The Brilliant Death

"For Teodora DiSangro, a mafia don’s daughter, family is fate. All her life, Teodora has hidden the fact that she secretly turns her family’s enemies into music boxes, mirrors, and other decorative objects. After all, everyone in Vinalia knows that stregas—wielders of magic—are figures out of fairytales. Nobody believes they’re real. Then the Capo, the land’s new ruler, sends poisoned letters to the heads of the Five Families that have long controlled Vinalia. Four lie dead and Teo’s beloved father is gravely ill. To save him, Teo must travel to the capital as a DiSangro son—not merely disguised as a boy, but transformed into one. Enter Cielo, a strega who can switch back and forth between male and female as effortlessly as turning a page in a book. Teo and Cielo journey together to the capital, and Teo struggles to master her powers and to keep her growing feelings for Cielo locked in her heart. As she falls in love with witty, irascible Cielo, Teo realizes how much of life she’s missed by hiding her true nature. But she can’t forget her mission, and the closer they get to the palace, the more sinister secrets they uncover about what’s really going on in their beloved country—and the more determined Teo becomes to save her family at any cost."

The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta - release date October 30, 2018

Reading this book had a very distinct feeling about it. I felt like I was pulled into this amazing world the second I opened the book. It was so interesting to learn about the history and conflicts that this world was suffering through. The Strega stories that made reoccurring appearances were a special touch. Capetta did an amazing job creating a plot that kept the reader alert throughout not only Teo and Cielo's journey but also the time they spent at the capital. At first, I must admit I felt a little lost in the wild imagination that Capetta put to work in this book. But all of that cleared up as soon as the book really got rolling. Following Teo really was able to hammer home her belief that family is fate and that she must save them at all costs. This gets even more important in the last couple of pages as the plot finally boils down and Teo has some tough choices to make! Speaking of which, this book will definitely be the first in a series and I can't wait for the others to come out!

The inter-court relationships between all of the 5 family's sons were entertaining and I loved how they each had a distinct personality about them. Nothing in the capital was able to top the Capo and his story, though. I was fascinated to learn about how openly he used magic and Strega's to his advantage, and this adds a whole other layer to the story line when Teo finds out what he is really doing to gain his power. However, even the Capo's extravagance was topped by the incredible story that goes on between Teo and Cielo. Between the two of them, the whole story seems to take on a new life. Although I must warn readers: the sexual tension between them is occasionally unbearable! One of my favorite parts was seeing how Cielo taught Teo to expand her power and then how Teo grew to learn how to better wield it as the story progressed.

In all, I loved the parts about the magic that the Streghe were able to wield the most. Between the gender-bending and the actual concept of the Brilliant Death the book could not be more intriguing. I honestly do not think I had any complaints other than the fact that in my ARC there was once again NO MAP!!! (Maps are some of my favorite parts in books so if there are any publishers out there reading this PLEASE INCLUDE THE MAPS!) 

In all this was a 4.5/5 star book and I would definitely recommend reading it and any future books written by Capetta! It took me about a week to read and was a fantastic story!

~ Alyse :)

Reviewed on October 29th, 2018