I was very intrigued by the premise of this story but ended up really disliking the actual writing, which felt too casual and did not mesh with the story.

Could be for someone, but was not for me. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres, but in this case, it felt like two very different books that had been smashed together. The aspects that were fantasy didn't feel very historical, and vice versa. Things I did enjoy, like the Cat Parliament and the dream forge, felt either tangential to the main plot or completely rushed.

Oriana is an underwhelming character, a fact that is not helped by the seven-year time jump in the middle of the novel. There is virtually no difference between the eight-year-old Oriana and the fifteen-year-old Oriana, which just contributes to the sense that she is a static entity around which the entire plot revolves. The ending just solidified this impression for me, since it seems to take her moments of agency and turn them into something outside her control. This had the potential to be an inventive and gothic historical fantasy, but instead, it is a jumble of confusing lore and underwhelming characters.

Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars

Synopsis -

This Italian-inspired gothic historical fantasy follows Oriana, a young girl who dreams of becoming a smith in her father’s forge. Oriana is a twin, and her brother, Oriano is often given priority over her, given the constraints of the patriarchal world.

Oriana accidentally ends up in the Secret Market of the Dead, part of the nocturnal realm (“Night”) which is a realm governed by immortals. After her return to the “Day”, she finds out that Oriano has been set to inherit their father’s forge, since he is the male heir. Through a contractual loophole, Oriana challenges Oriano to a series of tests, where the winner will take up mantle as the smith’s apprentice.

Thoughts –

This story reminded me a bit of “Gods of Jade and Shadow” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Both stories follow a young FMC that partners with a perceived “bad” entity to best the patriarchal constraints they are facing.

However, I had a harder time following this story. I felt like the two storylines (journeying into the “Night” realm and the sibling rivalry in the “Day” realm) were a bit too disjointed. I’ve seen others compare this to a fever dream, which is a solid analogy.

While the spooky vibes were cool, this one missed the mark a bit for me.

Thank you to Saga Press for providing a copy for review! All opinions are my own.

I liked, but didn't love, this story! To me, this felt extreeemely YA and should not have been marketed as adult fiction. But once I shifted my mindset to that genre, I did enjoy Oriana's journey to prove herself and become who she wanted to be. The end was pretty sad though!!

3.75 stars

I was particularly impressed by the author's writing style - it had a dreamlike quality that perfectly encapsulated the otherworldly quality of the Night realm. It was easy to get lost in that world alongside Oriana and to question what was or wasn't real. I also found myself attached to the characters - especially our headstrong and hell bent heroine and her many guides of dubious intentions.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I walked into this one pretty much blind, but that almost made it BETTER. I really loved the MC's and the unique plotline for the story. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

The Secret Market of the Dead is a gothic dark fantasy novel, written by Giovanni de Feo, and published by Saga Press. A coming of age story that touches themes such as sibling dynamics, a feminist take on fighting patriarchal societies and defying expectations in a lush and gothic world that blends together legend and myth, the logical and the supernatural, all woven with the mastery of a seasoned storyteller.

Set in Lucena, an 18th century town in the Kingdom of Naples, our story starts following eight-year-old twins, Oriana and Oriano; Lucena's society is heavily rooted into tradition and that means a patriarchal society where Oriano is favoured, while Oriana, despite being more studious, is dismissed. She dreams of becoming an apprentice at her father's forge, but her mother and fate have other plans for her.
At this point, Oriana has a first encounter with the creatures of the Night and their world, the nocturnal realm, ruled by seven immortals; her fate will irremediably change after having to enter the Secret Market of the Dead to fulfill a task in the name of Emistuchivio.
Fast forward, at 14, Oriano is chosen as the first apprentice to the family forge, effectively making him the one who would inherit it; using an obscure law, Oriana challenges him to three trials. However, she soon experiences that despite in theory they would be given the same opportunities, Oriano is favoured during the teachings for the challenges, having Oriana embark on a quest that will take her back to the nocturnal realm, in a path that will get her towards the myths, all due to her ambition to change society.

Oriana is an excellent main character: a female with liberal ideas who is fighting against the established gender roles; she's ambitious, and that would also mark the decision that will change her path. As a reader, you want her to succeed, but also fear that she will end up being engulfed by the nocturnal realm, trapped by the astute creatures that call it their home. In comparison, Oriano is a conformist; while he's aware he's being benefited by the system, he won't move in favour of Oriana. He's a product of the ideas that form Lucena's society.
De Feo also establishes a colourful but dark cast of creatures that are part of the nocturnal realm, playing with the fates and trying to get advantage of those that dare to enter their domain; all while keeping that eerie sensation of them not being of our world.

The prologue/introduction of this book is actually a promise that De Feo fulfills marvelously: that this will be the same experience as such a storyteller would be recounting you the legends of place, let you be absorbed by the narrative. The pacing is well suited to the story, slowly introducing you to Lucerna, and keeping you engaged until the very end.
The worldbuilding is another of the highlights of this novel: not only because the gothic aspects of the narration make Lucerna such a special place, but also in how De Feo blends together folkloric stories, mysticism and Christianity to create a living lore of Lucerna; a place where the frontier between realms is diffuse and some humans might end stepping into their stories.

The Secret Market of the Dead is an excellent novel, perfect if you are looking for a gothic fantasy that plays to the best with the folkloric inspirations; the triumph of a storyteller that wishes to keep your attention focused on the richness of this world while giving you a compelling main character. Just the English debut of Giovanni De Feo, but I hope this is not the last time we have the pleasure of reading novels by him in this language!

I enjoyed the premise of this book, but the pacing was too slow for me. I really wish the pacing was a bit faster because the atmosphere was so intriguing.

This one wasn't quite for me. It didn't hit the notes it was going for, with the main character being so young it didn't make sense. I think it was trying to be both charming and dark but i was just confused about how to feel about it.

📖 Title: The Secret Market of the Dead-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Giovanni De Feo-new to me author

📅Publication date: 7-8-25| Read 7-19-25

📃 Format: eBook 336 pgs.

Genre:
*Historical
*Fantasy
*Sci/Fi

Tropes:
*competition
*magic
*family drama/sibling rivalry
*coming of age
*myths/legends/fairytales

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, single

⚠️TW: sexism, animal abuse

🌎 Setting: Luceria, 1747

Summary: In the Day, Oriana and her twin brother Oriano want to follow in their father's footsteps as blacksmiths. Because Oriana is a girl and her brother is more favored, he inherits the forge. Oriana mistakenly goes into The Night Market tricked into a bargain with the Duke of Under-earth. Oriana challenges her brother to trials for the forge.


👩🏾 Heroine: Oriana Siliceo- goes from 8 years old to 15 years old

🎭 Other Characters:

* Oriano/Riano-Oriana's twin brother
*Donna Lena + Master Peppo/Giuseppe Siliceo-Oriana's parents
*The Duke of Under-earth-has Oriana's destiny in his hands
*The Garaude-Oriana's guide
*The Dreamarquise-a cat who stole the deep red hammer from the Duke Under-earth.
*Fernando Pignatelli/Count of Villabianca-34, Oriana's tutor
*Bruno-Oriana's father apprentice
*Tato-Oriana's 6-year-old brother, sent to military school
*Angia-Oriana's friend

🤔 My Thoughts: This wasn't for me because the heroine Oriana was a young child, and the world building was very Alice in Wonderland. The different character names and rooting for an eight-year-old that acted like a twenty-year-old was just confusing. The world of "Day" and "Night" was a unique idea, but it was slow paced until part two which addressed the patriarchy Oriana fought against. Faced with unfair circumstances, Oriana challenged her brother and failed without help from the Night. She was a victim of her own pride and ambition, and she lost her family and friends because of it. It was a sad ending, but Oriana found her true destiny.

Rating: 3.5/5 ✨
Spice level 0/5 🌶️ a child h

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press | S&S | Saga Press, and Giovanni De Feo for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

“We create the impossible, so that the possible might exist."

This book was a gothic fantasy fever dream I never wanted to wake up from. Imagine falling asleep and descending into a hauntingly surreal world that feels like a mix of Alice’s Wonderland, Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron, and Pan’s Labyrinth. That first slip from reality into the fantastical feels less like a transition and more like a hallucination.

Set in a small Italian town, the story explores significant themes, including the expectations placed on women, the ache of being underestimated, complex family dynamics, and the ever-blurring lines between darkness and light. There’s the Day world, filled with Diurnals, which feels so rigid and cruel from Oriana's perspective, and the Night—ruled by Nocturnals, swathed in dream logic, and threaded with impossible bargains.

Oriana, at the delicate ages of 8 and 14, wants nothing more than to be a smithy and the heir to her father's forge, but the patriarchy (and her family) have other ideas. The love and rivalry between her and her twin brother, Oriono, was so well-done yet still broke my heart. I’ve never felt so much rage at how a character was treated, especially a youth, by her family, teachers, society… all of it. And yet, the Night and those within it gave her space to become something more.🖤

She learned to judge the quality of a fire with just one look. Hammering became like breathing to her, a rhythm in her blood.

This book has fantastic world-building, beautiful prose, and strange characters that keep you on your toes. There’s a secret dream market with customers ranging from humans to animals to sentient buildings, a Duke of the Under-Earth, faceless creatures, trickery beyond imagination, and a Parliament of Cats (yes, you read that right). While struggling with challenges in her waking life and the Night, Oriana is propelled through surreal trials, discovers hidden strengths, and even gains a few feline traits during one trip to the Secret Market, as she fights for what she’s owed.

I will say, I loved the ending. Even though it squeezed my heart, it just felt right. This story is for anyone who’s ever raged at injustice but still believed in dreams and magic. Thank you to Saga Press for the gifted copy!

“Dreams are powerful tools, milady. They are the fire in which people forge their own souls, day by day. Or rather, Night by Night.”

Things I loved:
🔨 Bookish x Blacksmith FMC
🌃 Day vs Night
🪬 Strange Dreamlike World
✨ Magical Bargains
⚔️ Trials
👯 Sibling Rivalry
🏢 Societal Expectations
🐈 All of the Cats!

Reading this book reminded me of the first time I read Erin Morgenstern's the Night Circus. Surreal and a dark fairytale, with hints of folklore. I very much enjoyed reading it!

The Secret Market of the Dead is a beautifully atmospheric gothic fantasy (and debut) by Giovanni De Feo. Released 8th July 2025 by Simon & Schuster on their Saga Press imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a richly woven tapestry set in a town in Italy. In 1747, the Catholic church reigns supreme, but there's a strong undercurrent of pagan superstition and belief. Twins Oriana and Oriano are pitched against one another over the apprenticeship and inheritance of their father's blacksmithy and their future. Oriana dares to reach out for the power to change her own destiny.

It's an immersive and beautifully told story, with a deeply intricate magical world building and three dimensional characters. It's ostensibly a YA story, however, sensitive readers should be aware of potentially distressing content (animal abuse/harm, rampant sexism, failure of care).

There's a distinctly folkloric feel which reminds a bit of Diana Wynne Jones (Howl's Moving Castle), or Neverwhere/Sandman sort of thing (and yes, he's out of favor, but NG was a huge part of everyone's life - just giving reference points).

The translation work is seamless and the prose flows perfectly well in English and doesn't feel like a book in translation.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for library acquisition, home library, or buddy read. If there's a follow up, it would be neat with more stories from the actual market (and less about how loathesome Oriana's townsfolk and family are).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved the premise of this story but I struggled to stay interested in the story. I unfortunately DNFd around 35-40%.

I did not heed the priests warning from the opening chapter of this novel and read most of THE SECRET MARKET OF THE DEAD under the cover of night. Which I think added to the reading experience, maybe Scander was out there somewhere watching me.

De Feo's writing at times felt like I was in the dream alongside Oriana and the plot took a few twists that I wasn't expecting. Though I was a little surprised that the plot didn't circle back to how it started. I found the characters interesting and I wanted more of the lore of the Nocturnals. My one real complaint is Oriana's age. For the first chunk of the plot she's only 8 but acts much more mature than most children of that age, the second chunk she's still barely a teenager. I had to keep reminding myself that she was just a kid because it was easy to mentally age her up while reading.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Saga Press, and S&S/Saga Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a wild ride. Beautifully written and at times it felt almost like being in a dream too. I liked learning about these myths and legends from Italy. All the gothic vibes you want from a gothic book were there. The best way to describe this book is an Italian fairytale to explores misogyny, sibling rivalry, and overall, a coming of age story of Oriana.

When you dive into this book, be ready for the ride and just go where it wants you to. It's worth it.

The Secret Market of the Dead
by Giovanni De Feo
4.75/5

The Secret Market of the Dead by Giovanni De Feo is a gothic, yet whimsical, fantasy story about a girl, Oriana, in 18th century Italy who fights for her right to become the heir to her father’s forge. The lengths she goes to achieve her goals, leads her to a world of dreams, darkness, and the dead.
This was a very original and refreshing tale. I have not read anything like it before and believe we need more originality like this in today’s book market. Giovanni De Feo does an amazing job of giving us a dark, creepy world while somehow keeping a sense of whimsy in the story. It’s very reminiscent of the film Spirited Away, but darker.
Although I would recommend this book to anyone at any time, this is a perfect book for when you’ve hit reading slump, for it revitalized my desire to read when I was feeling burnt out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope we get more from Giovanni De Feo in the near future.

I absolutely LOVED this story!
I am not familiar with Italian folklore, but this story reminded me of a mix between The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed and The Sandman comics in tone, storyline, and message. Every time I picked it up I was immediately immersed in Lucerìa, learning to be wary of the Night and its Nocturnals. But curious of Them still, just as Oriana is. I found this both interesting and enchanting from beginning to end and I would read from this author again!

This is a delightful little lush, liminal, and gothic tale that’s brimming with myth, Moira, and metaphysical rebellion. ✨

“𝘔𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮.”

De Feo conjures a rich, Italian-inspired gothic historical fantasy where destiny isn’t foretold—it’s bought, bartered, and painfully earned.

The novel follows Oriana, a blacksmith’s daughter who once trespassed into the Night, a shadow realm ruled by seven immortals and fueled by Moira.

After being denied her rightful inheritance, Oriana challenges her twin brother to a series of brutal trials for control of their father’s forge. She must once again embrace the dangerous, seductive power of the Night….and its price.

Gothic fiction, secret worlds, mystical creatures, and complex family dynamics…count 👏🏻 me 👏🏻 in! 👏🏻

De Feo’s prose is decadent and dreamlike, steeped in folklore and rebellion. Think Spirited Away meets Circe, via Pan’s Labyrinth, with the political teeth of a gothic fairytale. The magical economy of Moira is clever and chilling, turning fate into a commodity that only the desperate dare touch. Oriana is a fierce, flawed heroine forged in grief, ambition, and fire. She’s precocious but fallible, pulled between grief and wonder and I adored her as a protagonist. She was rather young though, between 8-14, and I had to picture her older.

He lures you in with that quiet, fever dream quality, then peppers it with moments of deep revelation. The story unravels slowly but it’s a spellbinding tale about legacy, folklore, and the violence of choosing your own path when the world has already written your ending.

Firstly, Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really intrigued when I first read the synopsis of this book. It sounded like it was going to be an absolutely magical read. Something along the lines of a Studio Ghibli film, but maybe a bit darker as it was slotted in adult fiction and to an extent that it what it delivered. However, for me it missed the mark for a few reasons. My first issue is Oriana's age. I know that I'm not the only one who had issues with her starting at 8 and then going 14 as the story progressed. She suffers through so much abuse in that time and the magical bits couldn't make up for it in my mind. I also found her hard to connect to, partially because of her age, but I found all of the characters a little bland. I personally wish she had started and ended older, but it's not my book. Also, I felt like the market wasn't as prevalent as I would have liked it to be. I guess I was just looking for even more magic than what was contained within.

Overall, I think that some fans of gothic fantasy will enjoy this. I think fans of child MCs in adult literature could enjoy this. It just missed the mark with me. I'm willing to try something else by De Feo in the future as the writing was technically good. And this worked for me on a conceptual level, just not when I actually got down to reading it.