Rachel Rambles About Venom

Venom by Fiona Paul
From Goodreads:
Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

I don't even know where to begin with Venom. All I seem to be capable of saying about it is: OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Venom is a delightful combination of historical fiction, mystery, and romance. The historical Venice setting is rich and beautiful, and I loved reading about the fascinating details like the gondola rides through the canals. As someone who struggles a little bit with historical fiction books, I was pleased to find that I had no issues at all getting into Venom. The pace is super fast, and the story is so exciting that the historical setting never slowed me down at all. Everything about the history and the location is done flawlessly, and it's clear that Fiona Paul did her research.

I wasn't expecting the romance between Cass and Falco to be so damn steamy, but WOW IT TOTALLY WAS. The best part about their relationship is that, while there is definitely chemistry between them from the first time they meet, their relationship progresses naturally and gradually. It is not a case of insta-love at all, for which I'm very grateful. There are quite a few steamy scenes between the two of them, and the time period makes them very scandalous and exciting. :D Falco is totally joining my (very, very long) list of book boyfriends because OH MY GOSH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

Venom surprised me with just how creepy and mysterious it is. The book has an overall dark and sinister tone, which is mostly awesome but also kind of not awesome because it really freaked me out at times. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from something called The Book of The Eternal Rose, and the excerpts were really weird and gross. Venom has a lot of science in it, and I'm talking the dissecting-human-bodies kind of science, which is not always pleasant to read about.

Gah, I don't even know what else to say about this book! I JUST LOVE IT SO FREAKING MUCH. I don't think I've done a particularly fangirly kind of review in awhile, but this book is clearly making me brush off the dusty caps lock key and let my inner fangirl take control. :) I just can't handle how awesome this book is! 

If you haven't read Venom, I highly recommend that you give it a chance! I seriously can't think of a single bad thing to say about it. It's brilliant and amazing and it makes me want to dance around my room singing a song about how much I love it. I'm so glad to hear that it's a series, and I will definitely be getting my hands on the second book as soon as I can!