The Brilliant Death

Do you know what I hate? The stereotypical YA heroine. The one that’s stoic but badass and has a haunting past and is “destined to bring about change.” Fortunately, Teodora di Sangro isn’t one of these heroines. She’s badass, but also in an understated way? I don’t know how to explain it. But she’s a refreshing character to read about among all the other cliches in the genre. And Cielo, her “sexy magic tutor”, is amazing. I love their romance and I ship them so much!! With that said, I also feel like their romance was kind of insta-love like? I mean, they knew each other for only a few days and they were declaring that they loved each other. But it’s okay I guess, because I liked the romance. Which shocked me because I usually find YA romance cringey. Unfortunately, the romance overpowered the plot at times. Some of what happened…I didn’t think it was realistic. But somehow, it was still so easy to get lost in the story! It was fast-paced and fun, and the book just flew by! And the writing style was so whimsical and lovely. It wasn’t purple prose, but it somehow managed to keep an elegance to it that added to the story. And both Teo and Cielo are also genderqueer!! I’ll admit, that was the reason I picked up this book. I wanted to read about these characters. I didn’t expect to find a discussion about the different expectations surrounding gender and seeing Teo struggle with them. I loved how it was resolved too. It gave the story a much more…well, it resonated with me. Which is awesome and it made me like this book even more. There better be a sequel, or I’m rioting. (P.S. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how pretty the cover is??)

The premise of the story was really cool and I felt that the story really delivered what it promised to (political intrigue, mafia, magic, queer representation). The prose was rich and detailed. I enjoyed the Italy-inspired setting and how unique Teodora's talents (storytelling, secretly transforming her enemies into decorative objects, etc.) were. Stregas can do so many cool things! Also Cielo? I really loved him and his romance with Teo. I liked that they were both gender fluid due to their ability to transform their bodies. The plot was engaging from beginning to end. I am really hoping that there's a sequel! The cover is really great! It's bright and catches the eye. It also matches the story rather well.

The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta has to be one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved how she created a powerful individual through Teodora DiSangro and her unique personality really strikes a chord with readers. Capetta referenced her Italian-inspired influences into a highly colorful narrative which blended into the story so seamlessly. I also wanted to commend Capetta for creating Cielo. Capetta found a very natural way to be inclusive of a gender fluid individual and, even more so, took on a powerful stance on gender definitions. It's refreshing when authors break gender barriers by equipping themselves with the great faculty of storytelling. Altogether I found this is a book that takes fantasy to a higher level.