It’s the 1700s in Italy and every person in high society has a role. 15 year old Maddalena’s, the youngest child after three brothers, is to gain credibility to help legitimize her and brother’s noble lineage. Her father and oldest brother’s strategy is to enroll her in the famous Venetian music school to gain musical skills that any suitor would see as appealing. Facing this dilemma Maddalena seeks answers in the canals and ends up striking a deal with a dark magic that she barely understands. The threads only get woven more intricately as Luisa, another student, gets pulled into Maddalena’s orbit. Will they spin out of control?

This was an enjoyable audiobook. The narrator brought the world of the two girls to life with good pacing and feeling. The novel itself has an interesting premise focusing on a pair of girls who really have limited options. Couple that with their young age, naivety, brashness, misplaced loyalty and jealousy and all of their decisions become life altering on a path to tragedy. Definitely would recommend this audiobook and novel. 5 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

“ After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a secret: she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn’t hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà’s walls, they must decide what it is they truly want—and what they will do to pay for it.”

I think this is my last Julia Fine for awhile, I truly loved What Should Be Wild and this sounded so spectacular and I was really hoping to read this (as I am going through a bit of a this type of book phase). It was so dragging for me. I felt like it was so many words and nothing was happening. Once this book comes out I plan on reading it again, some books do not fair well to audiobooks and are better read in physical form.
I want to love this so why couldn’t I??

“Maddalena and the Dark” is a love letter to Venice, set in the decadent, waning days of the Republic. I found myself immersed in Venetian history, culture, and politics; the descriptions are incredibly evocative. I learned a great deal about music, especially the violin, Antonio Vivaldi, and the women of the Ospedale della Pietà. This is what I love about historical fiction and this history is employed beautifully in constructing this story. I did find that it took a while to really get into this book, it starts off slow and it is fairly long (11 hours in audiobook format). While the author is a beautiful writer and descriptive prose is clearly her strength, it often felt as if scenes were drawn out and overly long. Because the action shifts back and forth between the two main characters, Maddalena and Luisa, each offering their point of view, sometimes they were telling the same story and this repetition added to the slow feel of the story. About halfway through the action picks up and I became more engaged. I did enjoy seeing how the relationship between the two girls developed, in the midst of musical performances, family drama, and Maddalena’s plans for their future. The magical realism did, at times, become a bit much for my taste, but overall this is a beautifully written tale, uniquely situated in 18th century Venice. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

While I loved the narration, I'm a bit conflicted about this one as I found the writing to be a bit overly done. While it sort of felt true to the 18th century era art circles, I wanted to get to the point more. I thought the characters and their toxic relationship was excellent. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

So basically Maddalena is super selfish. That's what this book comes down to. When she didn't get what she wanted from her friend she turned against her and ruined her life. Apparently, I didn't love this. The book was well written but I just hated her. I will definitely try another book by Julia Fine in the future.

Atmospheric and gorgeously narrated!

It’s not super often I find a well written book where that prose doesn’t overshadow the plot. This book, however was the best of everything. I was impressed by the writing style and still pulled into the storyline quickly. Yes, there was a dip in pacing around the middle of the story that I struggled a little to work past, but thankfully that’s right where the story really starts to pick up. There’s a beautiful tension that builds between the characters and pulls the story along, and the intrigue of subtle magic really kept me wondering what would happen next. This read in lots of ways like a dark fairytale and I can tell I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while to come.

Audio 4/5 - Very clear and well narrated, the audio quality was excellent and the actor easy to listen to.

🎻 Maddalena and the Dark Book Review 🎻

This book has everything: Venetian masks, mysterious gondoliers, Vivaldi, deals gone wrong, betrayal

I went into this book with the promise that it had Addie LaRue vibes and I agree that it delivered on that front! A naive girl making a deal with a mysterious entity to get the life she wants and it going way differently was a plot that was familiar and, dare I say, reliable. I felt immersed in the 1700’s Venetian world with masked people, operas, and gondola rides through canals.

This book has some bisexual rep, but I couldn’t entirely tell if Luisa was part of it or just valued Maddalena’s friendship.

Pace-wise, I felt like the beginning was slow until everything went south in the second half of the book. I would have appreciated more interaction with Maddalena and the gondolier, and I felt like this book kept “edging” darkness. I kind of wish it was a little darker when it came to Maddalena trying to change her life.

Despite this book being a dual POV, this book is mainly about Maddalena and how she loses touch with what she wants after being blinded by love.

The last question I gotta ask is, why the adult/minor relationship?
Spoiler: one of the MCs is 15 and has an affair with a 25-year-old.
That put me off hard, but I was already too far in to DNF. I just saw it through but would have preferred not to have read that in the book. I get that it's historical fiction, but something rubs me the wrong way when the author makes an active choice to include a love affair between a child and an adult. It could have worked without it.

This is one of those books that I wish I could love more than I did. If you’re looking for a darkish magical realism book, this is a safe bet.

The narrator was perfect for this book!

Pub date: June 13, 2023

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Set in the mercurial world of Venice in the 18th century, Maddalena and the Dark is the story of two girls and the obsession that grows between them. What starts as a kindred spirit, a hand reaching out from the darkness, turns into love so destructive that violence is the only answer.
Maddalena is sent to a prestigious music school in Venice so that she may seem more pure and devout. Her mother, apparently, cuckolded her father (or maybe not her father?) and so she must redeem herself for her mother's sins. There, she meets Luisa, who only ever wanted to be the best at violin. They form a strong friendship until Luisa makes the mistake of falling for Maddalena's brother, Niccolo, instead of Maddalena. Maddalena then brings about the utter and complete ruin of Luisa through magic and machinations.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

What drew me to Maddalena and the Dark is the beautiful setting of 1717 Venice and the theme of playing violin. I was fortunate to visit Venice several years ago, and that magical setting—with winding canals and small bridges and a centuries-old atmosphere—is vividly brought to life here. Though much of the story is confined to the Ospedale della Pietà where the girls are students, the city and canals play a central role to the novel.

I also love music, including classical music, and appreciated how violin was integral to Luisa’s character and the overall plot. The way Luisa plays and feels the music, and the excitement she feels to work with Antonio Vivaldi, is alight here, especially in the first half.

Perhaps most stunning in Maddalena and the Dark is the dreamy writing. The whole novel unfolds the way a strange dream does, never quite feeling real or tethered to anything on Earth. It’s like a watercolor painting that never fully comes into focus. While this can be seen as rather literary or “purple” (writing styles I don’t generally like), it somehow works perfectly for this novel. The hazy writing only adds to the story, enhancing its atmosphere.

As much as I enjoyed the first half of the book, the second half shifts focus to a love triangle (or love quadrangle?), leaving the music and magic in the shadows. I liked the connection between Maddalena and Luisa, and sensed a somewhat sapphic vibe between them, though it doesn’t play out how I’d expected.

If Maddalena and the Dark had stayed more focused on the music and the gondolier’s magic, I would have enjoyed it more through the end.

Audiobook Narration
Sophie Roberts narrates the audiobook version of Maddalena and the Dark. Her voice perfectly captures the youth and innocence of our fifteen-year-old protagonists, as well as the dreamy atmosphere that runs throughout the novel. She speaks in an English accent, and although I don’t speak Italian, her pronunciation of Italian words does sound accurate. This helps it feel more immersive in the setting. Her narration elevated the story and experience for me, and I believe I enjoyed the audiobook even more than I would have the physical version.

Final Thoughts
Maddalena and the Dark is a beautifully written and dreamy book, and while the style may not be for everyone, I found it to be immersive. If you enjoy stories about music, set in Italy, or written with a lyrical voice, this is one not to be missed.

In a novel that completely transports the reader to 18th century Venice, Maddalena and the Dark is the story of two teenagers, Maddalena and Luisa, whose fates become inextricably intertwined when they meet at the Ospedale della Pietà, an elite music school associated with Antonio Vivaldi. When Maddalena confides to Luisa a way to make all her dreams come true, Luisa doesn't hesitate to trust her new friend. But granted wishes often come at a price -- one that the girls may not be prepared to pay.

Part dark academia, part magical realism, and part historical fiction, Maddalena and the Dark is a seductive, bewitching journey into the murky hearts of teenage girls, and I was captivated by it. At the same time, I can see how other readers wouldn't enjoy this as much as I did; Julia Fine is an intentional writer, one who crafts each sentence carefully and intricately, and her prose can be a bit much at times. The plot sometimes feels secondary to the words being used to tell the story, and I can see how some readers would be frustrated by that (and I actually disliked Fine's first novel, What Should Be Wild, for that very reason). But in Maddalena, I was so swept up in the rich atmosphere Fine created, so immersed in her portrayal of 18th century Venice, that every one of her meticulously-curated words drew me into her entrancing narrative -- all leading to a conclusion that felt both inevitable and impossible.

In Maddalena and Luisa, Fine has crafted two complex characters who are brimming with vivacity, ambition, and desire, and you can't help but be drawn in as their relationship develops and evolves, just like the symphonies they play and sing. It's an original take on toxic female friendship, one that will have your loyalties continuously shifting, set against an intoxicating backdrop of music and magic. I listened to most of the book on audio, and Sophie Roberts's emotionally resonant narration definitely added to my enjoyment of this story.

Immersive and intricate, sinuous and provocative, Maddalena and the Dark is a dark, cautionary fairy tale that I will be thinking about for a long time. Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the setting and the dark and tragic themes. It was very reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragedy. The musical element added a romantic feel as well that I loved. I would have liked to see the darkness play a bigger role throughout the book to add a more chilling atmosphere but the ending had that in abundance!

3 stars

An dark historical novel set in early 18th C Venice with hints of supernatural horror. I loved the setting, but I didn’t really like either MC & Maddalena’s actions at the end felt extreme.

[What I liked:]

•This story is interesting & suspenseful, & I found it compelling up until when one of the MCs decided to be a horrible human being. The details of life in Venice, the parties, the music school, the local customs, etc., were well written & informative.

•I learned a lot about 18th C Venice, such as how in upper class families only the youngest son would marry, which made it very competitive for noblewomen to find husbands. And how the doge would ceremonially “marry” the sea annually was really interesting.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•This is one of those, “if they could just talk to each other, everything might’ve been okay” love triangles (love rectangles?). Seriously, did Maddalena ever come out & declare her love to Luisa? I might’ve missed it, but it seems like she just hinted at it a lot, & then acted like Luisa should’ve known. And why couldn’t Luisa just be Niccolò’s long term mistress/companion (since he couldn’t marry) instead of having to trick Mafeo?

•The one MC is a cold-hearted narcissist who takes pleasure in destroying the lives of multiple people she claims to love, & the other is a two-timing pushover (I’m still not sure why three people were all madly in love with her). Come on, lesbian romance doesn’t have to be this awful.

•What exactly is the dark? Why did it reach out to Maddalena personally but not Luisa? I wish the supernatural element had been slightly more explained (though since this is mainly historical fiction & not really a fantasy book, I think it’s fine that the magical bits remained mostly in the background as an ominous presence).

CW: murder, sexism, substance abuse, infidelity

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I really enjoyed this novel. This is the first time that I have read any of Julia Fine’s work and I am so happy that I decided to give this book a try. I like books that involve music so the fact that Maddalena and Luisa cross paths at a music school was a big draw for me. The story is beautifully written and full of magic, music, friendship, and maybe something more. The story takes a few surprising twists that kept things very interesting.

The book is set in 1717 Venice so even though Maddalena and Luisa are only 15 the world is different and they are at the age that most girls marry. There has been some scandal in Maddalena’s family so they have sent her to the school since her marriage prospects don’t seem to be working out. Luisa has been raised at the school as an orphan like most of the other students. The story is told through both Maddalena’s and Luisa’s points of view which was a very effective way to tell this story. They share a bit of magic and develop a strong bond that stretches beyond the walls of the school. I really enjoyed seeing both of these young ladies grow individually and appreciated the changes to their bond of friendship as their circumstances change.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Sophie Roberts did a remarkable job with the narration. The Italian words in the story flowed nicely and added to the story’s atmosphere. (I don’t speak Italian so I can’t comment on the accuracy of the pronunciation but it sounded good to me!) I thought that she did a great job of bringing both of these characters to life and adding just the right amount of emotion to her narration. I do believe that her narration only added to my enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to others. This book took a couple of twists that were completely unexpected and made the book impossible to put down. I will definitely be looking for more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio.

The GORGEOUS cover drew me in and the description had me feeling like this was going to be a potentially tragic historical sapphic story where these young women are doing everything they can to stay together. Unfortunately that's not really what we got.

What we did get was a long novel where the verbage of the prose took priority over literally everything else, plot be damned. This audiobook was long and horribly boring. Though this book was shown (emphasis on SHOWN) through two character's 3rd person POVs with very little change in voice between the two making it very hard to tell who is doing what without names being explicitly stated. Maddalena and Luisa's "sapphic attraction" seems more like a toxic, obsessive friendship than anything else. Overall I can't really recommend this book as an LGBTQIA+ novel, and I wouldn't recommend picking it up as a whole unless you like prose written just to be pretty.

2.5 stars

This book is so buzzy right now, and I had to know why. Now, I've read it, and I still don't totally understand the hype over these two girls, their music, and... unfortunately little else.

Venice is a perfect location for a piece of historical fiction with hints of fantasy interspersed; it's an inarguably magical setting. The trouble is that there is too much reliance on ambiance and not enough focus on character development or action of any kind. Even the magical elements did not feel particularly gripping. I had a hard time connecting with these characters or their motives, and there was not enough movement in the plot for that to help either.

I'm disappointed in this one and a little confused about what's knocking other readers' socks off, so I guess like Maddalena, I'm now in "the Dark," too.

So many conflicting feelings after that ending. This book is about an intoxicating friendship between Maddalena and Luisa set in Venice 1717. Maddalena, a member of the Venetian nobility, is sent to the Ospedale della Pieta amidst her family’s scandal to preserve her marriage prospects. Maddalena takes her prospects into her own hands by striking a deal with a darker element..but she soon finds out that everything has a price.

I loved that the story alternated between Luisa and Maddalena, but I much preferred Luisa. Close to the end of the book, Maddalena gave off a very entitled vibe (which she was) and it seemed like some of the growth she had throughout the book may have disappeared when she found out Luisa’s secret. Found it a little surprising and annoying that as soon as Maddalena found out about what Luisa was doing, Maddalena became jealous and betrayed Luisa… Not sure how I felt about the ending. Still very conflicted. Overall, I liked the writing, the narrator and how dark this novel was.

This was a well-written novel with interesting and complex characters set in historical Italy. But, ultimately it just was not a book for me. I do not think this is any fault of the book, more just a book that didn't strike me in anyway. I did not really connect to any of the characters and found the setting hard to place and it just didn't really interest me. Usually a little magic realism is something I enjoy, but it fell flat for me this time.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this book!

Sophie Roberts was an excellent narrator for Maddalena and the Dark, but unfortunately, I wasn't in love with the story.

In the 1700s, Maddelena and Luisa are students at the Ospedale della Pietà, aiming to be violinists worthy of performing alongside Vivaldi. They make deals with "the dark" in attmepts to get what they want, and develop feelings for each other. But, given the time period, they obviously cannot really BE together. This is a very character-driven story that is somewhat lacking in plot and has characters that aren't very likeable or easy to connect with. I generally love dark academia novels, but this one skirted around the edges of that genre and was more a look into the relationship between two women. It wasn't for me, but I think for someone who loves historical fiction and 18th-century Venice, this could be a win.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Maddalena and the Dark. I listened to this on audio and it was an engaging historical fiction novel.

If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy this book. I liked it because it was different from most historical fiction. I've never read anything that focuses on Vivaldi and other musicians. The story isn't about Vivaldi, but the time he lived.

Luisa joins the school Vivaldi teaches at to become a star violinist. She meets Maddalena who joins to find a husband. The two strike up an intense friendship which leads to drama and secrets.

Very different than I expected— if we’re honest I got into this one because of Vivaldi, but he was very much a side character. This story instead followed the “friendship” between Magdalena and Luisa.

Veryyyy literary— we’re talking sentences of descriptions of water ripples. A paragraph about the clothing of a gondolier.

I ended up liking it more than I expected though.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5497327237