Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

The setting in this book is beautiful, lush and dark. However, there were many pacing issues, and overall left me feeling like I wasted my time reading this. I would consider giving the author another try later on if they write other stories or books.

This book is a piece of classic music that repeatedly stutters just before crescendo, and when it does come, it holds only half the satisfaction you'd been built up to expect. Certain scenes were beautifully crafted, memorable and rich, and for many readers (including myself) it's worth it to enjoy those moments, of which there are plenty. However, for anyone looking for a satisfying queer relationship, look elsewhere; same goes if you need context behind fantastical elements in an otherwise typical world. In my view the story (and its conclusion) would have been infinitely richer had the relationship been developed in the way that seemed likely from the summary, and from some early parts of the book.

On the technical level, this book suffers from inconsistent pacing and it felt like it was dragging through what should have been intensely paced development; similarly there was so much repetition in descriptions and internal dialogue, and the book would have been infinitely stronger had these issues been addressed in edits. This novel didn't compel me to seek out the author’s other work, but I did enjoy many aspects of the book and genuinely am glad I read it. If you enjoy character studies and motivations and a little bit of a Gossip Girl/Bridgerton-esque drama, you should cave to the cover buy! (Truly, that cover…)

In a novel that completely transports the reader to 18th century Venice, Maddalena and the Dark is the story of two teenagers, Maddalena and Luisa, whose fates become inextricably intertwined when they meet at the Ospedale della Pietà, an elite music school associated with Antonio Vivaldi. When Maddalena confides to Luisa a way to make all her dreams come true, Luisa doesn't hesitate to trust her new friend. But granted wishes often come at a price -- one that the girls may not be prepared to pay.

Part dark academia, part magical realism, and part historical fiction, Maddalena and the Dark is a seductive, bewitching journey into the murky hearts of teenage girls, and I was captivated by it. At the same time, I can see how other readers wouldn't enjoy this as much as I did; Julia Fine is an intentional writer, one who crafts each sentence carefully and intricately, and her prose can be a bit much at times. The plot sometimes feels secondary to the words being used to tell the story, and I can see how some readers would be frustrated by that (and I actually disliked Fine's first novel, What Should Be Wild, for that very reason). But in Maddalena, I was so swept up in the rich atmosphere Fine created, so immersed in her portrayal of 18th century Venice, that every one of her meticulously-curated words drew me into her entrancing narrative -- all leading to a conclusion that felt both inevitable and impossible.

In Maddalena and Luisa, Fine has crafted two complex characters who are brimming with vivacity, ambition, and desire, and you can't help but be drawn in as their relationship develops and evolves, just like the symphonies they play and sing. It's an original take on toxic female friendship, one that will have your loyalties continuously shifting, set against an intoxicating backdrop of music and magic.

Immersive and intricate, sinuous and provocative, Maddalena and the Dark is a dark, cautionary fairy tale that I will be thinking about for a long time. Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

I have always been fascinated by Venice and Carnival but shockingly have never really read any books about it. I was very excited to dive into this one, especially after reading the comparison to Mexican Gothic! After reading, I think the only thing they really have in common is that rich atmospheric storytelling. I did really enjoy reading about Venice in the 1600’s and could see the old gondolas and misty canals. I found I couldn’t connect the the characters though. I wanted something a little more from them and this book. Dark academia is one of my favorite genres and I just wish this book would have been true to the description. Overall, I still enjoyed this book and I think the writing was very good! I look forward to reading more from this author!

A fever dream of a book—in the best way. I do think the comps are misleading. Make no mistake, this is a highly literary novel, so those expecting more of a plot like ADDIE LARUE or MEXICAN GOTHIC will be disappointed. I would say this is more in line with THE MERCIES by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

But MADDALENA is exquisite in the character work and the setting. Having been to Venice many times, I really loved the setting and the level of detail about 18th century Venice. The ending is going to be polarizing, but I loved it. I don't see how it could have ended any other way.

The descriptions in this book are overwritten. While I appreciate a clear setting, I didn't need this many words to describe so few things. It's hard to feel invested in the characters due to the narration style, and their POVs weren't different enough to make the characters distinct.

Jeanette Winterson's The Passion is one of my favorite novels, so when I say Maddalena and the Dark reminded me of The Passion, know that I mean it as the compliment it is. This book transported me to 1600s Venice, but more than the lush prose, more than the magical premise--because how can one write about Venice without writing about magic--I appreciated Fine's keen insights into power, desire, and relationships between girls. There were so many revelatory lines that I found myself putting my phone down to process what I'd read. This is a sensuous, twisted, and hypnotic novel.

Thanks to Flatiron for the advanced copy of this book!

In the 1700s, Maddelena and Luisa are students at the Ospedale della Pietà, aiming to be violinists worthy of performing alongside Vivaldi. They make deals with "the dark" in attmepts to get what they want, and develop feelings for each other. But, given the time period, they obviously cannot really BE together. This is a very character-driven story that is somewhat lacking in plot and has characters that aren't very likeable or easy to connect with. I generally love dark academia novels, but this one skirted around the edges of that genre and was more a look into the relationship between two women. It wasn't for me, but I think for someone who loves historical fiction and 18th-century Venice, this could be a win.

I love this! I thought this was going to be just historical fiction so I was pleasantly surprised by the fantasy elements. The alternating POVs work well and the author does an excellent job of immersing the reader into the world of Venice in the 18th century. I felt the writing was very descriptive and yet I still wished for more description at times. I ended up googling a few things here and there, like the festa della sensa and the ospedale della pieta just to get a better sense of things. I believe the printed book will also include a map which I think will be helpful, too. This was exactly what I had hoped for - dark, eerie, intense, magical - and I'm very interested to read more from Julia Fine now, especially knowing she is a local author to my area! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

A slow-burn gothic novel set among the canals and music halls and mansions of 18th century Venice. This is the kind of book that will make you lose track of your surroundings as you sink into its enchanted salt marshes.

In the wake of a family scandal, the titular Maddalena—the only daughter of a noble Venetian family—has been sent to live at a renowned all-girls music school. There, she meets the talented but lonely violinist Luisa, and the girls immediately fall into the kind of intense, charged friendship that only exists between teenage girls. The relationship becomes more dangerous as Maddalena and Luisa begin making deals with the darkness that lives in the waters of Venice.

I’m a sucker for books about magic and darkness, gothic novels, books about the relationships between teenage girls, books set in Venice, and books that are mostly vibes, so it feels like this novel was basically written for me. The girlies in the know will understand when I say this book reminded me of The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke, 1999). If you’re not a girly in the know, just trust that Maddalena and the Dark is an atmospheric banger of a novel.

Despite her noble lineage, Maddalena is sent by her family to the Pietà, a place usually reserved for orphans and foundlings. The convent is also a music school, and Maddalena plays violin with several other girls, all hoping to become the next protégé of the illustrious master Vivaldi. Maddalena befriends Luisa, an impressionable and lonely girl, and they quickly form a tight bond that will prove to be the ruin of them both. Venice swirls with dark magic, and the girls are seduced into schemes of love, jealousy, murder, and devastation.

This was such a unique read! It is positively vibrating with intensity and emotion, in spite of its unlikeable lead character (for me, anyway). I found the bits of dark magic to be intoxicating, though I wish there were more of them. Maddalena and Luisa have such a complicated relationship — watching it progress throughout the story is captivating, and the climactic scene was just perfectly executed. I did have to go back and re-read a few times because the scenes jump around a bit, so you'll have to pay close attention while reading.

I don't think this book will appeal to every reader, as its structure is sort of unconventional and diaphanous. But if you're into "different" reads with character-driven storylines, this one just may be for you. Thank you to Julia Fine, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for my advance physical and digital copies.

Absolutely beautiful book. I love historical fiction and thought this was beautifully written and so well done. Much more focus on the atmosphere and feeling of the story but it really just drew me in

A SAPPHIC HISTORICAL FICTION LOVE STORY?!?!? Just let these lesbians LIVE! Ugh, men suck.

How's that for an intro???

I am so thankful to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Julia Fine for granting me advanced audiobook access, digital access, and a physical ARC version before this baby hits shelves on June 13, 2023.

Maddelena and Luisa are two young girls looking to upgrade their musical abilities and strive to perform alongside the great Vivaldi, looking to be protégés in a field predominately dictated by men, but as they continue to pursue their studies, their joined love and lust also blooms.

Bound by marriages to ignorant men and obligations, this distanced love story is managed through stolen glances, secret getaways, and grazing hands.

The linguistic flare of Maddalena in the Dark had me wanting to book a flight to Venice and get lost in the ages-old art, music, and beauty that still likely encapsulates a town.

For some terrible, unforgivable reason, I found I couldn't get invested in this book. I think it is a classic instance of right book, wrong time, but I felt detached from the characters despite how much I wanted to love them.

Set in the mercurial world of Venice in the 18th century, Maddalena and the Dark is the story of two girls and the obsession that grows between them. What starts as a kindred spirit, a hand reaching out from the darkness, turns into love so destructive that violence is the only answer.

Born to a wealthy merchant family, the only thing Maddalena wants for is freedom and importance. Freedom from her family, who offer her little choice between whatever marriage she can get or being shipped off to a secluded music school. Freedom to assert herself and her personhood. Importance to not need marriage or schools or her brothers watching eye. When she is sent to the Pieta, a girls school for music, usually reserved for orphans, she finds what she’s looking for in Luisa— a beautiful violinist who gives Maddalena every ounce of reverence she’s always wanted. But as Luisa’s violin fame takes off and she catches the eye first of the famed composer Vivaldi and later of an eligible suitor originally planned for Maddalena, she finds her companion drawing further away from her by the day. And like two souls seared together by one girl’s obsession, the act of tearing them apart is one that proves too painful for Maddalena to manage. Forced to choose between Luisa’s happiness and her own, Maddalena takes to bargaining with the water god she’s longed been tied to, willing to offer *anything* to maintain her status.

Maddalena and the Dark was a wonderfully rich and poetic story with beautifully wrought language. It reminded me Addie La Rue if it was set in the world of Roshani Chokshi’s The Bronzed Beasts, and with a touch of the Miniaturist. I absolutely loved it and it will appeal to fans of beautiful prose, atmospheric settings and relationships that toe the line between love and violence.

"For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Mexican Gothic, a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager.

Venice, 1717. Fifteen-year-old Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. As a student at the Ospedale della Pietà, she hopes to join the highest ranks of its illustrious girls' orchestra and become a protégé of the great Antonio Vivaldi. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena.

After a scandal threatens her noble family's reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a secret: she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn't hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà's walls, they must decide what it is they truly want - and what they will do to pay for it.

Lush and heady, swirling with music and magic, Maddalena and the Dark is a Venetian fairy tale about the friendship between two girls and the boundless desire that will set them free, if it doesn't consume them first."

Venetian fairy tales are everything to me, especially when they go to the dark.

Maddalena and the Dark is told in two perspectives—Maddalena’s and Luisa’s, both 15 year-old girls who meet by fate—by an omniscient narrator, a story that unfolds over the course of four seasons.

The novel is a love letter to Venice, its history, and to classical music. It explores ambition and the price of achieving it, female friendship, desire, quiet rage, and gender politics in 1700s Venetian society.

Deeply atmospheric, haunting and otherworldly, in Maddalena and the Dark one can picture the decadent palazzi, almost taste the salty, marshy air of the lagoons, and perhaps feel the smooth, cold hand of an enigmatic gondolier enticing Maddalena to strike a Faustian bargain without reading the fine print. The intrigue is palpable and the stakes are too high.

My only problem with this novel is that I found it repetitive at times, especially regarding the fate that awaited the Grimani siblings if Maddalena did not find the right husband. Both Maddalena and Luisa are vividly rendered, the others characters less so, though they play lesser roles in the story.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided me with a digital ARC, via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really struggled with this book. I wanted to love it but it is SO overwritten that I could barely comprehend what was happening. The language is so flowery and everything is over described with way too many words. I also found the plot very slow and very loose. Because of these things I found it so hard to really be invested in the story.

I was unable to get going with this book and it turned into a DNF for me. I really like the prose, but I could not stay invested in the story.

I have quite enjoyed Julia Fine's other books - and I liked this one well enough, but I found it harder to get into than previous works of hers. It was quite loose as far as plot goes, and I would have liked a bit of a tighter plot, but I did enjoy the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the chance to read this book!