Sadly, I DNF’d this book. The premise of the book initially drew me in but no matter how many times I came back to it, I just couldn’t resonate with it like I wanted to.

That’s not to say that I will never come back to it though! As a frequent mood reader, I’m 99% sure when the mood takes me I’ll come back and thoroughly enjoy it!

As the review is only 3 stars, I will not publish it online. This is because although I did not resonate with the book as much as I would like to, I want others to have the chance to experience it without my review swaying their opinions.

A YA story about the last days of the city of Pompeii, full of prophecies, politics, and murder.

I really enjoyed the characters of Loren (a temple boy who has visions of a dark, destructive future) and Felix (a thief on the run after he stole an important artifact) and how they interacted with each other, but I spent most of the book not really sure why they were doing each of the things they were doing. Not just their character motivations, but why it was happening in the plot at all.

Thank you Cass Biehn and Peachtree Publishing for a NetGalley ARC copy of Vesuvius!

DNF at 29%

I wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately could not get into it. I found the language too modern and personally didn't know enough about roman gods to make sense of the references. I do think this book has a lot of potential and will likely try to come back to it at a later time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn is a third person dual-POV Queer YA historical with fantasy elements set around the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Felix has stolen Mercury’s helmet from a temple and is running from his past while Leron is a temple attendant who belongs to a well-off family. When the two meet, Leron recognizes Felix from his dreams of the world ending and the end of life as they know it is nigh.

There are a lot of details of life in Pompeii, social norms, and the political structures. Leron’s attraction to men being both the norm and outside the norm is explored in detail as it would be normal for him to take a younger lover, but it is considered very unusual for him to want to have a man as a spouse. Leron is also being groomed by Julia, a member of the political hierarchy, to be her heir instead of her taking a husband, which is an established route to continue family lines but does seem to have some stigma. These little details help bring the city to life and explore the ways cultures past reflect our reality and ways they don’t.

I would not call this a romance because it was missing a lot of what I would consider to be key prose aspects of the romance genre, but is definitely romantic and the romance between Leron and Felix is there. It’s just not the point of the plot and I think a lot of the plot works independent of their relationship. Where I think it really shines is that Leron and Felix feel like teenage boys who are running away from their families but find comfort in each other.

The fantasy elements are limited to brief bits with the gods and memory wiping. I wouldn’t call this a historical fantasy because so much of the plot doesn’t have that much to do with the fantasy aspects and I think if you took the fantasy elements out, the story would mostly work. This isn’t really a con because some people do just want that light touch of fantasy instead of a ton of monsters and newly invented places, it’s more that I wouldn’t call it a fantasy personally.

Content warning for depictions of emotional abuse

I would recommend this to fans of YA historicals who want a little bit of fantasy and readers looking for a historical set in Pompeii with a Queer romance

I really struggled getting into this book which is really disappointing because the synopsis sounded so promising. I just found the pacing to be too slow for my liking and found myself losing interest throughout the book. Unfortunately this was not the book for me but I could see how someone could enjoy it if they prefer a book with a lot of build up.

An easy, heartfelt, comfy read. Plenty of tenderness, some found family, some touching on the complex knots of trauma.

I am not really the audience for this; I would have preferred something that leaned a bit more toward being historical fiction.

Vesuvius follows Felix and Loren as they become entangled in a plot that threatens their city.

Cass Biehn's writing style is gorgeous in this book and whilst I wanted a little more interiority in some places the emotional stakes and big consequences (of Vesuvius) were, for the most part, evocatively done.

Thank you so much to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

This book is set in Pompeii before the major eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It follows Felix, a thief with a fragmented memory and the ability to touch the Helmet of Mercury, an artifact that hasn’t been touched since the founding of the city, and Loren. Loren is an errand boy for the Temple of Isis with dreams of being so much more. But first, he wants to uncover why he recognizes Felix from his dreams that foretell the fall of Pompeii.

A very intriguing concept right off the bat. I like how this story swirled prophecy, Roman gods, and politics all together. That being said, it’s important to mention that this book is YA and thus, the plot is definitely a bit simple. Not saying that as a bad thing! It was very entertaining, just a bit predictable.

I wish that the author had leaned a bit more into the use of allusions, as was common in most Greek and Roman literature. There were mentions of The Illiad and other Greek classics, but they almost felt like buzzwords. None of them held weight in the story and it felt like they were there simply to draw people in. These characters are nothing like Achilles and Patroclus so why are we trying to draw connections there?

That being said, I did love these characters. I feel like they’re both well rounded and very human. I also enjoyed steadily finding out their backstories as the book progressed; that was done incredibly well.

The romance was another positive part of this book. I don’t know quite how to classify it. It’s kind of an enemies to lovers but not enemies in the way that is common in romantasy books currently. They both annoy each other and make it well known lol. But I love that dynamic! and even though this story takes place over the span of ~5 days, it was paced super well and felt incredibly natural.

I also would’ve loved to see more of an epilogue, especially for characters beside the main ones, but what can you do.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Cass Biehn presents their debut novel Vesuvius, a queer YA historical fantasy set in ancient Pompeii just prior to the tragic tragic eruption of the titular volcano. Readers follow two teen boys of very different backgrounds. Felix is a thief, son of a thief, and he must keep moving to ensure that he isn't caught and killed. When he steals the wrong relic from a temple, it leads to his meeting Loren. Loren has work at the temple of Isis and he is keeping many secrets, least of all the visions in which he has seen Felix so many times before. Loren grants Felix sanctuary on impulse and their destinies become intertwined.

So, the Roman Empire is my Roman Empire. I know this. The books I love reflect this. I am one of those nuisance folks who grew up with Greco-Roman mythology and can't let it go. Everything about this book was set up for me to love it and... it was okay.

The main premise that put this book into motion didn't quite make sense for me, and it was a continuous sticking point at the back of my mind throughout. Combined with a borderline mustache-twirling Senator villain and his two main henchmen, it was a bit of a rough sell for me. I do appreciate the nod to history via the Temple of Apollo and the initial mistaken identity of the temple in the ruins of Pompeii. If you don't know about it already, just breeze by as it may be a tiny spoiler.

I do think this story will do well with its target audience and am pleased that books centering this time period are being made available for the target age demographic. I would still recommend this to anyone interested, as my personal hang-ups are very unlikely to apply broadly.

Readers searching for a queer YA love story set in antiquity need look no further. At first, the very modern-sounding dialogue and prose made it hard for me to sink in, but the writing slowly grew on me, and by the time I hit page 50, I was more or less hooked. By the halfway mark, I was laughing out loud at Felix’s knife-sharp snark. Despite a few baffling elements (I’ll admit I’m no expert on ancient drug use, but I’m pretty sure the people of Pompeii weren’t smoking blunts), it’s clear Biehn has done ample research. It’s honestly very impressive.

There are some loose narrative threads, but this is a rather strong debut. I’d say it’s basically the prickly younger cousin of The Song of Achilles. Overall, it’s cute, and quite moving when it matters. It gave me a break from the horrors. I really liked it.

Two boys running through the streets of Pompeii in the days before the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius? I was here for it.
Unfortunately, I found the story lacking. With Felix, a young thief who never stays still, stuck in hiding for days, and Loren, face-to-face with the mysterious boy from his premonitions, there doesn't seem to be much by way of urgency or anxiety. I also didn't really understand what was going on with Loren's job at the temple.
It was a fine book, but could use a buff or two.

As a fan of song of Achilles, and Rick Riordan, I was excited to read this.

The idea of two boys, living their lives in Pompeii before it ultimately went down, was interesting to read!

The story kept me on the edge of my toes, and I absolutely loved Felix and Loren, they were complex and real, The writing drew me in! I'm excited to see what else Cass Biehn has in store next.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

Felix is a thief who never stays in one place for long. Loren is a temple assistant believing he can run from past forever. They cross paths in the city of Pompeii on the eve of a disaster, but there are more things at play than a simple volcanic eruption.

What I loved: I really loved Felix and Loren and their tentative partnership turned friendship turned mutual obsession with the other. The only downside to their relationship was the fact that they both kept trying to be the hero and push the other away. Even at the end, I never really got the sense that either of them grew enough as a person to want to not run away at the first sign of trouble.

What I didn't like: The mystery who who Felix is and the constant backstabbing got a little bit too much. It got hard to keep track of who was betraying whom and for what and why. I still don't really know who Darius or Maxim are and why they were so important at the end, but that could also just be me reading this the day after Summer Reading Kickoff at the library.

I saw Cass Biehn pop up to talk about their book on my tiktok FYP and was instantly interested in the story! I hope to read more from them and I hope they continue to grow as an author!

VESUVIUS is a fast-paced tale, occurring over about five days, as Felix and Loren dash about Pompeii trying to stay one step ahead of those after the helmet.

There are several parties interested in them, and one had delightfully hard-to-pin-down motives. Julia was so slippery, I didn't trust her but I didn't know why, and that made her the more compelling of the players. She certainly felt like more of a threat because she wasn't acting quite so overtly unfriendly.

I would be really interested to know what a Classicist thought of the book, particularly the setting. It's not a period I know much about so I didn't know what was taken from real life and what was created for the story. Certainly, the tone of the world building is not one where it's trying to show you whether it's accurate or not. That felt like a deliberate choice, not letting the setting intrude on the story's pace or the characters' journeys.,

For much of the book, the more speculative elements - prophecy mostly - felt like it could be read as simply the beliefs of the day. As someone who likes historical novels, I quite enjoyed the fact that it didn't necessarily need to be a fantasy. However, towards the end, the role played by the helmet makes the speculative impossible to ignore and the book veers more towards the fantasy realm.

I did find this speculative shift a little confusing, not quite understanding what the helmet's power was or why it was so important. It meant I struggled to follow the last quarter of the book, unsure at first whether these were hallucinations or real. It was quite a disorientating change in tone.

For a book called VESUVIUS, and with a cover like this, I felt like the volcanic eruption was dealt with rather fast. A few chapters across (with only really one dealing with the deadly part of the eruption) and that was it - and then there was a bunch of stuff afterwards, which also managed to overlook the devastation of such an eruption. It just felt like the eruption had been built up and then didn't quite live up to that promise.

DNF at about 100 pages in, unfortunately.

I was so excited for this story and the setting of Vesuvius. I've visited Pompeii and love learning about its history, so I thought this book would be right up my alley. But even after 100 pages, I wasn't pulled in at all. The setting didn't feel alive to me and didn't quite center around the volcano as much as I'd hoped; I wasn't connecting with Felix nor Loren and found myself not caring about what they were up to or the secrets surrounding the boys, which is such a shame because I normally love a muddled prophecy where a person shows up IRL from someone else's dreams.

The writing itself could also be a bit confusing at times or not quite fleshed out enough to bring a scene fully to life for me. I also agree with some other reviews here that the more modern tone often pulled me out of the story. At first I thought I'd like having that modern tone since historical fiction isn't my preferred genre, but I really think what was lacking for me here was the historical immersion since this is a setting and time period that I'm more interested in.

Overall though, I do see potential in Biehn's writing and character work and think this could be a strong debut for others looking for a queer romance with touches of a historical setting, quippy dialogue, and a mystery to solve.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Beautifully written and achingly heart-wrenching, I absolutely adored my time with this book. Felix, Loren, and the wide cast of side characters all felt so human and real, with all the flaws that accompany that, and it was amazing how the author made Pompeii feel so lived in. I was immersed in every page. Despite having occurred over the course of a few days, Loren and Felix's relationship felt so natural, two complicated boys finding belonging with each other, feeling each other's jagged edges and choosing to love anyways. Their ending took a much different turn than I had expected going into the book, but I was satisfied and I think it did a great job highlighting the book's themes. Will definitely be watching the author for any future releases.

I was intrigued by the plot. I love YA and anything LGBT, and this seemed right up my alley, although I do sometimes find I struggle with historical fiction. This was one I struggled with. It was hard for me to get into, and the second half was lacking, even after I got into the first half. I didn't really see the chemistry between the two boys and while the plot was indeed as interesting as I thought it would be, it felt disjointed, and all over the place. It was confusing at times and I felt what lead up to Vesuvius erupting happened a little too fast for me. I loved the details, but there was just more for me that I didn't like as opposed to what I did like.

I really adore the premise of Vesuvis, but the book itself fell a little flat for me. A queer story in this time period/moment is so clever and unique. I just struggled to connect to the characters and setting, but I can see the quality in the writing.
I'd still recommend it to other readers looking for this sort of historical, even if it wasn't a personal favorite.

2.5 stars

Thank you Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this. All thoughts are my own.

Honestly, this was so disappointing for me.

I really enjoyed the first half. I loved getting to know Felix and Loren and their Pompeii. I was fascinated by Loren’s visions and his desire to save the place he’d made his home, and in finding out the role Felix played in everything about to unfold.

But the second half lost me. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two main characters and I found it hard to believe they’d fallen for each other. Some parts felt underdeveloped while other parts felt unnecessarily wordy. I lost interest very quickly and the ending did nothing to save this book for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to Read & Review Vesuvius by Cass Bienhn.

Rating : 2. 5 Stars

In simplest terms, Vesuvius is a queer fantasy story set in the ancient city of Pompeii. Felix, a common thief, steals Mercury's Helmet from Apollo's Temple. Escaping the city to pawn his winnings doesn't go as planned, as immediately he runs into trouble. Loren, a runaway turned temple attendant, has dreams of a mysterious boy and Pompeii's looming doom. When their paths cross, they must work together to discover the secrets of Mercury's Helmet and thwart the plans of those who seek the divine relic, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, the quakes increase in intensity by the day, forewarning the eruption of Vesuvius.

Or at least, that's what I wish it was about.
I was so excited to read this book. As a fan of mythology and historical locations, I was over the moon when I received an arc of this book. Unfortunately, this book fell far beneath my expectations.
*Spoilers for the entire book below*

Plot: the beginning of the book is probably the best part of its plot. I originally liked the hostility the main characters had for each other and the mystery surrounding Mercury's helmet. My joy was short-lived, for the whole plot revolving around the helmet was thrown out the window for the durration of the first half.
The main characters had maybe one conversation with Nonna, about the helmet, before forgetting about the whole point of their deal. Loren goes on a side quest, playing politics with Julia. This whole plot point honestly felt pointless, not to mention boring. It wasn't until about 60% into the book when we got back to the task at hand.
THE HELMET.
When we did get back to the helmet plot line, it was swiftly solved and became uninteresting. The whole 'Felix will destroy Pompeii if he learns about his past' thing is so badly done. It's so clear that the main goal was just to have Loren make a bad decision (hiding this revelation from Felix. Effectively making the choice for him). and progress the relationship with Felix.
All the build up to the helmet holding great power, only for it to be sacrificed for Loren's sake. I'm so over the trope of powerful, magical objects being made useless in exchange for saving the life of a love interest.
The plot itself is messy and feels like the characters are thrown into a scene together, not to solve anything, but to further the story with another piece of information that a character has to explain.

Characters: The best written character by far, is Felix. He has the best development out of all the cast. Watching him unlearn what kept him alive
in exchange for accepting love was endearing to read. The same can't be said for Loren. I spent the majority of my time reading this book, hoping he would fall into the volcano. Loren's character, in my opinion, lacks any real direction. He is a classic run away, which isn't bad, except it seems he isn't ever happy with anything. He wants a political career and yet doesn't put effort into learning the ropes of politics. He is naive and impulsive without any charm that might make him a likable character. He will constantly leave an argument and not once think about any other character except himself.
Speaking of other characters, they were mostly two dimensional. The most salvageable character is Aurelia. She has similar prophecy talents to Loren, but I find her to be far more of an interesting character. She seems to have the most care and concern for the other characters, but maintains her childhood snark. Unfortunately, like the rest of the cast we never get much closure on her ending. She is probably in Egypt with Livia, but the fact they aren't even mentioned by Loren or Felix in the end feels like a slap to the face for their characters. As for the other side characters, I don't care about them enough to even wonder whether they ended up alive or dead. That is how little they were fleshed out. The only purpose they served was furthering the main character's romance. Speaking of....

Romance: This is by far the worst aspect of the book. The romance was non-existent till halfway through the book. They didn't even seem friendly with one another until the romance appeared out of nowhere. There was no build up to their kiss. No build up at all. I don't consider a single sentence noting one character's hair color or lip shape to be a defining factor of romance. The romance appearing from nowhere makes sense though, considering they were barely around one another for a good chunk of the book. Loren would constantly fight with Felix and then flee to do his own thing, despite the fact that he is supposed to be watching over Felix. He doesn't even feel an ounce of guilt for essentially abandoning Felix in the city MULTIPLE times, while he is being actively hunted down! Truthfully, I'm more onboard with pairing Felix and Elias together based on chemistry from one scene alone.
In the end, Loren & Felix did not convince me for a second that they actually loved one another. They constantly fight and don't communicate. Both of which are foundations of a relationship.

Overall: This book isn't a total loss. I enjoyed the action scenes and some of the mystery. However, this feels more like a first draft than it does a polished final draft. The plot was messy and desperately needed better scene structure. The characters needed to be fleshed out more, rather than just existing to progress the plot. And more than anything the romance needed to be built up.
If you are looking for a queer fiction book with in depth characters, detailed magic, and historical setting I recommend looking elsewhere.