An excellently crafted, fun novel! I really enjoyed it. Biehn has a way of writing that draws readers in from day one. I could also tell that they did their research on Vesuvius and Pompeii. I hope this novel gets young adults into ancient history! In addition, it was just plain entertaining. Loved it! I will read more from Biehn.

set in Pompeii, amidst Mount Vesuvius's imminent eruption, the story is told through Felix and Loren's distinct perspectives. it's also paired with a rich and well-researched setting that brings the ancient city to life.

with the central relationship between Felix and Loren, i especially enjoyed seeing their dynamic shift from sharp-tongued banter to an uneasy alliance, and finally to a romance. as they navigate the dangers around Pompeli together, both begin to lower their defenses, allowing moments of real vulnerability and tenderness to surface (with simmering tension bubbling beneath.) there's also a feeling of powerlessness against the looming disaster, which made me root for them all the more.

that being said, because the events span only a few days, i felt their relationship could have worked better with a slower burn to make the emotional connection feel more earnest.

i was invested in Felix's character arc, through his street smarts and determination. a prickly skeptic by nature, he has little patience for belief or superstition and prioritises self-
preservation above all else, driven by a past that's clearly left its mark. that changes when he steals the sacred helmet of Mercury, and gets entangled in the events that follow. what he has constantly dismissed as mere coincidences, gradually forces him to confront the possibility that something more is at work. and he begrudgingly starts to open up, not just to the strange forces around him-but to the people he's pushed away.

then there's Loren... a rather complex individual. serving as an attendant in the temple of the goddess Isis, Loren plays the role of the story's 'Cassandra.' plagued by terrifying visions that no one takes seriously, he's frequently ignored, dismissed, or even outright scorned. i couldn't help but feel for him, despite his layers of contradictions. after all, this is a story where opposites attract, and love is found in the most unexpected of circumstances.

i also liked both Camilla and Aurelia and appreciated the roles they played in shaping Felix and Loren's journeys. their presence added dimension to the narrative, but i found myself wishing they had more time on the page.

as a historical fiction nerd, i'd say this was a satisfactory and riveting YA debut.

thank you Netgalley and @peachtreeteen for the e-ARC!

Vesuvius follows two boys in ancient Pompeii as they try to prevent a tragedy Loren's dreams have been plagued with warnings of. Felix is a thief just passing through Pompeii who finds himself in trouble after stealing an important artifact, and a cursed artifact of the god Mercury. The two begrudgingly work together to solve the mystery of the helmet, dodging nefarious politicians and Roman soldiers all the way.

I overall enjoyed Vesuvius. I have a harder time getting into YA novels as an adult, but would say this novel did a pretty good job at keeping my attention. I would recommend if you were wanting some historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Thank you to the Peachtree Teen & Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read Vesuvius early!

**Review was delayed due to the death of a relative & family emergencies earlier this year**

As soon as I saw the description for this book I knew I had to read it, and I was far from disappointed. Felix & Loren were an enjoyable duo to follow throughout the book, and as an avid Mythology/Archaeology buff the setting of Pompeii + the interwoven Roman mythology kept me intrigued.

However, the book falls flat towards the end, feeling rushed and open as though there should be a sequel. On top of this, as other reviewers have said, the language felt too modern and despite being set in Pompeii/titled Vesuvius there was very little surrounding the volcanic eruption.

Despite the shortcomings I would recommend it to my friends & do not regret requesting the opportunity to read it!

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

Loved the concept and the Pompeii setting, but the story didn’t hold up for me. The characters were interesting, but the romance and pacing felt off, and the eruption didn’t leave much impact. Gorgeous atmosphere, but ultimately underwhelming :(

an interesting premise and enjoyable lead characters. the romance is engaging enough to keep the reader entertained, but the underlying mystery and impending doom drive the story much more.

Vesuvius ticked two of my guilty-pleasure boxes right away—Pompeii and queer romance—and I was hooked by the premise. For a debut, it’s impressively well-written, with vivid descriptions and an emotional core that kept me invested.

That said, there were a few elements that pulled me out of the story. The pacing was a bit uneven, lingering in places that dragged and then rushing through moments I wanted more of. I also finished the book with some unanswered questions, which left me wanting a stronger sense of resolution.

Another thing that stood out was the language. While I loved the storytelling, the modern tone of dialogue and narration often clashed with the historical setting. Instead of fully immersing me in the world of Pompeii, it occasionally broke the atmosphere, reminding me I was reading rather than experiencing the past.

Still, despite these hiccups, Vesuvius was an enjoyable and emotional read. The combination of Pompeii’s tragic backdrop and a heartfelt queer romance made it memorable, and I’ll definitely be watching to see what this author brings us next.

So this one’s about Felix, a wandering thief who’s basically made a life out of never settling down and running away whenever he gets the chance. He shows up in Pompeii, steals this fancy old helmet that’s supposedly cursed, and suddenly he’s stuck there with everyone after him. That’s when he meets Loren, who works at a temple, has big political dreams, and also gets creepy visions about Pompeii’s future, with Felix somehow part of it, which makes him want to stick by his side and find a way to prevent his visions from becoming true.

I liked the characters. Felix and Loren are very different but both easy enough to care about, and I liked watching them slowly figure out their feelings for each other. The relationship was what kept me turning pages. (Aurelia was a bright spot whenever she was on the page. )

But I did have some things I didn't like/took me out of the story. The dialogue felt a bit too modern for ancient Pompeii, and the pacing was off. Most of the book is relationship stuff, and then the big event at the end felt kind of squished in. There were also a few mysteries that dragged on longer than I wanted and I ended up feeling bored, disinterested in the plot even.

Overall, it was a mix for me with some great characters and an idea I loved, but I wish the pacing and historical feel had been stronger or at least better implemented.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Biehn's writing style and the relationship between these two. it felt heartwarming

I DNFed this. It was incredibly long for a YA book, and the volcano didn't even erupt until 95% in (I skimmed ahead to see). The modern language took me out of the story, and I just wasn't grabbed by the plot.

I enjoyed this book greatly. It was so unlike anything else I'd ever read and the setting was brilliantly executed.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Vesuvius is one of those hidden gems that you read once and never forget about. Felix and Loren are refreshing protagonists with a compelling love-story. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery of Mercury's helmet so much that I had completely forgotten about the volcano! I absolutely adored Vesuvius by Cass Biehn and I'm sure you will too! This book is perfect for fans of complex characters, roman/greek mythology, magical artifacts, and heart-wrenching prose. Biehn draws an intricate portrait of Pompeii before its destruction that feels alive and authentic. My rating for Vesuvius is 5/5 stars and highly recommend it!

Vesuvius is a YA historical fantasy (with light fantastical/mythological elements) following Felix, a thief, and Loren, a wanna-be politician, as they collide on the streets of Pompeii and wrap each other in their lives. Felix has just stolen the helmet of Mercury. Loren has dreamt of this moment and this boy his whole life. Now they’re forced to work together to survive the people who want the power the helmet promises.
This is a book you go into for the characters, not the plot. Felix and Loren’s thoughts and relationship were the main drive of the story. Felix is a thief who never stays in one place for a long time and has little memories of his childhood. He is more your typical YA protagonist with his flightiness and staying by the love interest’s side even has his brain tells him to just leave. Loren, I have much more complicated feelings about, because he’s a more complicated and messier protagonist. He’s selfish, but still caring of those around him. He wears his heart on his sleeve and says what he thinks without much thought. It’s his inaction at the end that really made me not sure what to think, even if I understand his thought process. That inaction, however, really made the 3rd act break-up and reconciliation hard to swallow for me personally.
I think the plot suffered from too many half-baked plots. Returning or understanding the helmet gets put on the back-burner for politics I didn’t fully understand or was happening off page, delving into the characters backstories, the little bit of fantastical/mythological elements we get, and especially the romance. I can appreciate not wanting everything to be focused on the main characters and having it seem like the other side characters had their own lives, but it still didn’t help the plots or help to make side characters feel fleshed out when we only got little pieces of them in building a larger plot.
I was excited to see how the finale would bring in the eruption, but I was a little disappointed how it ended up being more like background set dressing than a disaster movie. That is probably the result of how eruptions actually play out in real life, but it was still a little disappointing. The descriptions of it were lovely, at least.
I rated this book 2.5 stars. I was kind of hoping this would be like the historical fiction of my youth but gay, but that didn’t pan out for me. I can appreciate some of the complicated nature of the characters, but parts didn’t work for me.

I loved the cover and the Pompeii theme, so I was excited about this book - I'd read a lot of books with Greek Gods and heroes, but not many Roman ones.

Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown. I did like the two main characters, but I wasn't very invested in their romance. I didn't like the political subplot. I liked the mythology subplot, but it kind of only became relevant later on. There was the big third act miscommunication, then the finale, and then.... the post-finale parts, that felt kind of unnecessary? Overall, the pacing was kinda off, going from a slow build-up to a big peak and then a slow ending.

Aurelia was great though.

I loved the concept of this, but it felt really young to me - which is maybe an annoying complaint because it is YA! I just felt that the characters were immature and frustrating, and the writing of their conversations irked me.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC. Unfortunately it wasn’t really what I expected. First, very little of the story is actually about Vesuvius; perhaps Pompeii or something more all-encompassing would’ve been a more fitting title. Second, this felt like at least three books in one. There were the supernatural aspects, which I wasn’t expecting and were explained so obtusely that they were difficult to follow. Tangentially there was the political plot, also obtuse and confusing, and the anticipation of the Vesuvius disaster, which seemed to drag through countless earthquakes before the inevitable eruption. Then there was the love story, which was sweet albeit VERY sudden. I didn’t feel the feels building very much until the boys started making out. It had the pacing of a Hallmark movie where the leads are ready to upend their lives for each other after knowing each other just a few days. I appreciate that the queer characters were not at all ashamed of their sexuality; it wasn’t secret or taboo, just a fact. I wish the book tried to do less, maybe cut the mythology element to streamline the plot and make it easier to follow.

two boys meet on the streets of pompeii in the city’s final days. felix is a petty thief with a past he can’t remember; loren is a temple attendant with dreams beyond the role expected of him. they find themselves inexplicably drawn together as they confront their own intertwined fates as well as the city’s.

if you’re going to include eleventy icarus and achilles/patroclus references, can you at least make them clever ones? i love all of those things but damn 😭

vesuvius is boring. painfully so. for a love story set in the days leading up to one of the most famous natural disasters in history, there’s a frustrating lack of urgency and tension. i expected the impending disaster to play more of a role considering, idk, the title of this book. instead the story and our MCs meander about until the last 25% of the book, when the pace picks up—the problem is i still wasn’t invested in loren or his relationship with felix. (felix i did enjoy at times.) while they had their moments (individually and as a pairing), those moments were overshadowed by all the other storylines. this book felt a little like a meal made by someone who didn’t know when to stop adding ingredients. more doesn’t necessarily mean better.

and i know i’m inconsistent about when this bothers me and when it doesn’t, but the entire city of pompeii talking like they were about to pull out their iphones and order a latte at starbucks made it difficult to immerse myself in the time period this book is set in. the setting was a big part of why i requested the ARC on netgalley, so its lack of importance to the narrative was a massive let down.

the more i think about vesuvius, the less i like it. i lowered my rating twice while writing this review, so i think i’ll end here.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one.
It sounded promising but I couldn't connect with the characters or their relationship, and I struggled to get involved in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An interesting premise: an MM YA romance between a rogue and a temple assistant, both running away from their pasts in the shadow of a looming disaster.

I really wanted to like this story, it combines a classical setting, an opposites-attract romance, and a political intrigue subplot. I found the pacing to be uneven, specifically in the middle third where we are introduced to a wider cast of characters and the political subplot - the pace slows dramatically, even while the nearby volcano threatens to blow. The extended exploration and world building does not quite pay off in the end, the ending seemed both neat but also anticlimactic. Important details of the two main characters’ backstories are revealed over the course of the story. For me, this made me feel like I didn’t really know the characters and their motivations well until the end of the story. The main antagonist also remained very much a mystery until the last third of the book. I found it difficult to relate to or to understand the motivations and decisions that drove the story forward.

The book is otherwise a fine YA read with a usual ‘protagonist(s) find their destiny’ plot. It will appeal to readers looking for an interesting ancient history setting, and/or a slower pacing.

”There’s a reason heroes die young. The grief never leaves.”

I absolutely love Pompeii (and the lesser known Herculaneum)! Its fate and the remnants it left behind in the wake of Vesuvius’s eruption fascinates me—the frescoes, the items like baked bread or onions, the graffiti on walls, the casts made from where people (and creatures) fell, choked by ash or crushed under collapsed building walls, are like ghosts from which we can learn. So I leap at any chance to dive into a book about it.

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn features Felix, a thief who lights on Pompeii just as it begins its death knell. He steals a helmet of Mercury’s—something impossible, as those who try to touch it are burned—and when fleeing from a man who would have it for his own, seeks sanctuary in a temple of Isis. That is where he meets attendant Loren, who is horrified to see the boy who has plagued his dreams for years and who will bring about the end of his beloved home. Loren wants to learn the meaning of who Felix is and why he can handle the helmet, and it’s a race against time as the earthquakes are continuing rather than abating as they usually do.

The problem with this book for me is that it juggles too many different topics. There are multiple threads at work: we have the mythological, the political, smuggling, backstories of Loren and Felix, and the destruction of the town itself. The politics of the book is a little distracting because of the eruption. As a reader, I’m waiting for the inevitable tragedy to take centre stage as the book opened with an earthquake, but it’s pushed back as Loren tries to make connections and get a leg up into politics in Pompeii and have a chance to become what he thought was shut to him otherwise. The thing IS, Pompeii is about to be completely buried for centuries, so I know that’s not really going to pan out for him, thus I’m not invested in the plot line. The smuggling as well just doesn’t hold my interest. There’s a back and forth with The Bad Guy that hampers the tension of what seethes within Vesuvius and halts the rolling impetus of the story.

I think the book could have done well with Loren’s backstory, Felix’s backstory, stealing Mercury’s Helmet, and the eruption itself. That alone is already plenty with which to contend. As it is, Felix’s backstory is teased out soooo slowly (even though it’s obvious almost immediately what horrible thing his amnesia is obscuring) that we don’t get to see much of who he actually is—not until the VERY end of the book. I would have liked to have had more of the mythological heft, and I especially would have enjoyed it if the terror of Vesuvius’s eruption took up more of the book. It felt less dangerous than random henchmen who popped up now and again to block Loren and Felix’s progress.

The side characters, though, were pops of colour in the text, and Aurelia, Nonna, Livia, and Elias especially helped to flesh out Pompeii and breathe life into the book’s setting. I enjoyed Felix and Loren as characters, and funny enough, I flip-flopped on them, preferring Loren in the beginning and then Felix at the end. Felix really came a long way in terms of growth and change. I wish that the two of them had a bit more time together that wasn’t spent squabbling, fighting, and fleeing, but I was glad to have these two as the characters that guided me through the novel.

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