The King's Agent by Donna Russo Morin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 435 (ARC)
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
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Description:
The King’s Agent is based loosely on the life of Battista della Palla-a patriotic plunderer, a religious rogue-of the 16th century, a lifelong friend to the great Michelangelo.
As the cloistered ward of the Marquess of Mantua, Lady Aurelia is a woman with a profound duty, and a longing for adventure. In search of a relic intended for the King of France, Battista and Aurelia cross the breathtaking landscape of Renaissance Italy. Clues hide in great works of art, political forces collide, secret societies and enemies abound, and danger lurks in every challenge, those that mirror the passages of Dante's Divine Comedy. It is an adventurous quest with undercurrents of the supernatural, powers that could change the balance of supremacy throughout Europe
My Rating:
My Review: Battista della Palla would do anything to help his beloved Florence and has aided the cause by stealing artifacts to give to the King of France, François. This time the King wants an artifact that might just be beyond Battista's expertise. When he finds himself in trouble, Lady Aurelia comes to the rescue. Longing for adventure and the opportunity to live life, Lady Aurelia demands that she be included in the task of finding the mysterious artifact. However, Lady Aurelia has some secrets of her own. Battista and Aurelia finds themselves on a whirlwind adventure and with the help of historical side characters, they put their knowledge of Dante's Divine Comedy to good use and hope to find the most powerful artifact of all.
This book certainly takes the reader on quite an adventure. I had not previously heard of Battista della Palla but I found myself intrigued by the patriotic thief who had many complexities. While I initially found Lady Aurelia to be more straight forward, I soon learned that I had underestimated her which drew me even deeper into the story. I loved how Ms. Morin was able to weave in much history and include small details about these real life characters. These details never took away from or slowed down the action and served as an added bonus to a great story. The research is evident and I found myself in constant awe of Ms. Morin's hard work. This is an adventure historical fiction story that has supernatural elements that might take the reader by surprised. I didn't see the ending coming at all, but I certainly respect Ms. Morin's creativity.
There are plenty of details that make this a more dense read, but they really do add to the story and set the stage for a fantastic journey. Overall, I recommend this to those who enjoy a a good historical fiction read with some action and supernatural craziness thrown in.
