While this was not a top favorite of 2025, I still think The Secret Market of the Dead is still a great book. Where this book fell short for me was the worldbuilding of the Secret Market and how it worked. Not even the characters who were supposed to be helping Oriana seemed to know how it worked. Once we got about 25% and Oriana enters the market for the first time, I just could not get a grasp on what this world looked like or how it operated. I also don't think enough was done to either intrigue or frighten the reader about what Oriana might find in the market.

Where this book did well for me was establishing the familial relationships between Oriana and her parents and brother Oriano. Showing the bit of struggle she dealt with her mother, lack of friends at her party, and the competitive nature of the relationship with her brother made me root for Oriana.

Overall, while this book was a bit confusing at times, the pace and character development was done very well!

the Market and everything around it is awesome and would easily land a 5 stars on its own, with its willingness to be very creative with the aesthetics, unique characters, and overall darker Ghibli vibes. Unfortunately, it only makes up half of the book, if that, with the rest being taken up by Day. and Day is not just a bit boring, but almost feels like an entirely separate book slapped on. the plot isn't even just standard, but feels a little rushed, like Feo didn't really want to write it. Because of that, this book is a ~3.5 star read, rounded up. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Saga Press.

This felt like a feminist fairy tale tucked inside a gothic folktale. Oriana is a force—clever, headstrong, and so clearly out of step with the expectations of her time. Her refusal to accept the roles laid out for her, especially in a world that sees her value only in marriage and motherhood, made her easy to root for. I loved her drive, even when the odds—and the people around her—kept trying to cut her down.

The atmosphere is rich, layered with myth, magic, and quiet menace. I was especially drawn to the idea of the Secret Market and how old superstitions could twist into something darker. The Night Saints, the dream logic, the weight of forgotten bargains—it all created a strange, compelling space I wanted more time in.

That said, the tone felt younger than I expected. While the themes are weighty, the characters read more middle grade than YA to me, which made it harder to fully connect at times. I also found myself wishing the Market played a bigger role, given the title. There's so much potential there that felt just out of reach.

Still, there’s a lot to love here—especially if you enjoy stories rooted in folklore with strong-willed girls at the center. The ending surprised me, the imagery stuck with me, and there’s a talking cat. What more can I say?!?!

4.5 Rounded up to 5

This book is so beautifully written. The world Giovanni created is mysterious and magical. It would easily make a fantastic video game. I absolutely loved the cat parliament scene. If you are looking for a magical dreamy read, this is it.

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Italian-inspired gothic historical fantasy”? Say less. A whimsically sinister debut with dark fairytale vibes, like gothic Alice in Wonderland or Pan’s Labyrinth set in 1700s Italy. The unique dream world was like Inception meets The Sandman, where people, cats, and even buildings dream and perception is reality.

The Nocturnals—nighttime gods that only exist through stories told, who feed on belief—were fascinating. The magic and worldbuilding were well incorporated into the story, though with the variety of magical creatures it would have benefitted from a glossary. The author painted a vivid picture with a few masterfully chosen words, and I was hooked from the first chapter.

The plot was a journey, not a destination. In the latter half, the story took some leaps that I didn’t quite follow or stretched my suspension of disbelief a little too far. The ending was rushed, and although it was historically accurate for a 14-year-old girl to be engaged, that didn’t make it easier to read. Still, I would recommend this dreamy Italian-inspired gothic fantasy.

This book is a beautiful coming of age story of a young girl and her desire to create. I loved following Oriana and her journey through Night and the story of her life. It's so easy to find myself in her and my own desire to create works of art. If you are looking for a book that will sway you gently through magical worlds, similar to Water Moon, this is the perfect place to go.

Lush, atmospheric, and utterly original, The Secret Market of the Dead is a gothic fantasy that weaves destiny, sibling rivalry, and secret magic into a spellbinding tale. Oriana’s journey from dreamer to defiance heir is as fierce as it is enchanting. If you love beautifully written stories with a dark, otherworldly edge - this one is a must read. If you are a fan of Pan’s Labyrinth you will also love this book. Thank you Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster for the eARC copy for review.

3.5⭐️

Overall I liked this book but I wish the characters were aged up a bit more! This was such an interesting plot but I personally struggled to get into this book at the beginning since the main characters are 8 at the start. With the younger pov when we are first introduced to The Night Market I feel like when didn’t get a very immersive introduction to the world. I would have liked some more details since it felt like things were glossed over when this was such an interesting place.

Once the main characters were older I started to enjoy the book more. I loved main character Oriana’s determination and drive, especially during the time period. She fights for what she wants and I really enjoyed her growth. For me the best part of this book was how this came across like a folk tale. We constantly hear the cautionary tales of The Night Market and the Nocturnals and I feel like the writing really made this seem like a folk story. I loved learning more and more throughout the book. Although this was a slow start for me I enjoyed where the book ended up and I looking forward to seeing more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press Books, and the author for an eARC!

This book was a pleasant surprise! This is my first gothic fantasy, and the plot was so engaging. The family dynamics were my favorite, and seeing the motives of the MCs play out. I would recommend!

This was such an interesting ARC.

It started off feeling like Stephanie Garber x The Master & The Margarita vibes vibes - like a fairy tale you haven’t heard yet. Full of magical markets, listening ears, and society of cats.

Add in some dramatic patriarchy /matriarchy issues, a girl finding her way against all odds and complicated sibling love and you see why it made my TBR.

The pacing feels somewhere between fevered dream and whiplash. So maybe it’s not a surprise it felt so short and I didn’t want it end where it did. Or maybe I felt rushed where I wanted to soak up a moment. I also admit, I wish the romance was kicked up a notch or two- the set up was perfect for it.

I’ll say this in the end, keep your eyes on Giovanni De Feo if the above sounds like your vibe. I have a sense he’s just getting started.

3.75/5

TY @Netgalley & @SagaPressBooks 🥰

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for early access to this ebook!

I have to say, I was pretty disappointed that there wasn't a focus on the titular market, BUT otherwise this was a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed our characters and the way Oriana is basically the first feminist of her time in this book. The world building was incredible, which is an absolute must for me in a book (too often the world building is lacking and it really ruins the mood). The only reason it is not a 5 star read for me is the fact that the title is a bit misleading!

I was so excited for this book. The cover is stunning and the premise sounded amazing. However, I ended up struggling with this book. There was something about the writing that I just didn’t vibe with.

3.5 Stars

Oriana lives with her family and twin brother, Oriano, in Luceria, an 18th century town in the kingdom of Naples. Oriana believes in the stories of the Nocturnals, the seven immortals who control Moira, which can reshape one's destiny. Oriana soon finds that these whispered stories are true when she accidentally enters the Secret Market of the Dead, where dreamers make desperate trades for a new destiny. When Oriana and her brother reach the age to begin apprenticeship at their father's forge, Oriana challenges him to three trials to determine the true heir. As the challenges unfold, Oriana realizes the odds and everyone in her life are against her, so she must once again look to the Nocturnals and embrace the Night to succeed and take over the family forge.

The Secret Market of the Dead definitely has a unique feel to the story. I really liked the gothic undertones and strangeness that De Feo brought to the story. There is a great folklore feel, and I liked that it was set up as a cautionary tale at the beginning of the book.

I thought the underlying story of women finding equality in the profession they wanted to pursue was done well, and thought De Feo set it up perfectly with the strain on her relationship with her brother and with the townspeople. Oriana's character worked great, in that she persevered in the face of her own struggles and the adversity from those in her family and those who wished to see her fail.

I did find it hard to connect with Oriana's character for most of the book. She is 8 for at least the first half of the book and then 14 for the second half. I wish her character would have been aged up and I think it would have worked better for the story. I also felt like the first half of the book was just a bit bizarre. I felt like I was Alice at the Mad Hatter's tea party, and just couldn't really get a great grasp on the Nocturnals. I did find that the story picked up, for me, around the 50% mark, when the conflict of Oriana and Oriano's challenges for inheriting the forge became the main focus.

I definitely think The Secret Market of the Dead was an imaginative story, and that it would appeal to those that enjoy gothic fiction, strange worlds, mysterious immortals, questionable bargains, and complicated families.

DNF at 40%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am unfortunately DNFing at 40%.
This is 1700’s Italian dark fairytale about a young girl who has to challenge her twin brother for the opportunity to succeed their blacksmith father.
I didn’t connect with this book very well and once our FMC made it to the actual Secret Market of the Dead it began to feel like an Alice in Wonderland style descent. This just isn’t one for me.

DNF at 33%.

I think this could have been absolutely amazing had it been written in the style of Tanith Lee’s Night’s Master, a series of interconnected short stories revolving around the Market. Because when Feo gets to write about the strangeness, about all things Night – those were easily the best parts of the book. There’s a folkloric feel to it all, but also a ton of unique creativity that lets loose with the otherworldly imagery, the borderline horror-fantasy elements. Feo is unafraid to be weird – there’s a moment when a cloak of eyes grows countless eyelashes and uses them to fly its wearer, and it was SUPERB! The passages that were about the Market and its denizens, that were describing the bizarre and magical things Oriana saw and experienced – that was all pretty great.

(Pretty great. Bits of it were underwhelming: I was expecting much more pizzazz from the Parliament of Cats, and I didn’t find the allure of Moira convincing for a moment. Since both of those were pretty big deals, that was disappointing.)

The problem for me was twofold: first, I found the writing rhythm just a little off. Years of trying to explain this has convinced me that most readers have no idea what I’m talking about, so this is very unlikely to bother anyone else. For me, it’s as if a piece of music is slightly out of tune – that becomes most of what I can hear, and I can’t appreciate the music itself because some part of my brain can’t let it go. Here and there the phrasing struck me as out of place, or incorrect, or jarring; the dialogue felt flat and false, and whenever we had a stretch of telling-not-showing I wanted to twitch, because the prose just…didn’t flow naturally.

Can’t explain it any better than that, but if you haven’t experienced a similar thing with other books, don’t worry about it, this is an issue most readers clearly don’t have.

The other problem, the one other readers might actually experience too, is that all of the lovely strangeness is bogged down in the very mundane real world. Oriana’s home life made my blood boil – her parents are awful and her twin is a traitor, they can all take a long walk off a short pier – but it was also incredibly boring. That Oriana is so young – eight, maybe, for the first chunk of the book? I assume there’ll be a timeskip at some point where we get to see her older, but – you can have Adult stories that have a young protagonist. It’s difficult (or maybe just rare?) but it can be done. Oriana’s perspective, unfortunately, left this book with a very Young Adult feel that I did not want or sign up for.

I think this would have worked much better as a series of linked short stories than it does as a novel; if the Day parts had been skimmed over rather than given so much pagetime. The Night is where all the appeal of this story is, and it was kind of a waste of time to show us anything else. Especially when it was so clear that Feo, also, was pretty bored with the Day parts and just felt they had to be in there.

And I just don’t feel any urge to continue. Oriana doesn’t wow or interest me as a character, and I never really engaged with her; I don’t care where her story is going. I wouldn’t mind learning more about the Market, about the Night, but with the prose rhythm making me twitch…I’m not willing to keep twitching all the way through.

Great imagination, and prose that won’t bother most other readers. The Secret Market of the Dead is…fine? But I don’t love it, and I don’t have time for books I feel this meh about.

Such a beautiful and captivating story! I loved following Oriana through these trials, the Italian inspired setting was STUNNING and immersive! I loved this and strongly recommend it!

The characters are compelling and well-developed. FMC undergoes significant growth, facing internal struggles and moral dilemmas that add depth to their journey. Supporting characters, such as [notable side character’s name] and [antagonist’s name], bring additional layers of complexity, with motivations and arcs that keep the reader invested.

Wow. The Secret Market of the Dead was so beautifully written. It was so easy to fall into this story and get lost. It was so easy to read it one sitting.

This was such a great dark fantasy. I loved all of the Italian folklore elements and it truly felt like a new world I was experiencing through this book. The female MC is strong, brave, and very smart. This is a book that is savored, truly, and I will definitely be on the lookout for whatever this author does next.

This felt like a cross between a fairy tale, a fable, the movie Labyrinth, and a studio ghibli film. I am always a sucker for a fantasy realm that exists parallel to our own, accessible to those who seek it. With a dash of classic Italian folklore, The Secret Market of the Dead has all of the makings of an enjoyable fantasy novel. The tale follows Oriana, a determined young girl whose destiny is stolen from her for reasons both societal and magical. She treads a years long journey to retrieve it as she dips in and out of the "Night," the nocturnal world filled with beings who may or may not be worthy of her trust.

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.

My only qualm is I wanted to know more about the market itself, and to have spent more time in that world. The ending was not what I was expecting or what I felt Oriana deserved- but perhaps that was the point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.