This book filled my heart with joy and gave it a big squeeze.

Anyone who knows me knows that there are two types of books I love more than anything: queer stories and ancient mythology. This wonderful novel combines them both. I've always had a fascination for Pompeii and its been on my travel bucket list for ever.

I loved each of the main characters both separately and as a couple and the dual POV worked really well for this story! The way the story unfolded with readers (and characters) learning about the secrets of each of the main characters was really well done and kept me on the edge of my seat. I even read through the last half of the book in one sitting!

This book also involves the miscommunication trope which I love when done well, and in this case, it was. Just enough angst to keep me wanting more!

You guys know I am a completionist, right? Well, not today I guess, but generally speaking. I DNF infrequently, but when I do, it is often out of mercy. For example, Vesuvius. This is a great example of a merciful incompletion, because there is nothing wrong with this book! Nothing! I just simply wasn’t feeling it. Others seemingly love it! I think for me, it was more fantasy feeling than historically/emotionally compelling, and while that is totally fine, I was hoping more for the latter. Add to it that I am so behind, and it just seemed like the right choice to call it. No reason for me to give it a bad rating just because it wasn’t my jam, right? Right. I actually marked this as “Ask Again Later” on Goodreads, but you and I both know I’m just lying to myself.

Bottom Line: This was not bad, I think it was just different than I expected and I wasn’t feeling it.

I had such high expectations, and I am extremely let down. The first 50 pages were okay, but then it just unraveled after that. My biggest issue here is the writing. This is supposed to be ancient Pompeii, yet all the characters use modern curses and phrases all the time. It was jarring, and really took me out of the story

I am a sucker for love stories told in tragic circumstances, so to say this book was right up my alley was an understatement.

Vesuvius follows two young boys, Felix and Loren, as they clash with the cruel conditions of their world on the eve of the famous volcano's eruption. As mentioned in the author's note, one of the main themes of this book is defying fate, and not letting the circumstances of your life define you. That message alone I think is worth the read. In our current world, things can seem helpless. So using books as a mean to escape, while still discussing themes relevant to our everyday life, are vitally important.

Aside from the theme, the writing was also wonderfully done. It is very apparent early on that the author took inspiration from Madeline Millers's The Song of Achilles, and it really shows in the writing. It can be downright lyrical at times, and while it may not hit necessarily as hard due to being limited as a young adult book, it was still a beautiful read.

The story is where I took some issues. The pacing of the book is very slow, but then things pick up almost too fast towards the end. Because of this, the fate of some characters,. ones that we took an endless time getting to know, weren't nearly as impactful as they could have been. The book also has a twist that anyone even remotely versed in Greek Mythology can see coming a mile away. But the themes and writing of the book are so good that it is hard to fault the book, the first from this author, for things that are sure to improve with future books when the core is so strong.

If you are looking for a retelling to stand out among the sea of retellings we have been getting recently, I recommend checking this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As an Ancient Rome history buff, this book was right up my alley. The story of Pompeii and Vesuvius always makes me so sad but so interested as a historian to see just how well everything was preserved. I loved this romantic interpretation of the story with our two main characters, Felix and Loren. The mix between real historical events, mythology and such an intriging suspensful plot was amazing.

VESUVIUS is a captivating book of two passionate boys trying to find their own way in the city of Pompeii, unaware of the looming calamity. This book drives me crazy in the best way possible. With each read (yes, multiple reads) I still find myself gripping the edges of the book internally yelling at Felix and Loren to run. Like the book They Both Die At The End, you go into the story expecting tragedy, you just don't know the extent of it, and better yet, neither do the characters. That anxiety drives the book forward just as much as the plot does. It makes you as the reader reflect on your life in that "what would you do if today was your last day" sort of way. Would the characters have made the same choices had they known for certain what would happen? Would I have in their shoes?
Brilliant work all around, and I look forward to reading everything Biehn creates.

This was one of my most anticipated releases so I'm sad to say I really struggled to stay engaged with this one and really had to trudge my way through this one. The writing was lyrical and the atmosphere fleshed out, but the characters fell flat to me and I'm a very character driven person. I couldn't always follow the characters motivations and I also couldn't really feel the chemistry between the two MC's which is sad but I did enjoy the writing enough that I would pick up more from this author in a different story.

Things I loved about this book: a mythological / historical retelling centered on something other than Olympus/Greek gods. Two young boys as protagonists--I honestly see a lot of younger books about girls being brave and growing in relationships/themselves, and the ones about boys usually feature them being lawless. The characters were cute and I enjoyed the Pompeii setting a lot.

Things I would love to see in future writing by Biehn: better pacing and more thoughtful historical writing. While I'm interested in Pompeii, the writing felt too contemporary for me to really feel like I got an imagined sense of living in the place--whether the real Pompeii or the fantastical one. The pacing was a little bit of a rollercoaster but I think not out of bounds for a YA style.

I really wanted to love this book, but it didn't land for me.

The characters didn't feel as fully developed as I wanted, and the setup with the helmet didn't pay off as strongly as it could have. I was expecting more magic and for the eruption of Vesuvius to play a bigger role than it did, which made the story feel anti-climactic.

I did, however, enjoy the setting and the narrative atmosphere.

So one thing about me is that I will read about any book that takes place in Pompeii, so of course this one had to get on my tbr. But sadly, this time around the book and I weren't meant for each other.

For one, when I read historical fiction (or historical fantasy, as this has minor mythology-based fantasy elements to it) I prefer the writing style to reflect the period at least in some way. "Vesuvius" reads like a modern contemporary YA that's accidentally set in ancient Pompeii, and no amount of name dropping of historical events, places or deities could help that. The characters talk like teenagers would talk today. There were on the whole too many tonal, language and thematic inconsistencies that kept me from being transported into the story and its world.
There is some political drama but it's not fleshed out enough to be interesting, and it's also very on the nose. The resolution to it also presents our protagonists with a very convenient (and if you think about it a little harder very unrealistic) way out of their problems, which felt contrived.
For a book that deals with the destruction of Pompeii, said destruction also feels rather rushed and anticlimactic after all the build up before, the whole ending chapters left me rather numb to be honest. There's a mythological plotline that felt very weak and, in Felix' case, completely unnecessary.
Loren and Felix are cute enough as characters and they are likeable in their own right, but there wasn't much depth to the development of their relationship, maybe because it also takes place over just a few days.

So yeah, this is not my kind of book but I can absolutely see a younger audience enjoying it, and there are some emotional moments for both characters. A quick read with a great premise, its execution just didn't work for me at all.

You had me at "dual POV YA queer romance with magical elements and a social class trope set in Pompeii right before Vesuvius erupted."

Loren, a boy with high aspirations in government has visions involving Felix, a thief who stole Mercury's Helmet.

Felix, jaded by life and missing memories, laughs when Loren says he believes they were fated by the gods to meet, but as earthquakes rock the city and mysterious connections keep surfacing, the boys need to work together to restore the gaps in Felix's memories and try to save Pompeii.

This one just ticked all the boxes for me. The enemies to lovers felt authentic because the characters were well-developed and flawed. The setting was stunning. The dramatic tension was there. And the unveiling of Felix's relationship to the helmet was well-timed and not easily predicted. Definitely a touching read.

I received this ARC from publisher @peachtreeteens through @netgalley. The opinions are my own.

Vesuvius was just released on June 10, 2025 and is available at booksellers now.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5/5 stars

✧ Retelling of the destruction of Pompeii
✧ Characters that will rip your heart out
✧ Identity, belonging, self-purpose
✧ Achillean romance
✧ TWs: violence, death, historically-relevant homophobia, sexual assault

I really, really enjoyed this book! I am a big fan of mythological retellings, and this was done so well. It’s based on Roman mythology (obviously, as it’s set in Pompeii in the Roman Empire), which I don’t think is explored as much in fiction as Greek mythology, for example. It definitely leans more toward the historical fiction/mythology genre than fantasy, in my opinion, so don’t expect super heavy magical or fantasy elements. The plot of this story is incredibly layered and kept me interested at every turn! There was a good amount of political intrigue woven in, although keep in mind it is a YA novel, so it’s not super complicated. I never really knew where the story was going to go next, especially regarding the main plot point of Loren’s visions and Felix’s involvement with Vesuvius. But every twist and turn felt very intentional and related to the characters’ own flaws and misunderstandings of the situation – there weren’t any “gotcha” moments, everything really came together in the end!

I think my favorite part of this book was the characters. They felt really complex and layered and flawed, but they acknowledged these flaws and grew so much throughout the story. Whenever a book is dual-POV, I tend to be a bit wary, because it seems to be a big trend in fiction right now without actually serving a purpose in furthering the story. But in this book, I felt like each POV allowed me to get to know the characters so intimately, and then compare their own thoughts with how the other character sees them. I loved both characters so, so much, for all of their flaws and their complicated histories. The romance, too, didn’t feel cliche or forced. I do wish that there was a bit more time spent building up their feelings towards one another, although I wouldn’t say it feels like insta-love at all. I legitimately cried multiple times in the last 25% of this book (mostly because of the characters and their relationship).

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves mythological retellings and a beautiful love story between two flawed characters with difficult histories. I’m really excited to see what comes next from this author!

Vesuvius is a fast paced, heart wrenching YA fantasy set in the final days before Pompeiis legendary eruption. This was such a fun read! I’m definitely not the target audience as I don’t read much YA, especially younger YA, but even still I devoured this! I adored the prophecies and Loren’s abilities in the particular, and enjoyed the critique of religious and power systems. The romance was very sweet and believable. Overall, a great read that I think many readers will enjoy!

one boy with nightmares haunting him and a prophecy that nobody but him believes. Another boy with no memories and is in possession of a dangerous helmet.
This book was such a tense read! The whole time the looming threat of Vesuvius erupting had such a powerful impact! I really enjoyed the tension between these two characters as they went from enemies to friends to lovers but then back to friends. If you’re looking for a YA retelling of the story of Pompeii definitely go read this book!

Unfortunately, I just didn't really vibe all too much with this one. I pushed through it because I was truly interested in the premise. I was one of those kids that took Latin in school and became one of those guys that regularly thinks about the Roman empire. I reeeeally wanted to enjoy this. Unfortunately, it just never got me. The pacing felt like a drag, there was what felt like truly so much going on, and the resolution felt both rushed and unfulfilling. I don't want to be a hater, because I do really hope others enjoy this more than me, but alas, not for me.

DNF 55%

I was looking forward to this book because the premise sounds like something I would enjoy, but once I started reading I didn't feel any connection to the story or the characters. Although the stakes seem high (considering the setting of the book), I couldn't feel the sense of urgency from the characters' actions. So much was going on at the same time with many characters getting introduced, but I was unable to feel their emotions. In addition, the love story developed too quickly in my opinion. Maybe this wasn't the right time for me to start this book or maybe this book just isn't for me. Great premise, but the execution didn't really work for me.

A debut LGBT-themed YA romance, with one of my most-intense personal fixations in natural history at its centre?! Yeah, there was no world in which I wasn't desperate to read this story of star-crossed teen-lovers who fatefully met in late August, 79AD... in POMPEII.

When the story opens, we meet Felix, an orphaned thief with a nomad’s mentality, constantly moving from place to place, taking what he needs and stealing what he wants, mostly passing through unobserved, purposefully unattached to anything or anyone. But, barely arrived in the growing city of Pompeii, Felix gets himself into big trouble when he steals the wrong item—a highly coveted and presumably cursed helmet, once belonging to the god Mercury.

With a bullseye on his back and no means to escape the city, Felix finds himself in the company of a fellow teenager named Loren, who is an attendant in a temple, with aspirations in politics and an otherworldly gift no one believes in, which comes in the form of nightmarish premonitions of a disastrous and fatal future for the people of Pompeii, with Felix at the centre of the potential mayhem.

Both boys are hiding vital things, for their own survival and mental well-being, but fate keeps their paths entwined, as Loren scrambles to find a way to prevent the potential devastation to the city he calls home, trying to learn more about Felix’s mysterious past and searching for possible ways to stop his mere presence (and helmet thieving) from ending in a major catastrophe.

The world-building was pretty solid and the reimagining of the fall of Pompeii was clever and engrossing. I very much liked Loren and Felix as our male-teen MCs, both having to grow up well before their time, facing huge moral dilemmas and situations that put a good weighty bit of emotional angst on an already high stakes story.

As a YA romance, this was pretty light on the relationship development, but in a good way, hitting all the right emotional notes that didn’t overshadow the larger plot, which I was ultimately very happy with.

The dialogue was probably the only real complaint I could even attempt to muster up here, with the boys (particularly Felix) using language I just felt was all-too-modern, which led to a few jarring moments that took me out of the historical setting a bit too forcibly.

Besides that, the whole thing played out well. I liked the characters, the conflict, the tension, the deliciously subtle love story, and especially the added element of destiny that shrouded every move these boys made in their mad dash to unveil hidden truths and save an entire city from ruin.

I believe this is a debut work from young adult author Cass Biehn, and if so, big praise for coming out the gate strong and leaving a memorable mark, with a story that will undoubtedly be on my end-of-year best-of reading lists.

Side note: I am OBSESSED with that cover art. It so perfectly captures Felix and Loren the way I envisaged them while reading.


***A special thanks to the publishers (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 80% to keep myself from hating my life.

Here's the thing, as far as demographic goes, I fit all the boxes. Love me some Greco-Roman mythology, I've been so curious about Pompeii and Vesuvius in particular, obviously I want to read about two queer characters of that time figuring out their lives and their relationship, and while I'm not in the age range, that never stopped me from enjoying YA.

So what was the problem? Just that I didn't care and was bored out of my mind for most of this. I felt... nothing. My fault for pushing through, really, but I don’t like DNF-ing arcs. I'll allow that my mood hasn't been the best, so this story could have suffered a bit from it. Aside from that, the formatting was not properly adapted to Kindle, so having to decode some words due to letters missing was not fun and I switched to audio halfway through. None of this helped, none of this would have been a big issue were I enjoying the story.

All in all, we spent so much time hinting at *the past* and lost memories and true identities that the reader is basically kept at arms’ length and not allowed into the characters’ minds beyond surface level. And we kept dangling the carrot for way too long after it became obvious what the answers were. It was frustrating to read. I also don’t believe they feel all that after 3 days, sorry.

I love multiple POV books, so I was shocked to find I would've rather kept this book to a single POV, Felix's. But that isn't necessarily the solution. Loren's POV could have been better utilized. One of the issues of having it (or having it so early on) is that any urgency we might feel due to the looming event immediately evaporates when the characters don't act it. Sure, going into this we know what's about to happen to Pompeii. This is why the stakes cannot be tethered to the event itself, but rather to the individual impact on the characters. And I was a whole lot more interested in Aurelia and Lydia than the main duo, sadly.

Here's another issue in case you were wondering—the anachronisms, specifically in language and religious belief. I’m not going to harp on about this because the first is something I can tolerate, especially given the genre. But piled on top of everything else, it didn’t endear me to this story.

There are other things I could add, but I won't due to spoilers and the fact that I feel like this is enough criticism. Absolutely do read this if the premise sounds interesting to you, just be mindful of going in with a slower, uneven pace in mind and everything else I mentioned.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Cass Biehn and Peachtree Teen for the chance to read and review this book.

Vesuvius is a YA fantasy novel that will grab your attention from the beginning and never let go. The story follows Felix, a thief who comes to Pompeii with the goal to steal something, and then get the hell out of dodge. Loren is a temple attendant who aspires to be more than he currently is, but is haunted by dreams of the end of Pompeii, that all seemingly have Felix at the center. After Felix unknowingly steals the Helm of Mercury, a sacred item in the city of Pompeii, his and Lorens lives are thrown together with a bang…(literally) and together they they must figure out what is happening to the city, all while keeping secrets that may ruin their blossoming relationship.

Vesuvius was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and considering it is a debut release, I am beyond impressed. The characters were dynamic and filled their roles, the story was clear and the romance was cute! I was interesting to see the boys work through their issues and not just magically have everything fixed, which was something that I really appreciated, and it added complexities to the characters that I wasn’t expecting. The only thing that was keeping me from rating this 5 stars was I felt that the story dragged in the middle, and I really wasn’t feeling the intensity of the situation that they were in until right at the end of the novel. But otherwise it was a gorgeous debut and I really can’t wait to see what Cass Biehn has for us in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the eARC.

This is a book that has me torn between what I expected and wanted and what actually happened and is still a good ending. Though, I’m still leaning towards what I wanted to happen. Which I’ll be honest will make me a bit unreliable.

A lot of my disappointment is that Vesuvius and what happened to Pompeii was but a passing moment and then nothing. This was a devastating event and I felt that the writing didn’t get the atmosphere right. My sister and I are so fascinated with Pompeii and I was very excited about this book but it just didn’t deliver.
I actually didn’t care for Loren’s POV other than his premonitions. Their relationship development was well done but then the ending kinda gave me a bad taste.