City of Secrets (Stravaganza, Book 4) Hardcover – July 1, 2008

I found the first Stravaganza book in a used bookstore. Since then I've continued to order the rest of them through Amazon. I love them! Having been to Italy and also love Time Travel books, these novels have really been a great find.You can read this book on its own, but it will enhance your experience with the series if you do start at the first book. Each book takes place in a sort of 'alternate history' town of Italy. Bellezza is Venice, Padavia is Padua. The de Chimici family may closely resemble the de Medici family in certain aspects. Ms. Hoffman definitely weaves together great characters with beautiful locations. All her characters have richly developed personas and individual issues that traveling to "Talia" helps them with when they return back to their daily life. As the book series goes on, past characters show up along the way to help the new Stravagante learn the ropes of being in Tala. I enjoy having the same characters revisit and also continue their own story through the new installments of this series.Bottom line is I'm an adult and I throughly enjoyed this series. Great for young adults (both guys and girls will enjoy these stories) and adults. I highly recommend these novels.

What a great book. It was actually part of a series, which I have read all 6 books. Anyone who has middle school children will appreciate this series to get their child engaged. But it is also enjoyable for an older reader who simply loves to read fantasy or science fiction.

Liked this almost as well as City of Masks.

I adore this series,it's one that I had started when I was in junior high and I still find it captivating now that I'm in college.

I love this whole series!!!! I wish they would make a movie out of them! (movies...like Harry Potter series)

One of my favorite series. Keeps you intrigued the whole time. Great characters and great plot. Hope you enjoy it.

I thought that this book was all together worth reading, but was not as satisfying as the first three.

This is the fourth book in Mary Hoffman's "Stravaganza" series, but by this stage they're wearing a little thin. They're still very well written, but the freshness and originality of the first couple of books are long gone and what's left is just formulaic.The concept itself is great and somewhat reminiscent of  The Chronicles of Narnia , in which a select group of young adults chance across talismans that allow them to travel in their sleep to the world of Talia. This alternative version of Renaissance Italy and its cities allows the protagonists (known as Stravaganti) to experience a sense of freedom and to gain the strength and skills they need with which to face the difficulties in their everyday lives. Each book introduces a new Stravagante (both from this world and from Talia) and is set in a new city (in this case Padavia, an alternative Padua).But where previous books used this setup to good effect, by "City of Secrets", it just feels stale. Lucien was a great protagonist, as was Georgia. Sky was a little bland, but Matt is just plain boring. Where the first two characters had to deal with a terminal illness and a sadistic step-brother, Matt's only obstacle is dyslexia and his subsequent insecurity about his girlfriend Ayesha. Now, dyslexia is a perfectly viable difficulty for a character (or indeed, a real-life person) to have; the only problem is that it barely makes it into the story. Ayesha is never developed properly as a character, leaving the reader indifferent as whether her relationship with Matt is worth worrying about, and though it's revealed that Matt's dyslexia disappears whenever he's in Talia, this never has any bearing on the plot. He finally comes to terms with his dyslexia at the end of the story, in a near-perfect case of telling-not-showing.Things are more interesting in Talia where the Stravagante of the previous books are forced to deal with the perpetual threat of the di Chimici family, despite the death of their patriarch in  City of Flowers . A warrant is out for Luciano's arrest after Niccolo di Chimici's suspicious death, and the Duchessa Arianna is constantly risking her safety by visiting her fiancé in secret. The two young lovers have been separated by Luciano's desire to attend the University of Padavia, but they find an unexpected ally in the form of Enrico Poggi, a former-spy of the di Chimici who now has his own score to settle.When Matt begins to stravagate into Padavia's Scriptorium he is thrown headfirst into this intrigue, particularly when the current heads of the di Chimici family realize that he too is a Stravagante. Desperate to learn the secrets of the brotherhood, they send out their network of spies at the same time they begin to enforce new anti-magical laws that are designed specifically to target the Stravaganti. The book also includes the persecution of a group of goddess-worshipers, Matt putting the evil eye on a school rival, the kidnapping of two major characters, and the threat of a fire in the city. It's all written in an episodic manner, leading to rather choppy pacing in which one crisis is resolved only for another to arise directly afterwards. It tends to kill the suspense rather than build up to a satisfying climax.The di Chimicis make for interesting villains, for though some are certainly worse than others, none of them are wholly evil. Likewise, they have understandable reasons for being suspicious of the Stravaganti given their dealings with each other in the past. Even though the major nemesis of the Stravaganti is no longer among them, it would seem that his son Duke Fabrizio seems as though he'll match his father in cunning and ruthlessness, all the more so because he truly believes himself to be in the right.Finally, the city of Padavia simply isn't as vivid or interesting as Bellezza, Remora or Giglia. Reading the afterword that Mary Hoffman provides, she reveals that Padavia is the most different from its Italian counterpart, perhaps leading to the lack of detail and color that was so prevalent in the previous books. Places like the university and the anatomical theatre seem to have been included mainly because of famous existing buildings in Padua, and don't seem quite as well integrated in the plot.I still enjoy and recommend the Stravaganza books, but they're certainly weakening as the series goes on. The formula of introducing a new protagonist and city for each new book means that the dizzying array of characters is difficult to keep track of (needless to say, you'll be lost if you start the series here instead of with  City Of Masks ) and though the deepening circles of intrigue and espionage are well-plotted and certainly interesting, they don't quite seem to go anywhere. It's as if Hoffman has a plan in place, but that this particular installment is just filler before we get to the really good stuff - and I hope it gets here soon.

Good story for young (or young at heart) readers who like fantasy stories. The series is set in different in different Italian cities and cleverly weaves a bit of history and geography into a compelling fiction. It poses an interesting theory about death and parallel worlds.

have bought the series and this is a great book / series. I can't wait for the next one. service from vendor was very very good.

A good read ~ quickly posted by supplier ~ A*

love this series.

This book really was the perfect ratio of romance to action. Like harry potter and hunger games Mike's together. HOWEVER I just wish luciano and arrianna get married all ready