Ancient sorcery. Enigmatic gemstones. One woman’s journey to save a city in ruins… The premise of "The Stone Witch" immediately captured my attention. As a fan of historical fiction and mysteries, I was eager to dive into this world.

The magic of the stones was truly enchanting, and I appreciated the depth of Anna Rasche's research, which vividly transported me to medieval Florence. Her writing is beautifully crafted, rich with detail that brings the setting to life. However, I found that the story occasionally dragged, particularly in the sections focused on the relics, which didn’t hold my interest as much as I had hoped.

While the foundation of the plot was compelling, the ending felt rushed and left me wanting more. I expected a more satisfying resolution to the journey. Overall, "The Stone Witch" offers a fascinating glimpse into a mystical world, but it could benefit from a tighter pace and a more developed conclusion.

This was my first historical fantasy that I went into completely blind. AND I loved it!

The Stone Witch of Florence follows Ginevra who was previously banished from Florence, Italy for her use of witchcraft. You see, Ginevra has the ability to harness the attributes and powers of gemstones to heal the sick. When a plague is taking over Italy, Ginevra is summoned back to assist with the plague. Ginevra thought she’d be using her abilities to heal but it turns out she has to locate the individual who has been stealing relics from Florence’s Churches. But the story behind these thefts is MUCH bigger than it seems.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, the journey and magical system. To see Anna Rasche is a gemologist made the story that much more interesting! The growth in all of the characters and Ginevra continuing to be true to who she is was beautiful and at times funny.

I would definitely recommend especially if you are looking to expand your fantasy reads.

Thank you to the Hive and Anna Rasche for the ARC!

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn't work for me. It has all the right elements of a book I'd love—a "stone witch" who uses magical gemstones to heal people in 13th-century Florence being ravaged by the Black Plague—but I found it to be so, so slow, and the dialogue to be very choppy.

I did enjoy the beginning of the book (first 1/4 or so) when Ginevra is younger and apprenticing with the older witch. The rest dragged for me, and I was not interested at all in the stolen religious relics (which take up most of the book) and truly did not care who did it or why. I also wish that Ginevra's magic as a witch was used more than mostly just placing gemstones on people.

Overall, it was okay for me, but hopefully, others like it better!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this historical fantasy! The writing was fantastic and the characters were even better! I have already recommended this book to all of my friends. I have a feeling this will be a book that blows up!

In 14th century Italy medicine is primitive and wise women healers are often condemned as witches. When the deadly Black Plague strikes Florence and surrounding area with a devastating blow condemned stone healer Ginerva is brought out of banishment by the very man who sentenced her. Her unique method of healing using her collection of gems is the last resort. A thief is stealing the holy relics from local churches and the Bishop tasks her with catching the thief and returning the relics which the populace depends on. Frustrated to be sidetracked from her healing Ginerva suspects a deeper darker conspiracy and realizes her life is at risk. Being vaguely aware of the belief in the powers of crystals and gems to heal both mind and body I found the lore and explanations of Ginerva's stones informative and interesting. Ginerva is a well developed strong character and the supporting cast of characters enrich the story line. Rich in historical detail the city of Florence and its citizens sprng to life in the reader's imagination. This well plotted narrative blends history with elements of sorcery and the supernatural without detracting from the underlying theme of the resilience of the human spirit. As Ginerva and the Inquistitor Michele join forces and work together for the greater good their animosity turns to respect. Church politics played a huge role in the history and development of the medieval world and this novel reflects the impact it had on people's lives. If you are a reader who enjoys a historical novel spiced with a dash of witchcraft and fantasy dip into this engaging tale.

I found this book to be disappointing. Although the premise initially interested me, I struggled to engage with the story, and I found the plot too confusing. I had to reread several sections multiple times to ensure I was following the different timelines correctly. Maybe this book just isn't my style, but I really wanted to enjoy it.

I found this story to be an accessibly written and engaging read that pleasantly surprised me, especially since I don’t often gravitate toward historical fiction/historical sci-fi fantasy/historical anything. The story drew me in with its intriguing premise and kept me invested for most of the journey. However, the momentum of the plot did falter toward the end, making the final stretch feel slower and more challenging to get through. Despite that, I still found it to be an enjoyable experience overall, and I appreciated how the author brought the historical setting to life.

It took me a bit longer to get through this story only because I'm the type of person who needs to look up every historical event and site mentioned. The Stone Witch of Florence follows Ginerva, a women exiled for witchcraft, as she is summoned back into the city of exile during the black plague to solve the mystery of missing church relics. This story was well researched, decently paced with the perfect amount of magic, mystery and an unexpected humor. I really enjoyed it!

A very strong start. Italy during the black plague, magical healing, a an accessible but not predictable mystery. Rasche is a fantastic writer and I loved her descriptions. Despite the heavy topics there is also a good amount of humor spread throughout that doesn't take away from the greater narrative. Ginevra is written in a very relatable and accessible way despite her extreme circumstances and her story line makes sense given the circumstances she is in. My only real complaint is that it seemed to peter out a bit and slow down towards the end. This stopped it being a higher rating for me but overall did not keep me from enjoying the book as a whole.

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**TL;DR**: What a sleeper hit - This deserves so much more hype!
**Source**: NetGalley! Thank you so, so much!

**Plot**: Ginevra returns to the city that banished her to try and stop the Black Plague but instead ends up hunting a thief.
**Characters**: We switched PoV’s a few times and consequently I loved so many of these characters. Anna Rasche did a great job connecting us to the character.
**Setting**: I loved Florence in this. I’ve never been an Italy girl but this had me sold.
**Fantasy:** It’s just a drop, Ginevra’s ability to use the magic of the stones, but it’s well woven in.

**Thoughts**:

I’ve been in a slump, well and truly for the first time in years. But this book - WOW. This book knocked my socks off. My husband had to force me to put it down for bed, I was so invested I wanted ‘just 15 more minutes!’. It got me good.

Ginevra returns to Florence after receiving a letter from an old lover. He wants her help to stop the plague, and in return she may gain admittance to the Doctor’s guild and her exile from years before rescinded. Of course there is far more to this request than she thought and she ends up hunting a thief that’s stealing the holy relics from the churches. Along the way she meets the few people left in the city, she discovers new uses for her magic, and she faces her past.

Ginevra is a complicated, very real feeling woman. She’s got backbone and she’s smart, but she’s also a bit bullheaded and naive. Just enough that you’re left wondering if she’s going to get herself into more trouble or if it’s going to work out at all. We get some secondary characters as well, a noblewoman she saves who becomes her partner and a gravedigger I loved with everything in me.

The characters and setting are both strong, Florence felt grounded (which I’ve never been so take that with a grain of salt) and I ate it up. There were a few moments in here that had me laughing out loud, while others had me glued to the page. I loved it a lot, what can I say?

6 out 5 Bloodstones - this is going on my favorites of the year list.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of this book!
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Read if you like: historical mystery/fantasy
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The book follows Ginevra, who is called back to Florence in the midst of the Black Plague to find missing relics, even though she was expelled from the city for witchcraft. She has a special talent for healing people with gemstones and she uses this skill during the plague.
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Overall, the concept of this book was interesting but it didn’t hold my attention like I hoped it would! If you like reading about medieval Italy then you might like this one!

What a fantastic surprise this book turned out to be!

I’m generally skeptical of historical fiction/fantasy about witches and witchcraft, as it’s usually centered on a lot of fairly depressing stuff about the persecution of women and a lot of torture.

This book, however, is something else entirely. It reads more like a charming adventure story and almost a buddy comedy at times, and the author (herself a gemologist) has done a wonderful job of marrying this fun and light story with some excellent historical content, including a lot of really terrific stuff relating to medieval gemstone magic.

I loved both the fiction and the history of this book, but I especially loved how well they were woven together. The characters are fantastic, the humor is sharp and deftly deployed, and the story is truly original.

What a book! Plague, Witches, Religion...what could go wrong? This is a phenomenal book written very well. The author really takes you into the heart of living in the time of the plague. The specific descriptions of the places, times and smells...yes, smells.

This story was woven with such care and intensity it was impossible to put down.

#TheStoneWitchofFlorence #NetGalley

The very interesting story about this woman named.G I n e v r a. This woman had a very hard upbringing, but she possessed powers through these stones.She carried with her. She helped people during the plague in in florence. At first she was sent away to a The nuns but this did not go well for her either. She became.
Romantically involved with one of the richest men's there. And this led to a disaster's. Decision to let her go from the C o n v e n t. She struggled a lot and things just seemed to get worse for her The stones were there to help her but sometimes they did not help her at all. People expect i Or to cure them. They considered her a witch which was really hard because the church was really afraid of these people. This was a really interesting story.They have a lot of different twists and turns in it.

Wonderful debut novel by Anna Rasche! Ginevra di Gasparo is a healer who has been branded as a witch and exiled from her community. She has a special affinity for stones, and with the expert tutelage of her mentor, they are an integral part of her healing process. When the Black Plague is in full swing, Ginevra is called upon by her ex-lover to come from which she was previously exiled, to heal the sick. Ginevra is reluctant, but unable to leave the sick to their own, she and a young boy she meets make their way to the city. What she discovers is that her lover isn't there, and its the same clergy who branded her a witch are now calling her to come back. As Ginevra helps the infected, she discovers that those who called her back have much more in mind that simply healing people, and her very skills with gems put her at tremendous risk.
The Stone Witch is a very interesting and entertaining read. The characters, especially Ginevra herself, are well defined and relatable. The integration of magic with healing, the malignancy of those in power, the courage of Ginevra all blend together to make The Stone Witch of Florence a compelling read, one which you won't want to put down until you've read every page!

This book sounded SO GOOD to me and while I am very very grateful for the ARC, I really struggled to focus on what was happening sometimes. I definitely did like it for the most part, I love all things witchy and whatnot, but maybe it's the timeline thing that didn't work for me?? I would still recommend it to someone if I thought it would be their vibe

I did not enjoy this book at all. It just was not what I thought it was going to be.

Thank you NetGalley but I won’t be leaving more thoughts.

3 stars up from 2.5

This was such an interesting and unique story and played into so many of my personal interests, i.e. Florence, the plague, witchcraft & the occult, secretive & shady church stuff, the Late Middle Ages time period, and the power stones have or we perceive they have. We also have a wonderful main character in our “stone witch” Ginevra. This book did a great job at balancing historical facts while weaving in fantasy elements that somehow still felt like they legitimately could have happened. I’ve never been to Florence even though I’ve been obsessed with that city since elementary school. The world building in this book make it so vivid in my head and I’m able to go down a rabbit hole googling certain places or events or items mentioned throughout the story. This book sort of gives a mix of A Discovery of Witches vibes mixed with The DaVinci Code vibes (or, at least the very little I remember from that book, which I read 20ish years ago). Others might disagree with me, but the magic/occult stuff and churchiness rolled into the legit historical realism reminds me of those two books off the top of my head. I think this is a really great, atmospheric read or a great way to dip your toes into the fantasy genre if you’re hesitant to dive right in. I liked this book so much I bought it in hardcover and an additional kindle version. I hope we get many more books like this from Anne Rasche in the future!

I absolutely love this book!! Witchy books are always a go to comfort world for me so I was very excited to delve into this world. Especially with the setting in Florence during the Black Death, one of the worst hit areas by the plague. It's interesting how after the 2020 lockdowns, we are actually able to connect to events like that in real time now. So everything about this book sank its claws into me before I even read a page. The blending of magical realism and historical fiction was so beautifully done and so engrossing, I didn't want it to end.

This story is told in third person and dual timelines. In the former timeline we are introduced to main character Ginevra, a ten-year-old girl living in 1330 Genoa apprenticed to the local healer learning about her magical abilities quietly to avoid notice by the powerful religious leaders who would prosecute for witchcraft. Ginevra dreamed of being a doctor, an impossible feat at the time for a woman and is later sent to a convent in Florence to continue her healing education. The latter timeline finds Ginevra back home in 1348 where she has been exiled from Florence for her healing practices. A thief has been stealing religious relics from the churches of Florence, leaving plague in their wake. Ginevra is promised a pardon in return for finding the thief and returning the relics.

As a geologist, I’m always fascinated by stories that involve rocks and I loved reading about the various gemstones and their purported healing properties. I really enjoyed Ginevra’s journey to finding the thief and the revelations of her youth and how she came to be exiled. As she investigates the missing relics, Ginevra attempts to heal many people of the Plague along the way, some hopeful and some suspicious of her practices. She touches many lives with kindness, making new friends and even turning old enemies into friends. The story shines with the light of hope amid devastating loss.

Recommended to historical mystery fans who enjoy witchy healing stories.

Thank you to Netgalley, The Hive, and Park Row Books for a copy provided for an honest review.