Positano and the amalfi coast is perhaps one of the most beautiful and magical villages on this planet. It’s easy to imagine how an author might spend some time there and start imagining actual magic over centuries.
The narrative has multiple POV, but mainly with Mari, a sea witch/strega who is in love with Holmes and not the man she is meant to marry. She has had much tragedy in her life losing her mother and sister to the sea, but she is a leader amongst her sisters that keep Positano safe and free from harm and pollution. We also read from Holmes Foster’s perspective, her beloved, on a ship with unsavory characters.
The last main narrative is from Haven, a sea archeologist who recently lost her father and has gone to Positano to continue his work, deep sea diving to uncover the truth of why so many ships have since in that area, and as a scientist she doesn’t believe in The Amalfi Curse.
What I liked best about this book was the setting, it is a very slow start and harder to follow on audio, so I gave up at 50% and reread from the beginning with a physical book. Much easier to keep the characters and time periods straight. I liked the chemistry between Haven and Enzo, although this was a small insignificant storyline.
The villains are villainous, they are all greedy men without regard for the sanctity of the sea. The main criticism is that it definitely starts slow, not much happens in the first half. It is more clever plotting than it is a mystery.
3 stars for me on this one. I tried not to have expectations on this novel since I loved The Lost Apothecary, but it’s difficult to not make comparisons.
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