The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche such an amazing read it gives a new perspective just because you been told one way doesn’t always mean it’s the only way with the help of lady who show you the ways of healing you have to hide those ways because the town does not allow the practice of witchcraft and for expanding your knowledge for a women, you get banish and be disappointed with the man who led you to a scar to show your crime when all you did was fall for him. Now the town waits for your return to save the deaths of many.

Things I enjoyed about this book - The stone/gemstone magic system and the portrayal of the main character Ginevra especially her selflessness. The last 1/4 of the book is action packed and was an easy finish for a book. You can tell the author did lots of research on the time period, alchemy and stone history.

On paper this should seem completely up my alley and the premise caught my attention. Historical fiction with witchy elements? I was sold. However, the religious iconology, slow movement of the first 1/2 of the book made it drop a couple of stars for me. There was humor sprinkled through the book, and the tone was sometimes hard to follow. Overall entertaining and can see lots of people loving it!

Thank you NetGalley and Harelequin Trade Publishing for the copy of the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Promising debut that’s perfect for fans of Sarah Penner’s historical mysteries (with a touch of magic). In general, I enjoy historical fiction but am pretty burnt out on the usual settings—World War II or London of any era. Anna Rasche’s debut novel, instead, takes us to a 14th century Florence, Italy that’s been ravaged by the plague. Ginevra, a healer, was exiled from Florence years ago as a heretic, but the current inquisitor has drawn her back to solve the mystery of stolen relics that the Florentines are blaming for the widespread death in town.

Rasche does a fabulous job of immersing you in her setting. I loved the details about the singing gravedigger, the merry looters, and even household things like well eels. Ginevra is a likeable protagonist, and the inquisitor is a likeable foil for her. The beginning and ending had me turning pages, although the middle of the novel had some pacing issues and felt a bit repetitive. There’s also what felt like a bit of a tonal change a little after the halfway mark where a considerable amount of absurd comedy starts making its way in. I didn’t necessarily dislike this, but it was a little jarring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would read another historical mystery by Rasche in a heartbeat.

i got an advanced copy of this book. i found it to be quite interesting i liked the discussions about the healing properties of the stones and the history of the times in the 1300's......the story was quite good but not great.... im glad i read the book

The year is 1348. Ginevra is tasked with solving the mystery of what has happened to religious relics that are being stolen from various churches throughout Florence. At the same time, the Black Plague is running rampant throughout Italy. Ginevra is able to use her skills at gemstone magic to accomplish this assignment while simultaneously helping to heal some of the plague's victims. Her sole desire is to be recognized as a physician and not condemned as a witch. There are several unexpected twists that complicate her ability to locate and rescue the missing relics. Ginevra is resourceful at using whatever is available to her to succeed in her mission. A fascinating and gripping tale that encourages the reader to cheer her on. An original and creative narrative.

In 1348, at the height of the Black Plague in Florence, holy relics are being stolen from churches around the city, seven gone missing so far. Papal inquisitor Fra Michele di Lapo Arnolfi is desperate to solve the crime, and upon hearing that the exiled witch, Ginevra di Gasparo is in Florence at the bequest of Bishop Fra Angiolo Accianiuoli who is willing to reverse her exile, he summons her to attend on him. In exchange for a promise to allow her to openly practice healing and join the Guild of Doctors, she agrees to uncover the thief and return the sacred relics to Fra Michele. Ginevra is known for healing using precious stones, but she can also walk through contagion without succumbing to its effects. This gives her access to parts of the city others cannot enter. But as her search progresses, with the aid of the wealthy Lucia, who Ginevra has healed of the plague, she realises there are sinister forces at work and her quest may not have the outcome she seeks.

Medieval Florence blossoms with an abundance of narratives — a city of wealth and beauty, outstanding art, powerful historical families and the birthplace of Niccolo Machiavelli. I truly wanted to be immersed in this story but it failed to grab my attention enough to feel pulled into this fascinating world. In a tell, don’t show way, I felt outside of the action. Dialogue between somewhat hollow characters doesn’t flow easily, and I’m not fond of anachronistic language (trash; reach out) in historical novels. But I will concentrate on what I definitely liked, and those are the sections about Ginevra’s early years from 1330 to 1347, particularly her life at the Augustinian convent of Sant’Elizabetta delle Convertite. I have read many books about witches, a currently popular subject in historical novels, and for me, sadly, this one doesn’t quite cut it.

The Stone Witch of Florence is an adventure. I like how it is set in 1348 so I felt like I was reading a classic without having to adjust my brain to actually reading a classic. This is a story of redemption for Ginevra who was kicked out of Florence due to her magical abilities. These abilities become a saving grace during the plague and she is summoned back. Although she is not entirely welcome and many are not willing to believe in her powers. Friendships are made and loves are revealed during Ginevra's journey as she fights for what she believes in. I love the strong female characters in this book and the plot is unique. Thank you NetGalley and Park Row for an ARC!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley but the review is my own.

I found this book quite a fascinating idea. The ability to go back to the Italian Renaissance by the side of a young woman who is learning about an ability that places her at the very cross hairs of the authorities and those in power. Being useful to one and thought of a witch by both. Having a look at the plague at its most viral and learning about what it must have been like to actual be there trying to survive. The visceral feel of this idea kept me going even when occasionally I hit a bump in the road and gave that booklovers hmmph.

The history, the mystery of stolen church artifacts, the descriptions of the villages, people, different areas of Italy were engrossing and well done. What weighs this story down is the magical realism that becomes a character itself. Unfortunately for me, one I lost interest in. There were times it just didn't need to be the player on the stage. Pages where although our main characters are quite young and make mistakes your reaction was, not again. And although this is all backed up by a mystery that started off as a challenge it quickly lost its appeal as the most important, why, was answered almost immediately.

This is not too say the book is unreadable just that you may find yourself reading bit by bit instead of devouring it. There are a few surprises hidden in this and they are worthwhile but at the end of the day I recommend borrowing the title first to see how you feel. Good read but not on my to be kept list.

Formerly banished from 14th century Florence as a witch for her use of the hidden power of gemstones, Ginevra di Gasparo is suddenly begged to return to Florence at the height of a Plague outbreak (she is immune because of the stones). Hoping to be reinstated as a citizen and perhaps even accepted as a doctor, Ginevra returns to discover her healing skills are not required, rather, she is asked to find out who is stealing the most sacred relics of Florence so they can be restored to the city and heal its people. Which she thinks is bizarre and has no clue on how to proceed, but what can you do but try?
And this is a BAD case of plague (I looked it up - about 2/3 caught it and most died). Ginevra is wandering through a ghost city full of empty homes and businesses, with only the corpse collector as a regular on the street. Ginevra eventually finds allies, and naturally, there is far more than to the disappearing of relics than mere greed or fear. This gives a fascinating view of plague ridden Florence at street level, gruesome and horrifying. The actions of many survivors are unexpected and often bizarre. Ginevra finds herself in much more danger than even plague can bring. The story is a bit slow and meandering and fairly predictable. Ginevra is not that compelling a character, but the secondary characters are quite intriguing. The magical elements seem more a plot device than particularly interesting. More interesting for the setting than anything else.

📚🇮🇹 BOOK REVIEW! [e-ARC] 🇮🇹📚

The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated are my own.

Synopsis:
It is the year 1348 A.D. in the middle of the Black Plague in Italy. Ginevra di Gasparo gets a mysterious letter summoning her back to her hometown in Florence to find missing saint relics that have been stolen from several churches. She is a known healer who uses the somewhat heretical-seeming methods of using gemstones to get results, and since she is immune to contracting the disease, the local Bishop has signed her up for the job. He also has promised that the charges placed against her for being a 'witch' will be dropped if she is successful. Ginevra has nothing to lose, but she becomes aware that this quest has many obstacles, some hidden even behind the guise of the Catholic church.

Opinion:
This was easily a 5-star read for me! I absolutely loved how the author used her own knowledge and trade of being a gemologist and historian of precious stones to insert so much factual information into a tale that is compelling, heart-warming, and exciting to read! I loved how she made me really see through the eyes of the Florentine people during a terrible time in history and I found Ginevra to be a strong and heroic main character. I highly recommend this book - I think it spans interest to many different genres readers. Now I want to go to Italy even more!

3.5/5 ⭐️
I’m sad cause I think this author’s prose is very lovely and engaging enough that I kept going even though by the end of each chapter I would be glazing over waiting for it to be over. I think its biggest downfall for me personally was its narrative style and the format the story was in.
The narration was tough because it flipped flopped. Because of the flip flopping style, I couldn’t get a sense of tone. At times I thought it’s serious and historical like Madeline Miller’s stories. Other times it’s silly like Monty python and Ella enchanted. Then there was the random head hopping. But it was also omniscient and sped through the story. Which gave it the sort of history book vibe. And because of the speed. I never connected to the character. Never cared for her.
Then the way the story was told felt weird. Like it’s marketed as a witch asked to return from exile to aid with the plague but actually it’s not to heal but to find stolen relics but actually that took up barely any of the book because we were hopping back and forth between the past and present. And to be honest, I didn’t really see why her past was important. It felt like the backstory the author writes for themself to flesh out their character.
I think this story had potential, but I think it needed to simmer on the stovetop some more before being published. I think all this was useful, but shouldn’t have been the final draft. I think it either needed to be told from beginning to end, or maybe she told the boy her story while they searched for the relics. But that means actually spending time in the front story instead of the back. Like the story was marketed one way but it felt like it was barely important.
Thank you to the NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I was completely captivated by the opening pages. I thought I had found what would become one of my top books of the year. The writing was so strong, so evocative. The pacing was perfection. I could picture it as a movie.

Then, the record scratch moment, if you will. We go wayyyy back in time to when the main character was a child. What a disappointment. All our wonderful forward momentum stalled.

I kept reading, and I did enjoy the story. The author writes beautifully on a line level, and the sensory details and scene work are fabulous. Truly top notch.

However, the pacing dragged for me, I'm sorry to say. And that sense of seeing what the character sees and experiencing what they see -- which was so strong in the opening pages -- ultimately fell apart. There were many spots where the author was instead telling the reader instead of letting us experience what was happening through the character's viewpoint.

Wonderful descriptions and I loved the gemstone magical system.

Mainly I wish that Ginerva's history / background had been shortened or, better yet, woven into the main "current story time" narrative with (very brief!) flashbacks.

I will certainly read this author's next work, which I hope sticks to a tighter, faster pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Park Row for this e-galley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are 100% my own.

First and foremost, thank you to Anna Rasche for writing this story. Honestly, this is the first ARC in a while that I thoroughly enjoyed! Coming from more of a Romantasy background, I didn’t know what to expect with this one but was pleasantly surprised with how fast I was sucked in to the story and Anna’s writing.

I felt like Ginevra was a close friend and was honestly so comforted by her essence and character. She felt nostalgic to me in a way that I can’t properly explain. I truly love what she symbolized in her quest to defy the odds and challenge beliefs. The story itself kept me thoroughly engaged as I felt as though I never knew what to expect next. There were a ton of twists and turns and I never knew what was around the next corner.

I really loved how Anna used her knowledge of gemology and her extensive research to inform this novel. The time and care she took with her research and preparation shown brightly through this novel and was a huge factor in why I was so engaged - there was a hint of truth amidst the fantasy. This book alone has inspired me to explore historical fiction as a new favorite genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books/Harper Collins for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review! <3

A very interesting premise, much of it with a factual basis, that was a bit hot and cold for me. The main character is a healing woman before the witch hunts but when women in general weren't allowed to be doctors (1348, Florence, Italy), but is called to investigate stolen relics during the Plague. The healing was interesting, the Plague descriptions horrifying but also fascinating, and I learned more about relics and their history. However, it sometimes felt like this was written by two different people - the characters' personalities weren't consistent, the pacing was off, and I wasn't gripped as I thought I would be. It felt longer than it is. The author is a gemologist and this is her first novel and I'd say it's worth a read because of the unique subject.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, which follows.

The stone magic was beautifully crafted, one of the more intriguing parts of the novel. The other parts I loved were the relationships between Ginevra, the gravedigger was genius, and their interactions at the apothecary.

There are some scenes that are beautifully touching and immersive, but where the author truly shines is her relationships with Ginevra. The author does a wonderful job of bringing me closer to how Ginevra moved at different stages in her life. I believed the responses of a curious tween, a disgruntled teen, and an elder whose hermitage was intruded upon.

I didn’t love some of the head hopping that occurred. For example, we see Ginevra entering a home and thinking to cure it’s inhabitant, and then for a page we go into the sick woman’s head, which was confusing, distracting, and pulled away from the experience. The times later that we jumped in Lucia’s head again were random and too sparse in the context of the entire story. I would have rather stayed with Ginevra or had an alternating POV.

Some reviews on the more negative side were taken out of the time because of the language used. I felt the reading sometimes was more modern, but I also am a reader that has no issue with avoiding medieval writing - to me it would have been obnoxious if the author would have tried it, and I would have DNF’d it. (Not throwing shade, thee doeth thee if that’s your thing).

The story started to slow down about midpoint, but like the rest of the novel, it goes in waves. I’d find myself pretty into scene and then we’d get quiet and introspective, and I’d take a break from reading. Some things I couldn’t quite resolve were why Ginevra was meant to find the missing relics? To cure the city, I get it… but… that piece of the plot didn’t come together until a bit later than I liked.

All that said, I was satisfied with the ending and the story was pleasant. The Author’s note made me really want to cheer for the author. This debut is a good promise for this author’s future stories.

What a beautifully written book full of history and fantasy. This book captures the lore of the magical powers of certain stones. I was entranced from the first page and kept reading late into a few nights. Ginevra is a fascinating character who grows and changes into a strong woman while trying to protect mankind. This is a well researched book and it shows in the writing. Very highly recommended!

I received a copy of the book from Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in my review are entirely my own.

ThThe Stone Witch is an excellent blend of historical fiction and fantasy. When Ginerva, the witch, is summoned back to Florence, the city in which she was branded a heretic and witch, she returns. Given the task of finding the holy relics stolen from the churches, she is thrust into a mystery. She sees the dead and dying and tries to intervene at the risk of being pronounced a heretic again.
e Stone Witch is an excellent blend of historical fiction and fantasy. When Ginerva, the witch, is summoned back to Florence, the city in which she was branded a heretic and witch, she returns. Given the task of finding the holy relics stolen from the churches, she is thrust into a mystery. She sees the dead and dying and tries to intervene at the risk of being pronounced a heretic again.

A young woman in medieval Florence is cast out when her simple cures are taken as witchcraft. As soon as the Black Plague finds its way to Florence she is welcomed back with open arms. Her cures consist of working with gemstones and are effective but soon she is caught up in something she isn't prepared for - catching a thief who is stealing relics out of the churches. Once again she is cast as a villain when all she wants is to be admitted to the medical guild. Horrific conditions, superstitions and the politics of the church told through the eyes of a colorful cast of characters and one woman's quest to belong in a man's world. Wonderful storytelling that fans of Ariana Franklin's MISTRESS IN THE ART OF DEATH will love. Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book just didn't pull me in the way I'd hoped. It was ok but not gripping. I guess I just didn't like the MC. Other readers may enjoy it.

This was a very interesting work of historical fiction - set in an era I know little about ( the Middle Ages- Black plague) in my favorite city Florence Italy. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.
I loved Ginevra as a heroine. She had a gift for healing and has especially been learning to use stones/ gems. When the reader meets her she has endured many difficulties and was exiled from Florence and her lover. She is called back by the city leaders for help with dealing with the plague outbreak and specifically the theft of religious relics in the city.
The first part of the story was paced slowly with little happening. There are many flashbacks to the earlier parts of her life that brought her to the point of returning to Florence. The pace then escalated to a frenetic thriller.
It intrigued me how the writing style really seemed to fit the times written about and one could almost believe they were there in the story. I loved the description of the landmarks of Florence. I also learned more about the whole concept of religious relics and how the Catholic Church operated in this time period.
This is a book with unforgettable characters, an interesting plot and a very unique premise.
Looking forward to more from this author!