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Stravaganza - City of Ships: Stravaganza Series, Book 5
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Product Description
Review
'The narrative brims with breathtaking twists and turns. The descriptions of Talia are outstanding' --The School Librarian
Product Description
Set in Classe (Ravenna in our world), the Stravagante is Isabel, a younger twin by a matter of minutes. Her talisman is a pouch of silver mosaic tiles and she stravagates to Classe, where she is met by Flavia, a successful female merchant who trades spices, silks, tapestries, and whose son is an outcast and a pirate. Isabel finds that Classe and Bellezza are under threat from attack by the fierce Gate people. What can she do to help save the city? A thrilling story packed with action, pirates and drama.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What can I say, the City of Ships is as amazing as all the Stravaganza books - if you haven't read them yet do - but read them in order if you can, as the same characters keep appearing in each book - which means you get to know and like them even more with each book.
The country of Talia is just as, if not more, beautiful as our Italy - I wish I could go there.
I knew the cities of the previous books, but have never been to either Ravenna or Classe - now I feel I don't need to, as Mary Hoffman has brought them to life in a quite incredible way. Her ability to merge past and present is quite marvellous, and her understanding of teenagers of today is amazing - wonderful books for all ages.
The country of Talia is just as, if not more, beautiful as our Italy - I wish I could go there.
I knew the cities of the previous books, but have never been to either Ravenna or Classe - now I feel I don't need to, as Mary Hoffman has brought them to life in a quite incredible way. Her ability to merge past and present is quite marvellous, and her understanding of teenagers of today is amazing - wonderful books for all ages.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
City of Ships is the fifth book of the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman. Isabel is the latest heroine to journey to Talia, another world's version of sixteenth century Italy. All the other Stravaganzas have been called there in order to save the day and it would seem she is destined to do the same. She arrives in the city of Classe, which is on the brink of war. The evil Di Chiminci family, who have been the enemy in past books, are seeking to assert their dominance over the last independent cities. To do so the Duke has made an alliance with the savage Gate people who will attack the allied cities of Classe and Bellaza by sea. Isabel arrives as the two prepare their fleets before the invasion. As yet she does not know what role she will play but she knows that, like Stravaganzas before her, a time will come when she is faced with a decision that will change the course of the war. Until that time she can sink into this new life where during the day she's at home or school but when night comes and she's asleep she will travel back into the renaissance where adventure awaits.
In many ways this is very similar to the high school story genre, where a young woman turns from a geeky, lonely girl into a popular, happy and confident student. On the other hand, there is a serious diversion from the genre here as the transformation is due to the double life she leads in another world and safely avoids the banality of many of the other coming of age books. City of Ships will nevertheless still appeal to female readers with its succession of handsome boys and romance budding between many of the characters. If you're looking for plenty of action this will probably not be the book for you as the author dwells on character growth rather than on a rapid pace. As it is the final battle comes as a necessary climax to the plot but it is by no means the driving force behind the tale.
Instead Mary Hoffman has written about a teenage girl who is beset by very low self-esteem. She needs this new world in order to come out of her shell and develop into the person she could be. There is, of course, a love interest with a previous character and many of the worlds inhabitants and past heroes will also have a developing love life to the gratification of old fans.
In many ways this is very similar to the high school story genre, where a young woman turns from a geeky, lonely girl into a popular, happy and confident student. On the other hand, there is a serious diversion from the genre here as the transformation is due to the double life she leads in another world and safely avoids the banality of many of the other coming of age books. City of Ships will nevertheless still appeal to female readers with its succession of handsome boys and romance budding between many of the characters. If you're looking for plenty of action this will probably not be the book for you as the author dwells on character growth rather than on a rapid pace. As it is the final battle comes as a necessary climax to the plot but it is by no means the driving force behind the tale.
Instead Mary Hoffman has written about a teenage girl who is beset by very low self-esteem. She needs this new world in order to come out of her shell and develop into the person she could be. There is, of course, a love interest with a previous character and many of the worlds inhabitants and past heroes will also have a developing love life to the gratification of old fans.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mary Hoffman has done it again with her usual style. I was immediately hooked by the plot, and fell in love with the new characters. I was really happy that all the old characters still featured though because I was worried that this far along in a series some might just get dropped. :D I was wrong. City of Ships had me on the edge of my seat as every twist brought the Stravaganti and Co. closer and closer to loosing their lives...Read on for a battle to rival the one in City of Flowers!
Just right. Light, enagaging and thrilling. I would recommend it to anyone, and a great deal through amazon.
Just right. Light, enagaging and thrilling. I would recommend it to anyone, and a great deal through amazon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
City of Ships - Stravaganza
This is the fifth of a series of fantasies about twentieth-century London teenagers, translated to a parallel world in 16th century 'Talia' (Italy). Read more
Published 12 months ago by JohnM
Great follow-on in the series
The story of this book has to be one of my favourites in the series, as you follow Isabel's journey as a stravagante. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ms. C. A. Hazell
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Isabel is about to join a secret club called the Stravaganti. The Stravaganti are a group of high school students in London who travel back in time to a place similar to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by TeensReadToo
Strvaganza - City of Ships
One of the best books I've ever read and I have read alot. I wish a talesmen would find me, it means I could escape the world even if I didn't have a book with me.
Published 17 months ago
Stravagana extravaganza!!!!
In the fifth installment of the Stravaganza series, we meet Isabel Evans, a young girl with a love of Art in particular mosaics, so it comes as no surprise that her talisman is a... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Huw LaMort
Even grandads like it
Again a great sequel in this fantastic serie. Can't wait for the next one (but suppose I must).
Published 24 months ago by D. A. Collins
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