Good morning! Nothing ruins your Wednesday like finding out its actually a Tuesday. It feels like it’ll be a long one today, but incredible new historical fiction always makes it better.
Thanks to Hanover Square Press for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review
THE COLOR STORM – Damian Dibben (Released September 6th, 2022)
Book Description:
Enter the world of Renaissance Venice, where the competition for fame and fortune can mean life or death, in this immersive novel of art and the Inquisition.
Giorgio “Giorgione” Barbarelli’s career hangs in the balance. A student of Bellini and a mentor turned rival of Titian, he’s seen his reputation fall out of favor and his debts pile up. When he hears a rumor of a mysterious, otherworldly new pigment brought to Venice by the richest man in Europe, he sets out to acquire the rare color and secure his name in history.
Winning a commission to paint a portrait of the rich man’s wife, Giorgione thinks he has found a way into the merchant’s favor. Instead the woman draws him into her confidence, revealing the true reason her husband’s come to Venice. Giorgione finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that stretches across Europe and a marriage coming apart inside one of the floating city’s most illustrious palazzos.
Atmospheric and suspenseful, and filled with the famous artists of the era, The Color Storm captures the fascinating world of Venice at the height of its power and a moment of artistic invention that echoes through the centuries.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
This was my introduction to Damien Dibben and I’ve already been looking at his backlist for more books. THE COLOR STORM is exactly what I needed to break up all of the horror and spooky reads for the month of October (not that I only read those genres in October, more so an excuse to focus on them). I love historical fiction about as much as thrillers and horror, and books like this remind me why. The writing flows so beautifully and the story progresses with such a nice and steady pace to keep your interest and those pages flipping.
Our story is set in Renaissance Venice, and I’m amazed at how well the author portrays the time period and just drops the reader in the middle of the setting. We follow artist Giorgione Barberelli, known as Zorzo, as he tries to navigate through being an artist and trying to provide for himself. He hears of a rumored new color pigment known as Prince Orient, and he is convinced if he can just find it then he will be able to solidify his name in history.
The amount of research that went into this book is very evident and I honestly had no idea that our main character, as well as others in the book, was an actual person and artist. Naturally I had to look him up when I was finished and it always makes me appreciate this genre that much more when I can see the author put in so much work for authenticity. The writing is beautiful, the story is captivating, and if you love the Renaissance period and art, then this needs to be on your TBR.
Jessicamap Reviews 