The premise of this novel both intrigued and terrified me– setting a romance right before Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered Pompeii? I'm not usually a historical person, and have been known to dislike books like this, but the magic and the idea that there would be a character who was actively a priest intrigued me. I'm delighted to say that the intrigue won out. This was a fun and engaging book, one that kept up a fast, almost upbeat pace despite the threat that looms. I like what Cass Biehn does here with the concepts and characters. This does feel a bit surface level, but in a way typical to young adult novels, so I don't think it will struggle to find an audience. I think fans of the Percy Jackon series or A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar will really enjoy this.

Thank you PeachTree Teen and Netgalley for the eARC. In exchange, here is my honest review:

In Vesuvius, author Cass Biehn brings the reader to mythohistoric Pompeii on the brink of destined catastrophe. Patricians and priests plot politics in a city beset by oppressive autumn heat, increasingly frequent earthquakes, and corruption, over all of which presides the inexorable Mount Vesuvius. In its shadow, a thief and a temple attendant collide and change each other - and themselves - profoundly.

Biehn builds a Pompeii full of magic and echoes of the gods; a city which feels lived-in by Biehn’s diverse cast of characters, and which provides the perfect stage for Felix and Loren’s story as the two confront the nature of fate, faith, and identity. Biehn is skilled at curating a sense of place and atmosphere, immersing the reader in the building anxiety and anticipation of a city nearing Volcano Day. They effectively channel the dramatic irony implicit in situations in which the reader is aware of an historic inevitability hidden to the characters in such a way that builds tension rather than unravels it, and carries this well through the majority of the novel.

The pacing did shift dramatically in the last 30 or so pages of the book in a way that allowed for some lovely character moments, but at the cost of tighter narrative cohesion. In a few other places throughout as well, I found the novel’s pacing to meander - not necessarily unpleasantly, and not to the degree that it does at the very end, but in a way that I can’t help but think could have been tightened. I found this only mildly distracting - enough to make note of, but not enough to prevent me from enjoying the read anyway.

And, to speak of characters and character moments, Biehn handles both Felix and Loren - as well as their cast of supporting characters - with such care and gentle affection that the reader can’t help but to love them too. Both have been battered, running from and towards such different things, and despite - or because of - some prickly edges and hard-headedness, I don’t think that the reader can come away from Vesuvius without an attachment to Felix and Loren, and without wishing them the very best after all they have endured.

For a novel that centers motifs of faith and belief, I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of Loren’s faith. At one point he tells Felix that he “chose devotion”, and I would have liked to understand more deeply what choosing devotion - devotion to Isis, specifically - means to Loren on a spiritual level. I think we can pick up pieces of that puzzle by looking at what choosing devotion to everything else in his life means to Loren, but it’s still something I would have liked to see delved into a bit more than it was.

That said, there are only so many pages in a book, and perhaps it is for the best not to mire the narrative in sticky philosophical discussions. Either way, if the novel lacks anything when it comes to an exploration of systems of belief, Biehn makes up for it in heart, in kindness, and in their ability to take the reader’s hand and lead them through the pyroclastic blast of loss, grief, and identity, and back into the light.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to read “Vesuvius”, and the premise had me hooked from the beginning, as the story is set in Pompeii just days before the eruption of the eponymous volcano. I’m a huge fan of history and mythology, this novel had a healthy helping of both. Felix and Loren are well-crafted and engaging characters, as were the rest of the cast. The conflicts and relationships between the characters were also well-written and I cared about each pretty much as soon as they were introduced. I could not put this book down once I started. Highly recommend!

A fun fast paced read! I would have appreciated if there was more of a historical focus though. I picked this up because I'm a huge fan of lgbt+ historical fiction, but some of the dialogue felt so modern that it was kind of weird to read at points. If something's set in Pompeii, I expect it to read as such, and this just felt like it was set in a modern-day Italy.
I did quite enjoy the characters though, and the fast pace kept me engrossed in the plot.

VESUVIUS was such a quick snack of a story! It was fun and quick. I read it in one sitting. I can not recommend it enough.

This book had so much promise, but it tripped on its own conceit. While I expected a fast-paced, tight dramatic read powered by dramatic irony, what I got was an exploration of Roman politics that bogged down the story. Ultimately, the “reveal” around Felix’s identity proved too little, too late. Less scheming and more danger, romance, and star-crossed lovers would have served this narrative well.

Aurelia gripped his knee. With all the wisdom her twelve years afforded her, she said, “Fuck destiny.” 🖤

Felix is a thief with his own set of rules and a history of running. Loren is a prophet haunted by visions of a copper haired boy who brings disaster. When their paths cross, the result is explosive 🌋

I kept my fingers crossed for this book the moment I saw the cover and it did not disappoint! If you love historical fiction, compelling characters, interference from the gods, defying gender norms, confronting past trauma, and angsty boys holding hands, you’ve found what you’re looking for with Vesuvius.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, and Cass Biehn for this eARC.

Vesuvius is set in Pompeii mere days before the Mount Vesuvius eruption. It follows Felix—who steals a cursed helmet that once belonged to the god Mercury, and Loren—a boy plagued by visions of the end of times. With their fates intertwined, they work together to try to prevent Loren’s visions from becoming reality.

Forced proximity results in exquisite (destined) strangers to lovers with mutual pining. Cass Biehn does a great job at writing lovable characters. This is a solid YA debut! I had a great time reading Vesuvius.

Some of the wording is a bit modern. Not to say this is necessarily a bad thing, but it catches you off guard. I have read some debuts where authors struggle with introducing a “problem” and forgetting to give it a “resolution”. Cass does not; they did well with tying any loose ends. That being said, I would have liked for some of the themes and secondary characters introduced to be explored a bit more.

Overall, really enjoyable. Great premise, lovable characters, a swift read, just a good time all around. I plan to tune in to TTMB when the time comes!

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. The beginning was riveting and it was fun to get to know the characters. The modern language did bother me, but it was enjoyable regardlessly.

This book was pretty different from what I expected! The fantasy and political aspects were a surprise—pleasant surprise—but I wanted a bit more of the historical aspect personally. Some of the dialogue and internal thoughts felt wayyyy too modern and pulled me out of the setting.

Big fan of Felix. I liked Loren well enough, but I didn’t click with him quite like I did with Felix. I thought the romance between them was sweet and cute, but the majority of their story being across 4 days really bothered me. It should’ve been longer so it’d be more believable

I had a fun time with most of this book. Didn’t love the ending (pacing was super odd there) and I didn’t feel like the eruption was actually enough of a plot point, but I got invested in Felix quite a lot. I’d read another book by Cass Biehn

Not exactly what I expected but I loved it nonetheless.

I thought that the explosion would be more of a plot point, and it was a plot point, but I feel as if it were just there and done.

I would definitely read another book by Cass Biehn, they can write some great characters.

Vesuvius tells the story of Felix, a thief with secrets, and Loren, a temple boy tormented by the ghost of his premonitory dreams—dreams that increasingly become a reality threatening the existence of Pompeii.

This story begins with the theft of Mercury's helmet by our young protagonist and his encounter with Loren, who will become his partner in adventure. In my opinion, the beginning is good, as the author doesn't overwhelm us with unnecessary details and captures our attention with the story's central problem, which triggers the subsequent events. Another positive aspect is how the protagonists' relationship develops. Honestly, I expected this to happen in the last chapters of the book, and I'm glad it didn't. Although it might seem that their feelings emerge very quickly, given the few days Felix and Loren have known each other, it felt organic and beautiful to me. I also appreciated that the author doesn't immediately reveal the secrets surrounding the characters. Many authors resort to this to retain the reader's attention. Thankfully, that is not the case here. Instead, the author maintains mystery and uncertainty, revealing the secrets at just the right moments.

Regarding the secondary characters, the author introduces a variety of characters who, in my honest opinion, I thought would have greater relevance to the plot's development. Not all of them fall short, but there are a couple I expected to play more significant roles, and they ultimately disappointed me. Another point, which I attribute more to personal taste, is the writing style and the way the author describes the main setting. There were many times when the author managed to immerse me and make me feel as if I were inside Pompeii, but there were other occasions when that immersion was broken, and I felt as if I were in the current time. To conclude, this story fulfills its purpose and doesn't offer false hope. It doesn't promise an alternative ending but rather provides an interpretation of what happened in Pompeii and its tragic end caused by Mount Vesuvius.

I really liked Vesuvius and I look forward to reading more stories by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is an ok book, with great ideas and ok writing, expected and understandable from a debut novel so I won’t hold it against it. I made my Netgalley account just so i could get my hands on this book, so you can imagine how I was foaming at the mouth for a chance to read it. This might have ultimately been what made it such a disappointment for me.

There are three main issues with this book in my opinion: Pompeii seems more like a backdrop, the pace seems forced and the character voices.

To address the first one, it is true that the story incorporates some mythology concepts and what not, but the same cannot be said for the interactions between characters, their actions and the way they talk. Characters’ behaviors living in ancient rome should not be exactly the same than if they were moved to a different time period. There were moments were I felt that their decision making was too judeo-christian, too modern, with modern issues and lines of thought and even applying modern concepts to ancient practices. For example, to describe some baths as very popular, instead of saying they’re booked throughout the year, a more period appropriate thing to say would be like, the best families are lining up for a chance to use them or something of the sort. There was even a use of the word exit as a noun instead of the verb, and it really struck me as too modern. Tiny details that really took me out of the story.

Regarding the pace, I think it might be related to a case of telling not showing. Scenes seem to come up out of nowhere, someone might be talking to someone in one place in town and suddenly they’re on the other side of town talking to a different person. This made the plot hard to follow, characters would be referencing things that happened in the text and I wouldn’t be able to remember them or even know what they were talking about. Scenes also happen because the plot needs them to, even if the conversation intensity doesn’t match the conversation they were having before and giving them all the same intensity, the same tension. This tragically makes events such as Vesuvius’ eruption insultingly small.

The characters are very interesting, it’s a shame that because they all speak in the same way you can’t tell them apart. Why is Julia, a high class noble woman speaking with a teenager as if he’s her equal and with the same turns of phrases? Julia in general is a conundrum, she’s a woman in power, very rare at the time, yet she doesn’t show the cunning she need to have to reached her position, we’re just told she is. Her actions contradict that, why is such a cunning woman just babbling about her plan? She doesn’t act like what she’s being described as and this might also be the reason why other characters actions seem so wishy washy, changing their minds about important things every paragraph. Loren deciding to be Julia’s heir and immediately decide to go to Egypt to start a new life is an example of that. As a reader you don’t even know where that change of mind is coming from

In general I was a bit disappointed with this read, but it might have been because I hyped it up so much in my mind. Either way I will still read whatever Cass publishes next, they have potential.

this was pretty captivating! it had me engrossed while reading it. the setting and cast were very interesting to me, even though i couldn't connect with the romance as much because of the short time span and because i feel we didn't get enough depth to it. another aspect of this that really irked me was the anachronistic dialogue; no one speaks like that in ancient pompeii, i'm sure. still a fairly fun ride, and worth giving a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC!

It took me a while to get round to this one, and I'm beating myself up for it now that I've finished. Vesuvius had the perfect blend of high charged emotions, tense stakes, and comforting comedowns. Altogether, a perfect queer experience and an utter delight to read.

Biehn's biggest strength is in their character work, how well-fleshed even the side characters like Elias and Camilia felt to read. The complexities of Loren and Felix's lives will stick with me for a long time to come.

I read this in two days. TWO. DAYS. That is how good it is, you just want to devour it and want it into your eyeballs as fast as possible. They made me so sad and so happy and i just loved them the entire time, especially the orpheus and eurydice moments between them.

Vesuvius is a YA historical fantasy about two young men thrown together by fate and thievery four days prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 2.5⭐️.
Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. I did not care for any of the characters or much of the plot of this book. The ultimate eruption of Vesuvius at 75% relatively lackluster. This book is being equated to A Song of Achilles but other than one of the characters constantly bringing up Achilles and Patroclus this feels like a miss for comparison.

I was really excited to read this book- the eruption of Vesuvius and Pompeii have always interested me. The main characters, Felix, a thief with missing memories, and Loren, an outsider in his own city, have an interesting dynamic full of banter. I think their love story was adorable, but I also feel like opportunities to add more depth to their character were missed. I loved the first 75-80% of the book, but the pacing was somewhat off in the end. Overall, I think this was an enjoyable read, and I'd love to read more of Felix and Loren's adventures.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the opportunity to read this book early.

3.5⭐️
Thank you netgally for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. When I saw a ya queer historical fantasy I got really exited but I had a hard time getting through it. There were some elements I really loved like Loren hitting Felix with a bowl the first time they meet cause he thinks he’s a ghost. I laughed out loud when that happened. I also really liked some of the side characters like Elias and Aurelia.
Some things that I didn’t like that much were the story seemed to drag on for a little bit too much in the middle. For me it was the last 30 percent that really got me into the story. I also wasn’t a fan of all the political stuff but I also understand that’s an important part of the story.
I would have liked to see a little bit about Felix his life when he lived in Rome, what he got up to there. Maybe that’s something we get to see in a potential next book.
I also thought the story would be more about Felix and Loren being on the run after Felix stole the helmet so that’s why the story was a little bit different then I expected.
All in all I would recommend the story, it’s a very interesting read. The ending had me stressing for a little bit there but I am happy with how it ended

I will start by saying that this is so much more than just a book set in Pompeii in the lead up to the eruption. It’s magical, it’s political and it deals with some very difficult topics. Going into many books with a background that is already well known, you get some presumptions, but this story was incredibly written and planned out. We all know what is going to happen, Vesuvius will erupt and take down Pompeii with it, but for 80% of this book, the volcano is just a background character. Sometimes they pass it, or visit, or it’s there looming over them, yet even with Loren’s visions of a foretold disaster, they have no idea that the volcano is to blame. I thought this was well done, as you had no idea when it was about to happen, and the story wasn’t overshadowed by it.
I loved the political elements to it. I am a fan of when books delve into the workings of a town, especially fantasy or one such as this. It was tricky to understand sometimes, but I blame my own shortcomings for that, as most of it was well explained. The plot itself was neatly done, you had a clear end goal and vision for what was to come. I did enjoy that, though there probably was a main villain, there were others that came into it that were also villainous, it wasn’t just a one-way street.
The characters were easily loveable, I think I fell in love with Loren as soon as he swung that bowl. Their relationship was beautiful, and even though it was over the span of a few days, it didn’t feel like insta-love as each day and each interaction was detailed and you could understand why they were drawn to each other. The side characters were also adorable, but I do wish we had some inclination as to their fate at the end of the story, though some were alluded to, I wanted some confirmation.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it was beautiful and mysterious and thrilling. I loved seeing Loren and Felix break free from the shackles they were each in and learn from their time together. I loved that though you can’t fix everything, you can pick up what you have left and begin again.

Final rating; 4.5