Book Review: Masquerade by Kylie Fornasier
Masquerade by Kylie Fornasier
Pages:304 (paperback)
Publish date:July 23rd 2014
Publisher:Penguin Australia
ISBN: 9780143571070
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
It’s the Carnevale of 1750 and Venice’s ballrooms, theatres, palazzos and squares are filled with delicious gossip, devilish fun and dangerous games. In this glittering masked world, everyone has a secret…
Set in an age of decadence made famous by Casanova, Masquerade uncovers the secrets of seven teens, from the highest aristocrat to the lowest servant – their dreams, desires, loves, loyalties … and betrayals.
All the world’s a stage. Let the show begin.
Masquerade:
First Line: In a city shrouded in secrets, it was only fitting that Orelia’s first view of Venice was shrouded in fog.
I received an e-arc of Masquerade by Kylie Fornasier from Netgalley by Penguin Teen Australia. This in no way has influenced my review.
I have been reading so many amazing books lately and Masquerade was nothing less. I absolutely adored Masquerade. I could not put it down at any moment, I was reading both in between classes and in class. It was thrilling and drawing in every way possible.
Venice has always been a place where I have wanted to go since I can remember, but not only that I always wanted to go at the time of carnival. So when I was told that not only is Masquerade set in Venice, but also at the time of carnival? I was in love from that moment on.
Kylie Fornasier’s writing is very intriguing and captivating. Once I started to read I was immersed into the story.
Masquerade is really different from what I have read before. First, I don’t read that much Historical Fiction so it’s really nice to read a different genre that I really enjoyed. Also the fact that there are 6 different perspectives gives a whole new feel to the book.
Kylie Fornasier is a genius when it comes to writing different perspectives. At first it was hard for me to know who was who, but not because it was hard to tell person from person. But because there were quite a few. Fornasier was able to write from 6 different perspectives and they didn’t even sound the same. I was able to tell one character from another. It was really interesting.
I really enjoyed all the main characters. They all had different personalities and valued different things, but they were all really likable in different ways.
Orelia is the main protagonist of Masquerade. The story starts when she enters Venice. After the unfortunate event that you find out at the start of the novel Orelia finds her way to Venice in need for a place to live, but something just isn’t right. She is not welcomed in Venice, not at all. I really enjoyed Orelia. At times I just wanted hug her and hold her tight.
Angelique Contarini’s least favourite night of the year was the last night of Carnevaale. It was like saying goodbye to a dear friend…
Angelique and Veronica are cousins of Orelia. They might be sisters but they are complete opposites. I really enjoyed Angelique. She was sassy, but I felt that she was in love with the thought of love and sometimes that isn’t the best thing. It was really weird reading from Angelique’s POV because, if you didn’t know, that is actually my full name. Veronica is nothing like her sisters. She is quiet and isn’t looking for someone to marry. She is just so against it, but throughout Masquerade you see her crack.
Anna works for Angelique and Veronica’s family. But she isn’t all that she seems. I think that Anna was one of my favourite characters. There was just something about her that I really liked.
Bastian. What can I say about Bastian other than he is a player. There is no denying it. There were times when I wanted to hit him on the head and knock some sense into him. Marco was also a very interesting character.
Isn’t it better to be free for a short while, than caged for life?
Claudia. Oh I feel for Claudia so much. With a mother like hers. She was trying to have her own life, but her mother just had to take over.
I loved the setting of Masquerade. Just everything about it made me smile so much. All the balls, dresses, masks. Through the beautiful writing style of Kylie Fornasier I was able to imagine everything.
Everything about Masquerade was just compelling and beautiful. There was just so much drama. It was so interesting and kept me craving more. The ending though. Gosh it was an ending. Everything that happened was so unexpected and left me hanging for more. I need a sequel like right now. I need to know what is going to happen next.
Masquerade is a beautiful and compelling novel that captures you from the very first page. The stunning writing style of Kylie Fornasier brings something new to Australian authors and literature.
Have you read Masquerade? What did you think of it? Will you read it?
