, Head of Zeus and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.