Book Review: Unveiling Venus by Sophia Bennett

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Adams, one time scullery maid, finds herself rubbing shoulders with the high society of London and Venice as alter ego Persephone. But with an ambition to rise to the top, she must sacrifice everything and betray those she trusts most.

I loved the descriptions of Venice in particular. It makes you feel like you’re there, and I enjoyed seeing the city through Persephone’s eyes as the streets, paintings and lifestyles are vividly brought to life. The lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous are also well depicted, and really help to make you fall into the time period, with sumptuous costumes and beautiful fancy homes.

The main character, Persephone, is also deeply compelling, intriguing and carries the plot well. I loved the idea of a lowly scullery maid having a glamorous alter ego. Although she’s a stereotypical ‘beauty’, and an ideal candidate for a painter’s muse. Liked her relationship with Kitty, it feels genuine and they counteract each other well with their personalities. They’re well developed, and have a range of emotional depth I rarely see in this kind of historical YA novels. I also enjoyed Persephone’s relationship with the wide range of secondary characters and servants who seem to reference her time as a scullery maid. There’s a good level of camaraderie between them that makes Persephone more endearing to the reader.

Arthur provides a worthy antagonist to the group, swooping in and stirring the pot enough to create tension between Kitty and Persephone. He’s very easy to dislike, which I often find is a hard thing to recreate in a realistic way in YA fiction. Most villains are all too often over the top and over dramatic. This wasn’t the case here, as Arthur is able to manipulate both Kitty and Persephone, and sew the seeds of doubt without resorting to outlandish plans.

I would have liked a deeper in-depth look at the artistic works described. Persephone ‘sits’ for several painters, alluding to being a subject of one rather famous painting in particular, yet we never see it, which I found disappointing. It would have been far more scandalous to see people’s reactions. I often felt that the artistic aspects of the plot fell a bit flat, and didn’t really enhance anything. The pacing was also a little off in places, and a little disjointed as we see Persephone flit from Venice to London and beyond. I think if the story had stayed in Venice, I would have enjoyed this more.

A good example of YA historical fiction, which is a rare thing. The descriptions of Venice and characters stand out in particular, but I wanted a tighter plot.

 - 3 stars