Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: YA fantasy
Published: September 11th 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Pages: 304
Source: Purchased Paperback
Goodreads Summary:
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother-to-be and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.
Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.
Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?
My Rating of this Book – 4 out of 5 stars
My Review:
When I first started My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Cat was an intriguing main character, but from my first impression, I thought I wouldn’t connect with her in anyway. She reminded me too much of Katniss from The Hunger Games: little emotion, isolated, bitter. Even with some of the detailed descriptions of the Italy, I wasn’t exactly pulled into the pages.
However, as I continued to read, I actually became impressed. I was slowly settling in, melting into the plot, especially once Lorenzo entered the scene. Not exactly my kind of book crush, I did love his sixteenth century bad boy attitude. He, along with Alessandra, Cat’s distant cousin, became my two favorite characters in this novel. They were the ones who really helped Cat’s character to grow.
I was, unfortunately, disappointed by the ‘gypsy magic.’ It didn’t capture me, and honestly, I didn’t really understand Reyna’s (the gypsy) connection to Cat. Everything about her and the goddess, Isis, just didn’t gel for me, and in some way, confused me more. Though, based on how the novel ended, I was curious to find out if there was a sequel, and I just learned today on Goodreads there will be! Whoo Hoo! So, I hope Reyna, Isis, and the ‘gypsy magic’ will all become clearer in the next book.
I really enjoyed reading My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, and I would highly recommend it to those who love historical romance.
Kelsey Ketch 