Firstly, thank you so much to NetGalley, Bacigalupi and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC.

I was disappointed in this book. I do believe it may be through its misrepresentation as a fantasy because there are very little fantasy aspects to it. I think it's more of a historical fiction with a very faint hint of magic thrown in.

Davico di Regulai is the heir to his family's merchant banker business in Navola, basically a state that is run by wealthy families with a hand or two in organized crime, for lack of a better word. He is a reluctant heir that feels the pressure to not only be a player in the power dynamics of Navola but to always be three steps ahead in all manners of the "game." This is a story that is rife with political intrigue and highly reminiscent of Game of Thrones, in my opinion.

I loved the cover, which is initially what drew me in. The dragon eye is a recurring element throughout the book as Davico's family has a real dragon eye in their possession that is the key to Davico's future.
Another element that initially drew me to the book was that it was going to be mafia-esque in Renaissance Italy; and I supposed there is a bit of "The Godfather" vibe to it. This takes place in a fictitious city of Italy and the highly descriptive world building scene setting was done impeccably. It had a rich, immersive vibe that really allowed the reader be drawn into the story.
Unfortunately, I think the highly detailed world building also lent to the slow-pacing of the plot. I found myself waiting and waiting for the story to start and found it difficult to stay engaged while reading. For anyone that has read any of Dan Brown's book, especially "The DaVinci Code" or "Angels and Demons," this book had the same over-detailed prose that Brown employs.
I didn't find myself rooting for Davico or really caring about him in any way. While a lot of the book does use flashbacks to childhood, I felt Davico spent much of the story moaning and groaning about his future with his family's bank. I think I would have been more empathetic to the character had more time been spent on how he overcame the pressures and expectations his family placed upon him.
There is also a bit of an uncomfortable relationship that is incestuous-lite that had me scratching my head.

This was my first book by Bacigalpi and I'm not sure he's my cup of tea. He is, without a doubt, a talented and prose-like writer but I don't think I feel the need to read anything else by him.

Light on fantasy, but heavy on politics and power, this is a book that feels set in Renaissance Italy, but with themes that could be from any time period. It uses at times, possibly too much Italian terminology for a non-Italian speaker, but I powered through and found myself rewarded for my efforts.

Navola by Paola Bacigalupi
Received as arc. An amazing story of a boy Davico being primmed to become his father’s heir. The story is a fantasy world but in a form of Italy and Navola mafia like family who ruled the banks and held kingdoms. Davico a more tender heart than his father most learn the way of this world and life forced upon him. But there are always enemies abound to see his family fall from power.

There are definitely parts of this book that are interesting and I enjoyed some of it but I just cannot seem to care what happens. I just felt like this book said a lot of stuff without really saying much at all. This book seems to move in slow motion for me and as much as I wanted to love it I just can't see myself finishing it. Sadly I have to DNF at 50%. I am sure plenty of readers will love this one and it's not bad, it's just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really love fantasy that has a strong political element and so was intrigued by this book.
It is written well and works excellently in terms of that political element and general story building. But it was less fantastical than I’d hoped for from the description. More a situation of slightly off advertising than a bad book, as the book was still rather good. Just might disappoint some readers looking for more fantasy elements.

Summary
In the city of Navola, Davico DiRegulai is the heir to the quiet power that controls the city and much of the region. But the DiRegulai legacy is one of trickery and violence, and Davico is a poor fit.
Review

For some years, I confused Paolo Bacigalupi and Christopher Paolini – for no reason other than that I knew nothing about either and both had Paol in their names. Gradually, though, it seeped through that they were different people, and that I kept hearing good things about Bacigalupi. So, I took this opportunity to read one of his books. It’s not what I expected. One of the mentions of Bacigalupi that I kept seeing mentioned his book, The Windup Girl. I still haven’t read it, but perhaps I should have started there.

Navola, rather to my surprise, relies heavily on Italianate language and references. On the one hand, that’s great – I can’t think of many other English language books that do this, and it was a fun chance to exercise my long-rusty Italian skills. On the other hand, it’s so heavily Italian inspired that it felt often like a Neapolitan alternate history rather than a third-world speculative story. That’s in part because there’s very little actual magic in this fantasy story; it’s much more on the Mary Stewart Crystal Cave line than, say, J.V. Jones’ Baker’s Boy. That’s fine in itself (sometimes a plus), but I frankly felt that if I knew more of the history of the Italian peninsula, I’d recognize a lot of what was happening. It seemed to me from very early on that there were echoes of Naples, Rome, the Borgias, Leonardo Da Vinci, and a host of other (not always contemporaneous) matters. For me, that real world similarity made the book much less interesting.

Bacigalupi is certainly a skilled writer. The prose is rich and flows smoothly. However, I would also have liked to feel much more engaged by his protagonist and other characters. There was a distance and almost clinical/mechanical feel to things that kept me from really investing as I’d have wanted to. Also, while the Italianate references were fun for me, I felt a non-Italian speaker would have been fairly confused at times.

The base story – person growing up to defy expectations – is a familiar one, but often here felt subsumed to the descriptions of Machiavellian intrigue and manipulations. I wish, honestly, that Bacigalupi had brought this personal element more to the fore. To my mind, that would have made a more engaging and involving story.

Overall, interesting, and obviously a help in properly identifying Bacigalupi. But I’m not sure that I feel a need to go on to his other books. I’m willing, but, on the basis of this one, will likely not search him out. If the opportunity does arise, I’ll look for a book that’s more firmly either fantasy or science fiction, and less alternate history. This one was well written, but not gripping.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Dune, but with more of a Renaissance vibe, a young man inherits his family's empire and must rise to the occasion.