Stravaganza: City of Stars

Mary Hoffman (author)

Bloomsbury Publishing, UK: 2003; 453pp

ISBN: 0747569460

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: family, friendship, loyalty

Fifteen-year-old Georgia is something of a tomboy who loves horses. Her stepbrother, Russell, is nasty piece of work and his aim in life seems to be to make Georgia as miserable as possible as punishment for the fact that his father married her mother.

Their parents are sure that if they ignore any ‘silliness' for long enough that the teenagers will settle down and become a ‘happy family'. When Georgia buys a beautiful model of a winged horse she knows that she will have to keep it out of Russell's way or he will damage it just because it's important to her.

This becomes even more essential when Georgia realises that the little statue is in fact a magical token that allows her to slip through time and space each night to the sixteenth century world of Talia. She becomes a ‘stravagante', as they are known in that world. As all travellers between worlds do so for a particular reason, Georgia and her new friends in Remora - the City of Stars - must find out why she is there. Other Stravaganti gather to confer and she meets Lucien, whom she had known in her world as the son of her music teacher, and Paolo, Horsemaster of the Ram. They are unsure of Georgia's purpose in travelling to Talia until they meet the young Chimici prince, Falco, who was terribly injured in a fall from a horse several years previously. His only chance of a life without pain and pity is in Georgia's world. But how will he cope with the twenty-first century? And how can Georgia possibly keep Frano's true origins a secret when she has someone like Russell keeping tabs on her?

In the midst of all these troubling problems, Georgia and Lucien are caught up in the Ram's preparations for the Race of Stars, when every ‘twelfth' of the city will be urging their finest horse on to win a race that is very similar to the Palio of Siena. Passions run high as each section of the city makes deals and offers bribes to make sure their horse wins. Kidnapping is not out of the question, and what will the Twelfth of the Ram do if Cesare, their young rider, disappears?

Packed with magical adventures, secrecy, romance, and clashing loyalties, City of Stars is the very readable sequel to City of Masks and will have readers turning the pages with enthusiasm. In some ways more complex than the first novel, City of Stars introduces more complex characters and darker themes, as well as obvious leads that will be followed through in the final book in the trilogy.

Entertaining reading.