I’m pretty ambivalent on this book. I adored the details on the ins and outs of medieval painting in 1330’s Italy but that main character was not particularly likable at times.

The author did an incredible job at world-building and got the details right for her main character’s chosen profession. From the smaller details on how painting armor was done to the massively labor intensive work that went into one simple panel, I was kept spellbound by this world of color and design. The emerging world of Renaissance painting came to life under this author’s pen with wonderful detail.

However, the author lost me quickly with her main character. I admired Sofia’s passion for painting and her spunk in actually going through with cross-dressing to be able to paint. But that’s where my liking the main character ended. She’s brash and stuck-up. I felt that she was only focused on her art and being able to do it.

I think in the end the book evens out to somewhere in the middle. The author does a good job in showcasing the emerging world of Italian Renaissance painting and in describing the grueling work to create such beauty. However, I felt she fell off the cliff in her characterization department.

ARC-Netgalley