Graceless Heart

YA bestseller Ibañez (Where the Library Hides) makes her adult debut with this mixed-bag historical romantasy set against the vibrant backdrop of the Italian Renaissance. Ravenna Maffei is a sculptor and a witch living in the city of Volterra, where magic is forbidden. After her younger brother is arrested, Ravenna enters a sculpture competition; the prize is a boon from the Luni family, a group of powerful immortals, which she hopes to use to ask for his freedom. Unfortunately, during the competition she accidentally reveals her magical ability. The Lunis then kidnap Ravenna and whisk her away to their mansion in Florence. As their “artist in residence,” she is given the difficult task of extricating magical gems from hunks of marble—and failure means death. Meanwhile, Ravenna catches the eye of Saturnino, the Luni family’s dangerous yet alluring heir. Caught in the crossfire of the Lunis’ political maneuvering, Ravenna must choose between love and duty. Ibañez’s worldbuilding is immersive and lush with historical details. Unfortunately, the magic system doesn’t get the same treatment, going underexplored amid all the political intrigue. Meanwhile Ravenna and Saturnino’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic is juicy and full of yearning, but shakily developed, with enough jarring, hot and cold interactions to make readers’ heads spin. It’s a promising setup that falters in execution. (Jan.)