Review: The Master of Verona–David Blixt

Political intrigue Shakespearean style.

What’s a boy to do if his father is the poet Dante?  Pietro wanted only to be a scholar, but instead, due to his elder brother’s death, finds himself drawn out of school to attend his father in his exile from Florence. He arrives in Verona and finds himself immediately drawn into the intrigue as he falls under the influence of the Greyhound, the Master of Verona, and the Greyhound’s sister, who not only captures Pietro’s loyalty but his heart, even if she is far older than he and married.

Pietro finds himself drawn into wars, and intrigue involving warring factions not only within Verona but in other major city-states of Italy.

All the while, Pietro remains in awe of his patron, until, well, I’ll let you find out what’s going on.

If you love complex, intelligent characters, well-drawn and intricate plots, battles and prophecies, I think you’ll love this book.