There is a sense of levity throughout that works surprisingly well juxtaposed with some pretty gnarly plague talk. It doesn't seem like those things would go together, but here we are.

The premise of this book caught my attention immediately, but the execution just wasn't there. This felt jokey, but solemn at the same time. The inquisitor felt like a Monty Python character. I had a really difficult time getting through this book as it changed tones so frequently.

Historical story about the spread of disease in the 1300s and the length people will go through to save themselves. Very good research and information about the effects of misinformation and the impact of people in power during a pandemic.

A compelling historical fiction set dead center during the Black Death, starring Ginevra di Gasparo - our “witch” who has been exiled from Florence. However, circumstances bring her back to the city during the heart of the plague, and she has to rely on her own unique abilities to try to solve the mystery of the missing relics. With these relics of the saints suddenly going missing, the city is left without any protection from death running through its streets and those in charge are desperate enough to ask a convicted “witch” for help solving it.

The beginning of this book has a few flashes back to Ginevra’s childhood and her time before her exile - giving us insight into her past and the conflict within her as she returns to Florence. This story is a battle between her innate desire to help people as much as she can - and the prosecution from the Church if she does too much. We see her grow from an idealistic child and young woman, to being an adult fully aware of the dangers she is placing on herself by doing these same acts once again.

I really loved how the “magic” in this novel was handled. Set between 1320-1348, we live in a world where both religion and folk magic live side by side, and both are used together to help those who need it. The concept of these stones having unique properties that can be used by someone with the power to is such a fun one, and despite the wide variety of gemstones listed throughout this novel I never had any difficulties keeping track.

While this book has just a few hints of romance sprinkled throughout, a much larger relationship present is between Ginevra and her newest friend Lucia, who she saves from the plague. Together, they must work together to solve the mystery of who (or what) exactly is stealing these precious relics, since no one else is either alive, or brave enough, to venture out into plague ridden streets to do it themselves. I really loved the friendship between these two women, and despite having very different lives and upbringings, they quickly become close and rely on one another to help survive, and solve, the mystery.

Up until the end, I had no idea how exactly this issue was going to be resolved, and I really enjoyed the conclusion. It was a fascinating look to see how things like legends and beliefs are created in both a religious context, as well as a personal belief - and how while one or another may be manipulated in some way, neither is truly “better” than the other.

This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed the journey throughout Florence it took me on throughout it (although, that journey involved a lot of corpses). It was interesting to read a book where the majority of the population have been decimated, and getting into the heads and beliefs of those who lived during that time. The mix of mythology and belief, and genuine fear, present throughout this book made it a fascinating setting as we followed Ginevra’s investigation, and all the danger it put her in.

A huge thank you to the author and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

TY to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
If you love Florence, as I do, this story will keep your interest. A medieval who-dunnit (with a female protagonist fighting for HER rights) sorcery, healing with gemstones, friendship and humor, it might keep you guessing until the end. A good read!

After reading the first 100 pages, I'm going to DNF this book. I think the premise for this book is wonderful, but the story is not pulling me in. This book seems a lot more historical than I originally anticipated and I struggled getting into it. I am sure there are many readers that will love this one.

I don’t know why but I really struggled to get into this book. I couldn’t connect with the characters even sometimes had a hard time keeping them straight. The story is definitely interesting. I found the book just kind of odd and boring I struggled to finish it. However, I did enjoy a few parts of it. There is a lot of magic and a little bit of humor. But overall this book just wasn’t for me. But I definitely recommend giving it a try if you like books about witches.

Devoured this beauty — although admittedly it took me a minute to get into this writing style it’s worth it! Florence is one of my favorite places on the planet, and this book only heightened my love of Italy. Witchy books always top my TBR list and this one with rituals on malocchio and the story of how it was born and red coral + clever uses of numerology 😱🧿🤘 ayayayahhh —all the things! It’s absolute word smithing magic with crystal healing at its core. 🙌♥️💎

I absolutely inhaled this novel in two nights. I highly recommend that you read The Stone Witch of Florence when it is released on October 8th, 2024.

I loved the interweaving of fantasy, religious themes, and stone based magic in this medieval quest. Even though the era and setting of this novel were sad and serous, the humor and pacing were incredibly engaging.

While there are moments of romance interwoven into the story, the relationships that were my favorite centered female friendship.

I also loved the afterword by Anna Rasche which explained her extensive research, inspiration, and the true elements of the story. So cool!

This is a must read for lovers of historical fiction , fantasy, witches, crystals, Italian culture, and divine justice;)

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with the history of the church. How before Rome, doctors were witches, and they used herbs or amulets to protect one another or to detect if one was in danger. However with the rise of Christianity, those things came to a halt with the persecutions. Ginerva Di Gaspo is the main character and we find out that she’s special, but she’s special bc she’s so normal. That her parents simply had a bit of magic in them and in turn she became powerful with the little bit of her parents.this book is about gemstone magic, and how gemstone magic works. Ginerva is tasked to go to Florence for what she assumes to cure the plague. Ginerva in her years seems to have grown and cared for people. She will sacrifice herself for people she does not know but what little we know something has happened to her. She was exiled. Overall that’s just the beginning. But I really enjoyed reading this book.

A beautifully written novel, full of rich imagery, and complex characters. I love the blending of magical realism and historical fiction-the ravaging plague, describing the corruption of the higher officials in the Church of Rome, and the condemnation of so-called heretics/witches. Our protagonist, Ginevra, is a woman banished at the hands of powerful men, determined to root out evil. The author weaves her past and present story together to give us a complete story, and her growth from teenager to adult. She never loses her main attribute-compassion-but learns to harness it with wisdom. Her companions, Lucia, and unlikely ally, Michele-an inquisitor-play a crucial role in helping Ginevra conquer her past and help the citizens of her hometown, Florence. Rasche also gives us a villain who isn’t a true villain, adding to the overall story, and main plot line.

Strength, corruption, magic, power, death…they all come together perfectly in this novel. I didn’t want to put this one down.

The book is beautiful but it wasn’t for me. I struggled to connect with the story and characters. I do feel this could be a reflection on just where j was in my reading journey at the time though.

Ginevra has the ability to harness the magic of gemstones to heal the sick. This charming and funny story has an engaging and distinct magic system, and it captured my attention from the start. I loved the back and forth in the timeline, as we got to learn more about Ginevra's past. While it's quite dialogue heavy, I did enjoy that it read almost like a play.

I wasn't a big fan of the pacing - while the beginning sucks you into 13th century Florence, the middle is a bit slow, and it took a while until Ginevra actually received the stones or for her to use them. However, the last 70 pages are fast-paced, and it was fun to see how the mystery was going to unfold!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The premise of The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche captivated me immediately - Ginevra di Gaspara is a witch in 1348 - gifted with the power of gemstones to heal the sick which comes in handy as the Black Plague ravages Italy!

When I started reading this book I was all in and convinced it was going to be a five star book that I fell in love with - the beginning was so strong and captivating however as the story went on I started to lose interest and felt the story was dragging. I didn’t realize I would become so triggered by the events of the plague and the constant deaths - especially dying children. There is some humor throughout the book that helped me get through it, but overall I’d say it’s rather depressing. The ending left so much to be desired, I was let down.

I would definitely read more from Anna Rasche and I think I would recommend this book to lovers of the witchy supernatural who enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind being sad - because I promise you this is a SAD book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was so refreshing to read such a unique concept and unlike anything I’ve seen in any other fantasy novels. Despite a few centuries of separation, Ginevra is very relatable as a main character whether it be the problems she faces, the way she responds to them, or her growth as a person. You can tell the author did her research - she does a great job evoking the setting and is able to immerse us in medieval Italy in the midst of the Black Plague. The setting and the history are almost a character in and of themselves. Overall this stands out as a fun and engaging read, especially if you are looking for a one-of-a-kind premise with an interesting mystery woven in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Really neat neat story, I loved the setting here during the black plague and the unique magic used by the main character using the gems to heal people. Just so cool. Good worldbuilding history and character growth.

This book was incredible. I say go in blind and let yourself be fully immersed. Please be aware it does deal with a plague and some darker medical themes, so it may not be a great read for those with health anxiety/germ ocd, etc.

The Stone Witch of Florence was so beautiful in its friendships following along with the witch, Ginevra. She's witty and caring. I felt like I grew with her as she grew throughout the story. There were moments of laughter and moments of "what the hell", and I loved every moment!

When this book releases I definitely recommend buying it. The cover is beautiful and sprayed edging plus a wonderful fast read.

I want to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row for this fantastic advance copy of The Stone Witch of Florence.

#TheStoneWitchofFlorence #NetGalley

The Stone Witch of Florence is set in the 1300s with the Black Plague raging through Italy. Our FMC, Ginevra, is an exiled witch who is summoned back to Florence to help heal the sick. When she arrives, she is tasked with recovering stolen relics from the churches in the city instead as they are the only hope to ward off the plague. Ginevra uses gemstone magic to heal others, but has been accused of witchcraft, so makes a deal with the inquisitor to help in return to have her witchcraft accusations removed and be recognized as a doctor.

Anna Rasche is able to take the concept of gemstone magic and make it so unique and provide a fresh take on a magic system in a fantasy world. The 14th century was such a great backdrop for the story and the beliefs that Rasche was bringing to life. I enjoyed the different aspects of church politics that Ginevra had to maneuver, the different occult elements, and the gemstones.

This was a lovely historical fantasy and one that gets you to really root for the main character and feel invested in her. Rasche was able to build an immersive world and show the different aspects that affected people's daily lives with the backdrop of a very serious disease that did not discriminate on who it affected. Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

I’ll be honest I didn’t think I would be but I was super triggered by this book with my anxiety and OCD. I hyperfocus on certain things and viruses are it!

I truly wanted to enjoy this book too the concept was solid and it had me so intrigued. My brain could not look past the plague. That is one of my triggers. It was hard for me to read and not feel like I was about to spiral into a panic attack. This is all on me and no fault of the author at all! I read the description and thought why not give it a shot it sounds interesting, I thought I could look past it.

What I was able to focus on i enjoyed. The pacing was interesting, it was fast then slow then picked up
in the last quarter of the book. It was a well researched and thorough book in regards the history, and world building. If you aren’t triggered by viruses absolutely read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Rasche, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review! I wish I could’ve given a more in-depth review. I truly wanted to enjoy it but my anxiety too me out of the story.