Definitely a 5 star read. Donna Russo is one of my favorite authors. She writes intuitive stories about not only famous artists, but the individuals who lived during the renaissance time period. Her female characters have strength and I find myself cheering on their perseverance. I loved this book, admittedly, I love just about all books about the Renaissance that deal with a woman's role in society.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read the previous two in this series (and, in fact, didn't realize it was part of a trilogy until I looked up the book on Goodreads halfway through reading the first chapter). So I'm probably not the ideal person to review this novel. Having said that, I very much enjoyed the premise of a bunch of female apprentices of da Vinci. Less effective, to me at least, was the Savonarola plot; from George Eliot (and earlier too) people have tried to tell the story of "faith zealot vs. opulent materialism" through the lens of the Savonarola years in Florence, but it's just such a hard plot to get right. I think the biggest problem - and this very much goes for Russo Morin's book - is that we tend to read that plot as if it's about the kind of zealotry we have today, or the kind of materialism we have today. Neither is true, and so you end up with really weird contortions of the historical record in order for the plot to fit whatever ideological purpose the author wants it to fit. But overall, this was a surprisingly fun read considering I hadn't read the previous two novels in the series.

First I want to thank the publisher for the review copy I got for an unbiased review.
It turned out to be the last episode in a trilogy so the review took a bit longer because I wanted the other two episodes first.

I liked the entire series and loved the setting, Florence during the Renaissance period of Lorenzo the Medici and his successor Piero. It is obvious that the author has done a lot of research and the historical descriptions are accurate and well woven into the storylines of the three separate volumes.

For a review of the first two episodes see Goodreads:
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2575934204">4 of 5 stars</a> and
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2575956201">3 of 5 stars</a>

I liked the last episode best and was glad that it had a clear plot, unlike the second volume. I think that the author succeeded in giving a good overview of the turbulent times during the years that Savonarola made his mark on Florence.
Definitely four stars.

Some suggestions for the editor:
I could only wish that the author had put in the same effort in getting the Italian grammar right like she did with the historical facts. If you decide to use citations in another language I think you should always let a native speaker proof read your citations.
I'm neither a native speaker in English nor Italian, but I noticed a lot of errors.

All 3 books had problems with the Italian passages, like: "wine for me, se tu per favore". No idea what the author means with this phrase, it certainly isn't correct Italian.
And I am quite certain that Florence doesn't have a San Piero Gattolino harbour, but I think that the author means the San Piero Gattolino gate. In which case it isn't the porto San Piero Gattolino but the porta San Piero Gattolino.

Because there were still also a lot of small errors and missing words in the English sentences I hope that the early review copy I got is still in the proof reading phase, because the previous volumes didn't have these errors. In that case I would recommend having a native speaker correct the pitfalls in the Italian grammar, especially the errors in the male and female conjugations.

Good ending to the series even though I wasn’t as engaged in this as in the first book. I haven’t read much about Savonarola so it was great to learn more about him.

Not really my cup of tea. Some of it was quite good but the rest of it was a bit... maybe not bad, but not exactly interesting. I found myself not really caring for the story or the characters.

I received a free copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't realize when I had requested this title that it was part of a series but I was intrigued by the idea of a secret group of women artists in Florence during the time of the Bonfire of the Vanities. The author assumes that readers are already familiar with the characters and their history, so she spends little time on providing any depth or space in which to know them. I felt like had stumbled on to the season finale of a show and had no reason to care about what was happening. I also felt like the conflict wasn't personal for the characters; most things happened outside the scope of their purview and the couple of times when they were most "in danger", they got out of it very quickly and with no consequences. Given the setting, I personally expected higher stakes, but this may appeal for readers looking for more gentle treatment..

However, I could see that the author spent a lot of care on research and creating the setting and with my background in art history I enjoyed the mentions of art and artists I was familiar with. I would recommend this title for people who had read the previous books in the series, but I don't think it stands enough on its own merit. .

Thanks Diversion Books and netgalley for this ARC.

The end of a saga that has a uplifting, take on the world, girl power message. Loved this series and looking forward to reading Morin's next one.

I received an advanced copy of this title via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third and final book in a very enjoyable series. It takes a passionate author to scour through piles of research to produce such a readable account of that work. The friar Savanarola caused a great deal of anguish and discord. Morin reflected this same discord beautifully within the group of women known as Da Vinci's Disciples. I became so engrossed in this story that everything else melted away. The relationships between the women reflect the relationships we find ourselves in today. We can relate to the inner turmoil they faced in doing what was right and doing what they believed in while struggling to gain acceptance of those very decisions by friends and family. Their passion and reverence for art seeped through the pages as they defied the traditionally accepted roles of women. I am distraught that the series has come to an end.

Many thanks to Donna Russo Morin, Diversion Books, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. 3.5 stars a great end to this trilogy But BOOOOO I DONT WANT IT TO END !!! We catch up with the Disciples in Florence during what may have been the most egregious period of that town's history: the habitation of Savonarola and his bonfire of the vanities. As history proved, he was quite a dangerous, obsessed friar. There was no celebration, no frivolity, no beauty, no art. What should the Disciples do to help the citizens and culture of their city survive? And will their choices tear their group apart or bring them closer together? I admit I figured out in general what would happen. But that in no way took away from the drama. My heart broke for these women. Art lives in their hearts. Take that away and they can no longer breathe. So there was a lot of soul-searching. Considering the course this book takes I can only keep my fingers crossed that Russo Morin can find it in her to expand this series. I mean I can beg if I need to?

I'm fascinated by the Renaissance age and the history of Florence at the end of XV century.
Unfortunately this book is not my cup of tea, I had some problems in finding the characters realistic.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley

The city of Florence is in distress. Lorenzo de Medici , the city's great patron, is dead. His son is not as strong a leader, and a great threat rises among the people. Friar Girolamo Savonarola, a religious fanatic and a master manipulator of the masses, gains more and more power with every day that passes. The people are divided, some becoming his followers, others opposing. But no one is safe.

Among all the chaos, a group of fearless women stand their ground. Da Vinci's Disciples, the women that have made impeccable art for the past years in Florence, are not just going to let Savonarola destroy the precious artworks of the capital of Renaissance. Lead by the fierce Vivianna, they will put mind and heart to the cause of saving whatever they can salvage from the grasp of the evil friar's followers.

The Flames of Florence is a very interesting, beautifully written historical fiction book. Surprisingly accurate in its historical facts, it is very obvious that the author put a lot of effort and research into creating a realistic setting for the story.

However, the book's greatest asset would probably its characters. Women of great strength and intelligence strive to do something that, in that time and era, was only done by males. Donna Russo Morin creates a wonderful tool of women empowerment by describing in-depth characters that can stand alone, relying on their own abilities, and are not dependent on male figures, while at the same time portraying whole families that work together, regardless of gender, for a great cause.

The Flames of Florence is, in its entirety, a very interesting story, that doesn't let the reader get bored. Although it is part of the Da Vinci's Disciples trilogy, it stands perfectly well on its own, thus giving the readers the chance to read it even without having read the previous two books.

I love the Italian Renaissance. The history of Italy during this period, the magnificent art, the treacherous condottieri, the cruel princes, the prosperous city-states, the magnificent people that lived then – I find it all fascinating. There are some famous historical figures that are mentioned in “The Flames of Florence " Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Rodrigo Borgia known as pope Alexander VI and of course Savonarola – the little friar, who caused chaos in Florence. So it seemed the book was perfect for me.

Unfortunately, I ended up reading this book solely for the historical references and mentions of the historical figures. I appreciated the research that the author undertook to write this book. I liked the descriptions of places and the atmosphere of Florence in Renaissance. But I couldn’t connect with the fictional characters at all. I think there were too many characters in this book.

Let's consider the following excerpt from the ARC:
"Viviana, Isabetta, Gianetta, Carina, and I are most certainly not supporters." There, she had said it; she would not lie to her husband, no matter if it did not sit well with him. It was the truth of her, and their love should not be affected by it. "Fiammetta is zealous for the friar. There is no budging there. She fights for him tooth and nail." Andreano's eyes narrowed in focus. "And what of Natasia and Patrizia?"

The characters felt very one-dimensional and I couldn’t make myself care what happened to them. Maybe it would be different if the author concentrated on one family and showed on an example of mother and her daughter how their different opinions on the preaching of Savonarola created division and conflict between them. It would be interesting for the author to dig deeper to show what havoc religion and politics could cause within one family.

Although the situation in Florence was at times dangerous I didn’t feel engaged in the story. The dialogues seemed artificial and often overly sentimental. The constant use of Italian expressions in the book in English was after a while infuriating, for example when the Florentine women called each other repeatedly “mia cara”. The ending felt totally flat for me. I think that the author could do much better with this story and there is a potential for a much better book there.

I recommend this book for all the people fascinated by the Italian Renaissance, fans of beautiful Florence and those who want to learn more about who Savonarola, the little friar was.

I received the ARC of "The Flames of Florence " from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I missed on Book I, liked Book II, couldn’t go through with Book III.

As this book is a continuation of Book II, the author bridges the end of Book II with Book III with a very explanatory way. It is not an engaging read from the very beginning.

As the author tries to set the time period, it is very explanatory as well. It is set after the death of Lorenzo de Medici and with his rival preacher, Savonarola, pretty much taking over Florence. Again the book explains what happened with both Lorenzo brothers and what is happening currently with friar Savonarola. Even when the story of Savonarola is being related through the dialogue among Disciples, it still is very dry. Maybe for those who have never read about Savonarola this part might spark some interest, but not for me.

As much as I loved the women Disciples in Book II, I did not like them in this book; very one-dimensional and vain.

Overall, there was nothing grasping about this story to make me want to continue reading it.

Thank you Netgalley and Diversion Books for the ARC.

This is the 3rd instalment of a trilogy.
Florence, Italy, around 1500. The reign of the Medici is over, the church is in charge. A new friar declares himself The Prophet, send directly by God. In his vicious sermons he rants for all vanity to be removed from the rich in favor of the poor, at all cost, having installed a small army of youngsters to raid Florence's wealthy.
Meanwhile Da Vinci's Disciples, a sisterhood of artists mentored by Da Vinci himself, see their projects being cancelled one by one. They decide to investigate, suspecting the little friar has something to do with it. What they find would be a tragedy for Florence and they come up with a plan to prevent this.
The Flames of Florence is the story of a group of strong woman and their fierce fight to be themselves in 15th century Italy. The book is accompanied by a citymap and a long list of Who is Who, which comes in handy, since there are a lot of characters in this story. Pleasant writing, good read.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book through NetGalley and the moment I received the email saying I could review it, I was SUPER excited. I’d actually found this book by accident, idly perusing the historical fiction section on the NetGalley website – normally I stick to their nonfiction but the moment I saw this one, and read the blurb, I knew I HAD to read it. And why? Historical fiction on Savonarola is rare – I’ve only read a couple of fiction books about him or including him and it’s gotten to the point where I really want to write a novel about him myself. I may even have the first chapter of such a tale tucked away somewhere on my computer…

But anyway, I digress. This book is the third in Morin’s ‘Da Vinci’s Disciples’ trilogy but I’d like to stress – you do not need to have read the other two to understand this one. It happily stands on its own as a tale of love, betrayal and heresy in Renaissance Florence. For the years that Savonarola ruled Florence were a torrid time which split the populace right down the middle with those who supported the friar and those who didn’t. In this novel we see just how much that split can affect a group of people who truly believe themselves to be family. For that is what the Disciples are – a family of women who paint, having been tutored under the great Leonardo da Vinci. I don’t want to give too much away about this plot point but let me tell you – you see how the split affects these women and you can truly feel the betrayal when it all comes to light.

I was particularly impressed with Morin’s characterisation of Savonarola. Having spent so long researching the man myself, you could really tell when reading this novel that she had done the same. And she has done the fascinating character of Girolamo Savonarola a justice that I have never seen another writer do before. Not only has she put the research in with Savonarola and his followers (I loved how she put in the friar firing the arquebus during the Siege of San Marco – a true story!) but she’s put the research in for the Florence that he occupied, mixing historical fact with exceptionally well written fiction involving a sect of female artists.

This book is truly excellent and one that I would highly recommend for anyone interested in Renaissance Florence. It’s an absolutely stunning read – Morin deserves high praise for creating such a masterpiece, weaving the real life character who existed in with those she has created. And she’s done it excellently. I’ll certainly be reading her previous two books in this trilogy at some point VERY soon.

The Flames of Florence, book 3 in the Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy is released on 24 May 2018 in the UK, and available for pre-order now.