Book Review:
Title: Mafiosa
Author: Catherine Doyle
Publisher: ChickenHouse Books
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
"We pealed into a fit of laughter, his amusement ringing in my ears, my smile so big it could have broken my face, because we were both cheating just for one night - we were both wearing masks belonging to other people, and it was exhilarating"
A blood war rages on the streets of Chicago. Protected by an infamous Mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can't last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie's the prime target of a rival clan. She's determined to seek revenge on her mother's murderers, but can she pay the price - can she be a Mafiosa?
I’m not going to lie, writing this review is going to be very hard for me. Finishing a series you absolutely love is so bittersweet – on one hand, the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived, you get to know how the story ends and the fate of every character, but on the other hand, you may never see the characters you’ve become so attached to *cough* Luca *cough* ever again. It’s quite the weird feeling...
But, enough of that babble - let’s get into my thoughts of
this finale!
Normally, going into a finale/sequel, there’s always a part
of you that is worried that it is never going to live up to its predecessor,
but I completely trusted Cat to write the most epic, and explosive finale – and boy
did she! THIS. BOOK. WAS. PHENOMENAL! The whole trilogy is phenomenal!
The Blood For Blood Trilogy is the kind of series where the writing, plot and characters get better and better with each book. I enjoyed Vendetta, I loved Inferno, but Mafiosa is without a doubt my favourite of the three – it was pretty much close to perfection!
The Blood For Blood Trilogy is the kind of series where the writing, plot and characters get better and better with each book. I enjoyed Vendetta, I loved Inferno, but Mafiosa is without a doubt my favourite of the three – it was pretty much close to perfection!
I think what makes this book so special is the unique plot
line. How many YA books can you name that follow the mafia? Personally, this is
the only YA mafia book I know of, and because of that I find myself so immersed
in this world. It’s new, refreshing and dark. Most definitely dark.
Mafiosa is probably the darkest of the three. There's more guns, blood and murder, you know, pretty much all the good stuff! But on top of that, we get to see a different, more stronger side to Sophie.
Sophie has never been the type to just sit back and stay out of the drama, but she has undoubtedly struggled to cope with the world she has discovered. Well, in Mafiosa, that has all changed. Sophie has accepted who she is and she is ready to fight back.
I really admired Sophie in this book. After everything she has been through, you would expect her to completely fall apart, and although she sometimes did, she bravely held it together most of the time. And I think that is partially due to the two special people she had left in her life: Millie & Luca. Without these two, I honestly believe Sophie would have cracked. They helped bring some normalcy into her crazy life. They kept her grounded. And it's for that reason that they are both my favourite characters of the trilogy. Like honestly guys, try to find a best friend like Millie and a boyfriend/partner like Luca - they will bring so much light into your life!
And I know I've said it before, but after finishing this trilogy you can't help the bittersweet feeling, because you realise there's no more Sophie & Luca. There's no more "I don't respect your authority." There's no more random disney references. (I could go on, but I think you get my point.)
But saying that, I'm not completely upset, because I thought that the ending of this trilogy was brilliant. Everything tied up nicely, there were no loose ends, yet it was still left quite open ended, which worked perfectly considering we are dealing with the mafia and you know, 'The mafia never dies.'
I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better, more realistic ending.
Overall, this was a fantastic conclusion to what has become one of my favourite trilogies of all time!
I cannot wait to see what Cat has in store for us next!
5 Stars
Goodreads
Mafiosa is probably the darkest of the three. There's more guns, blood and murder, you know, pretty much all the good stuff! But on top of that, we get to see a different, more stronger side to Sophie.
Sophie has never been the type to just sit back and stay out of the drama, but she has undoubtedly struggled to cope with the world she has discovered. Well, in Mafiosa, that has all changed. Sophie has accepted who she is and she is ready to fight back.
I really admired Sophie in this book. After everything she has been through, you would expect her to completely fall apart, and although she sometimes did, she bravely held it together most of the time. And I think that is partially due to the two special people she had left in her life: Millie & Luca. Without these two, I honestly believe Sophie would have cracked. They helped bring some normalcy into her crazy life. They kept her grounded. And it's for that reason that they are both my favourite characters of the trilogy. Like honestly guys, try to find a best friend like Millie and a boyfriend/partner like Luca - they will bring so much light into your life!
And I know I've said it before, but after finishing this trilogy you can't help the bittersweet feeling, because you realise there's no more Sophie & Luca. There's no more "I don't respect your authority." There's no more random disney references. (I could go on, but I think you get my point.)
But saying that, I'm not completely upset, because I thought that the ending of this trilogy was brilliant. Everything tied up nicely, there were no loose ends, yet it was still left quite open ended, which worked perfectly considering we are dealing with the mafia and you know, 'The mafia never dies.'
I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better, more realistic ending.
Overall, this was a fantastic conclusion to what has become one of my favourite trilogies of all time!
I cannot wait to see what Cat has in store for us next!
5 Stars
Goodreads