Title:
Cross My Heart
Author:
Sasha Gould
Genre:
Young Adult
Historical Fiction
Publisher:
Random House
Children’s Books
Imprint:
Delacourt Books for
Young Readers
Format:
Digital Galley via
NetGalley
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Venice
1585
When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older
sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura’s
father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier
and orders her to marry Beatrice’s fiancé, a repulsive old merchant named
Vincenzo. Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the
Segrata, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The
Segrata seems like the answer to Laura’s prayers. After she joins their ranks,
Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura
begins to suspect that her sister’s death was not a tragic accident but a
cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segrata and the women she has
come to trust. (Summary courtesy of
NetGalley)
Cross My Heart is
set against the backdrop of beautiful Venice,
Italy. But that
beauty is not always what it seems. Mystery, intrigue and even murder abound in
a city with more secrets than one can imagine. Those secrets are collected by
the Segrata, a group of society women that may be more powerful than the men
who run their city. Somehow, Laura della
Scala has found herself entwined with these women and she is unsure if that is
a good thing…or the worst mistake of her young life.
I must admit, I am a sucker for historical fiction. The
beauty and pageantry of the 1500s to the 1700s fascinates me. The fact that
this book is set in 1585 was an immediate draw for me. Another draw: it is set
in the one country in the world I am dying to visit—Italy. So, Cross My Heart had a lot of expectations to live up to right off
the bat. Luckily, it did not disappoint. It gives the reader a strong plot and
great characters. It has a good, strong
plot—after spending six years in a convent, Laura is suddenly summoned home
after the death of her sister. Sadly, the death of her sister is not the only
difficulty Laura must overcome. Cross My
Heart also has some wonderful characters, ones I came to really like and
care about. Laura is a wonderful heroine, searching for who she really is and
finding her way in a world that is completely foreign to her. Despite the time
period the book is set in, Laura is a strong female character with a mind of
her own. And my new book crush has to be Giacomo. Granted, I do tend to melt
when it comes to those Italian boys (after all, I married one), but Giacomo
stole my heart. He is so sweet and sensitive, I just adored him.
Perhaps the best part of this story was the mystery of
Beatrice’s death and the Segrata. I cannot really say too much about it as I
could give away integral parts of the story, but suffice to say that this book
will keep you guessing. I swear every time I thought I had it all figured out,
I turned out to be completely wrong. And I mean completely wrong. That is part
of what makes this book so good. I don’t want to read a book that I figure out
early on, I want it to keep me guessing right up until the end. Cross My Heart did just that.
Finally, I absolutely loved the fact that Cross My Heart is a stand-alone book. It
is not “Book 1” or “Part 1.” I actually liked that, because I am getting a
little weary reading books that leave me hanging. Being able to sit down and
read a book from beginning to end and not have to wait another year for any
kind of resolution was wonderful! That is not to say that I wouldn’t enjoy
reading more from Ms. Gould or reading more about Laura della Scala or the
Segrata, I just enjoyed reading a book that had an actual end.
All in all, Cross My Heart is a great read. It is filled
with mystery, intrigue and beauty. I really enjoyed it and I will be
recommending it to my librarian and teacher friends, as well as my daughters.
My grade for
Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould:
