Stravaganza: City of Secrets
by Mary Hoffman

Release Date: 7th Jul 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978 0 7475 9250 1
RRP: Ł6.99

A dyslexic boy, Matt, finds himself transported to an alternative world...

There is very little young adult fiction available, and that is perhaps the main reason for this series being so popular. With plenty of critical acclaims and an extensive fan base, I was expecting something a bit more, well, better.

In this, the fourth book of the series; it is the turn of Matt to experience the alternative Italy from the sixteenth century. Frankly, if I hadn't been explicitly told that this was the sixteenth century Italy - I would not have known. There was little by way of historical fact, no overlay of descriptive prose that would allow you to reconstruct that age, or indeed any real sense of Padavia (the city Matt stravagates to). This was disappointing.

To further infuriate, the continual switching between the modern real world and this make-believe sixteenth century Padavia was disconcerting, disjointing and irritating, although this did work better in the latter stages of the book.

The premise is not entirely original either - a random unhappy teenager finds a talisman and is transported (the method of transportation being another cause for dissatisfaction) to an alternative world with an unknown task in the offing. Time travelling is nothing new, and neither is the fact that most teenagers are unhappy so... you catch my drift. I never really understood what Matt's task turned out to be in the end either. He just mucked things up every now and then, got a bit of a beating (which was ridiculously unrealistic) and suddenly Padavia's on fire and the Stravagati have to save the city... Easy!

If you are after total escapism and don't mind leaving all credulity and sense of direction to one side; you'll probably get some enjoyment out of this book. Personally, if they're all like this - I'd rather give them a wide berth and count myself lucky. Ultimately, City of Secrets is a prime example of the unimaginative dross widely available these days.

Your Reviews:

Click here to login or register and leave your very own review of Stravaganza: City of Secrets

Be the first to leave your own review of Stravaganza: City of Secrets!