Secrets In The Stars

Have you ever had a dream that you could do something amazing? So fantastic that people cheer and love you? But then you awake and something is pulling you down, and you just can’t get up. This is how Georgia O’Grady feels in book two of the stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman, City of Stars. She lives in modern day London, or close to it. But Georgia finds a whole new side of life when she goes to sleep and awakens in a horse stable in Talia. Talia is an equivalent to our Renaissance Italy, and is just as beautiful as it is dangerous. As Georgia meets new people, including someone she knows to be dead, some powerful di Chimici princes, a beautiful young duchessa, and a sly spy for the Duke of Giglia, Niccolo di Chimici. It won’t be easy to get out of Talia unscathed this time.

At home in London, Georgia has no friends. She doesn’t do any activities besides riding horses, and she isn’t amazing in school either. Her mother is remarried to a man who has a teenage son, older than her. Ralph is horrible to her; he treats her like she’s nothing, and makes sure she thinks the same, too. She is always being emotionally hurt by him, and he always does things just to get at her. The only time Georgia is at peace is when she’s gone from him, or when he’s at sport’s practice. And now, she can get away from him at night and go to Remora, a fascinating city of horses and rivalries, very similar to our Sienna.

Upon arriving in Talia, she learns a few things. First, her short hair gets her mistaken for a boy by the horse master, Paolo, and his son, Cesare, and so she is named Giorgio Gredi in Talia. Second, she meets the secret prize of Paolo’s stables, a black winged-horse named Merla. Merla is not very old, but she is already slightly big, and has her beautiful pair of glossy black wings stretched out along her back. Georgia is amazed by Merla, and is entrusted with this secret by Paolo and Cesare. She also learns that Remora is split into twelve sections; all named after its representative city’s astrological sign. Georgia is in the twelfth of Ram, the section owned by Bellezza, which is like Venice.

The most disturbing things though are right out in the open because they are people. The Duke Niccolo di Chimici is visiting Remora for the Stellata, the annual horse race that means everything to Talians. He is a snake that hates stravaganti and Bellezza. So naturally when he drops in the Ram’s stables, nobody wants him to see Merla.  Another thing she can’t get her head around at first is when she sees Luciano. When she sees him at first, she faints and accidentally stravagates back home. In Georgia’s world, Luciano is dead, but he is alive in Talia. She has no idea how it’s possible, but she doesn’t care as long as he is alive.

This is really good so far. There are so many twist and turns, like the ones with Falco and Gaetano, and Niccolo’s nephew Rinaldo. There’s always Enrico sneaking around, spying for the Duke, and there are some familiar people. Doctor Dethridge and Rodolfo are in the background and I’m sure wherever Rodolfo is, Silvia will be as well; accompanied by Guido and maybe Susanna. Arianna is going to be in it as well, but hopefully there won’t be as much danger to her mother, and hopefully Luciano will be safer this time around. Only one way to find out though, so I’ll keep reading and let you guys know what I find.

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