The Stone Witch of Florence

By: Anna Rasche

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

“A feast of a novel, The Stone Witch of Florence is erudite, transportive, and addicting. Magical in every sense of the word.” —Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

A woman's secret. A deadly Plague. Unleash the hidden magic…

1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.

Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again.

But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…

Wonderful!

I loved this book! Great story with history and religious tradition woven in. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Florence, Faith and Forbidden Magic

Witches, Italy, gemstones, magic, religion, and the plague. Those are the words that come to mind when I think about this book.

It was a pleasant read. I was initially drawn to it because of the gemstone on the cover and the use of gems within the story. I love books that reference jewelry and gemstones, especially since I enjoy designing jewelry and drawing gems myself, so that element really appealed to me.

There are quite a few side characters to keep track of, which can take some focus, but the overall story was engaging. The pace remains steady for most of the book, and it is really in the last one to two hours that things pick up and move toward the ending you hope for.

Enjoyable

This story was so enjoyable I couldn’t stop listening. Not to mention the epilogue gave me the best chills! Even the author’s note was enjoyable to listen to!

Another place and time

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters, story line and bits of reality! The author takes you to another place and time! If your unsure, I recommend listening to it!

My thoughts

Lucia was my favorite character. There was something incredibly compelling about a person who wanted to do good but kept messing up, through no fault of her own.