This is the perfect fall book in my opinion!

From GR:
Ancient sorcery. Magic gemstones. Only one woman can save a city in ruins…

1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return. Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again. But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…


I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book. My review rating is based on the summary of this book.

The Stone Witch of Florence is an enjoyable and complex historical fiction novel that follows its protagonist, Ginevra di Gasparo, during the time of The Plague in Florence, Italy. We meet Ginevra as a young girl in Genoa, around the year 1330. The historical background of her city and the things that changed during The Plague make a fascinating read. During this time, Ginevra attracts the attention of Monna Vermilia, a woman known for her special healing powers. Monna Vermilia helps Ginevra realize her unusual aptitude for working with magical gemstones and helping others. Eventually, Vermilia sends Ginevra off to work in a Florence nunnery, where she will be supervised by Vermilia’s sister. Unfortunately, Ginevra is eventually exiled as a witch, and returns to Genoa.

The next part of the story is a mystery, in which Ginevra is summoned back to Florence to help catch a thief who is stealing the relics out of village churches. In return, she is hoping to clear her name and to be recognized as a member of the Guild of Doctors, Apothecaries, and Grocers. The historical information about the relics and the guild is riveting, and so is the plot of this mystery.

The number of characters in this story and the development of their personalities were pleasing to me. I enjoyed their interaction and this mystery very much, and am thankful to Harlequin Trade Publishing for making this title available on Netgalley. In other words, I recommend this novel!

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche is a captivating novel that offers readers a rich and immersive experience. This erudite and enchanting tale is sure to captivate and enthrall readers, making it difficult to put down. With its magical elements and intricate storytelling, The Stone Witch of Florence truly lives up to its name.

This book grabbed me right away. Loved the historical mixed with the witches. Didn’t know what would happen, Had me guessing but didn’t see ending coming.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. The story is well researched and fun to read. I also enjoyed the author's note explaining her research process prior to writing the story.

In the mid to late 1340's, about a century before the witch hunts took over Europe and covering the time just before and just after the plague has taken hold, the church is becoming a political power and rooting out women who do not conform to the ideals of the church has become a priority. The medical schools are also refusing to accept women. How is a single woman, with healing skills, going to be able to survive in this environment?
Ginevra di Gasparo has been called to solve a mystery of the theft of relics from churches in her hometown. She had been banished from that hometown declared a witch and been in hiding for 10 years, but called back due to rumors of her immunity to what would be known in the future as the plague.

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.