Venom Readalong Week 4

QUESTIONS FOR THE VENOM READALONG, WEEK 4

Did Luca's choices and the complexity of his character surprise you?

I think Luca surprised me quite a bit. Cass seemed to have such mixed feelings about him especially early on when she was ignoring his notes and such that when he actually came around and rescued Cass I was a bit surprised. He seemed more like the chivalrous type but I like that he's also a romantic.

Did you trust Falco the whole time?

Surprisingly yes. I know he wasn't perfect but there was something about him that made me want to believe he was mostly good, and turns out he was. Aside from that whole stealing dead bodies thing ;)

As a whole, did you feel this book was sufficiently creepy and mysterious?

I thought the book was pretty mysterious and creepy. I was constantly asking questions and struggling to figure out what was going on. The whole stealing corpses thing was definitely creepy. Although I thought Belladonna was even more so.

 
Were you surprised by the ending?

Yes, I was a bit surprised by the end. I loved seeing how everything came together.

 
Do you think Cass made the right decision concerning the boys in the end? Would you do what she did (answer without spoiling!)

Considering her background and the time she lived in, I think she made the right choice. 

 
Were you right about the murderer? If not were you surprised?

No. I honestly had no clue who the killer was. I thought it might have been the man in the Falcon mask but as to who that person was, I had no idea. I was quite surprised with how everything turned out. Then again I'm horrible at figuring out who dunits.

 
Now that you've met both, what Team are you?

After Venom I was all Team Falco, but after Belladonna, I was totally team Luca.

 
What were your immediate thoughts after finishing? 

Wow, who knew I'd love historical YA so much, and man was Falco a great character, very sexy!

QUESTIONS FOR THE VENOM READALONG FROM FIONA, WEEK 4

Were you surprised when Luca returned to Venice? Why or why not?

Not really. I kept waiting for Cass to read the letter and the longer she went without reading it, I knew Luca had to come into play at some point.

 

Did you find Luca to be more protective or controlling of Cass? Why do you feel that way? 

Controlling no, protective most definitely. I think Luca has been in love with Cass a lot longer than she knows which is why Luca is so protective of her.

 

What secrets did you initially think he was keeping?

I wasn't quite sure what Luca was up to. I thought he might be spying on Cass to see if she was being unfaithful to him.

 

Why do you think Falco sent his roommate to deliver his message to Cass instead of coming himself? 

He was either up to something, or he didn't think Cass would see him, or both.
 

How did you feel about Cass essentially skipping her best friend's wedding to go look for Falco? Understandable? Unforgivable? How did you feel about her obligating Siena to cover for her?

I though Cass was crazy. She should have been there for her friend. I know she wanted answers but I don't think she went about it the right way or at the right time. Siena is very loyal to cover for her. She's a good friend, even if she did it because she felt obligated.

 

How did you feel about Luca's reveal of his secret? Would you have been angry at him if you were Cass? Why do you think he felt he couldn't confide in her?

No I wouldn't have been angry at Cass. At least not for very long. He probably should have let her know, but I think Luca was doing what he thought he needed to do in order to protect Cass.

 

I initially wanted a different ending regarding "the boys," but came to realize that Cass's decision is kind of the ultimate girl-power choice. How did you feel about her decision?

I think she made the right decision for herself at the time. She showed a lot of maturity and growth in her decision.

Venom Readalong Week 3

This post is part of the Venom Readalong. If you haven't checked out Venom I highly recommend it. There's mystery, mischievousness, surprises, fancy dresses, sexy artists, wealthy fiances, gondolas and a whole bunch more set in the beautiful Renaissance Venice.

QUESTIONS FOR THE VENOM READALONG, WEEK 3

Cass rarely goes anywhere without her dutiful handmaid Siena in tow. Would you like to have your own handmaid? Why or why not?

I'm not sure I'd like to have a handmaid. While having someone wait on you and help you would come in handy, I enjoy my privacy and alone time, so I don't think I'd want someone with me all the time.

 

It was very unusual for noblewomen in 1600 to be allowed to study, and later in the trilogy we will find out information about Agnese that explains why she allowed Cass this luxury. What subjects would you study if you were allowed to pick anything you liked?

Astronomy, I'm and aerospace enginerd, enough said ;)

 

Several readers have brought up that Falco is kind of mean to Cass, teasing her about being rich and essentially calling her a coward. Did you find this as mean? If there is a balance between challenging another person to be better and accepting them for who they are, where do you think Falco falls on this?

I didn't find him too mean in Venom. I thought he was trying to flirt and make the best of the fact that they come from two very different worlds. I don't think he was intentionally trying to be mean, I think Falco was trying to get a rise out of Cass. I think Falco falls more on the side of challenging Cass to see outside her world, but there are times he takes it a bit too far.

 

If there's a balance between brave and stupid, where does Cass fall when she sneaks out of the house to go investigate the chapel at San Giuda by herself? Have you ever wanted to know something so badly that you put yourself in danger to get your answers? do you think it is all right to expect more from book characters than from real people?

I think there is most certainly a balance between brave and stupid and I think Cass for the most part is brave. I think when Cass went to explore the chapel she was being mostly brave. She had no way of knowing what she would find there. I think she got out at the right time. 

As for myself, there have been times when I've wanted to know things that I did things that would have probably made others made if they found out what I was doing, but I never put myself in danger. I think to an extent we do expect more from book characters but it still needs to feel plausible.

 

What was your initial thought when you saw what Falco was doing in the graveyard attached to San Giuda? Did it seem horrible to you or not that big of a deal? Do you think your age or culture or religious beliefs affect how you felt?

When I found out what Falco was doing in the graveyard my heart sank. I knew it couldn't be anything good and I thought he was stealing from he bodies. It felt like a huge betrayal to Cass and I definitely don't agree with digging up dead bodies. I don't think my age, culture or religious beliefs factored into to how I felt. I thought Falco was up to something that wasn't good.

Venom Readalong Week 2

This post is part of the Venom Readalong. If you haven't checked out Venom I highly recommend it. There's mystery, mischievousness, surprises, fancy dresses, sexy artists, wealthy fiances, gondolas and a whole bunch more set in the beautiful Renaissance Venice.

QUESTIONS FOR THE VENOM READALONG, WEEK 2

How do you think Cass felt so out of her element in Chapter 9?
Because Cass is out running around at night with a guy she barely knows headed to a place in the city she's probably never been. She's seeing the other side of life in Venice with Falco as her tour guide. This is a part of the city that she probably never would have been to if it hadn't been for Falco and their investigation. And to top it off she doesn't know how the other side acts, which is evident when she sits in the back of the felze in the gondola when Falco steers. Then it gets worse when she starts seeing the nightlife around Venice and how the women are scantily dressed. At their final destination, Falco leaves her alone in a place that is so outside her comfort zone that she is completely out of her element and everyone else is completely aware, which makes her even more insecure.

Do you think Cristian rescuing Cass was a coincidence?
No, when I read this I didn't think anything of the rescue.

Do you think the tossing of her stays symbolizes anything? Or is it just a fun scene (that totally made me grin!)?
I think it was both a fun scene and a symbolic one. It shows Cass letting go and finally allowing herself to be free, and who she truly is.

Who do you think was behind the falcon mask?
There was a good chunk of the book that I thought it might be Luca.

What do you think of the whispered conversation between Falco and his friends?
It seemed like Falco was up to something but I wasn't really sure what. Some of it just seemed like boys being boys, and not having a conversation fitting of a lady especially one of status.

What do you think of this twist of events at the end of this section? (Remember no spoilers!)
I actually thought Cass might be hallucinating again.

In this chapter, Cass comes across prostitutes up close for the first time and finds herself enthrall by the strangeness of it. How would you, as a sheltered high-class girl, have reacted?
I was quite naive at Cass's age and in her situation I probably would have had a very similar reaction. Wide eyed, and astounded. And when I got caught I would have run from the room.

It's obvious Falco is keeping secrets. What do you think they are? Why do you think he's hiding the truth from Cass?
I wasn't sure what Falco was keeping from her but I knew it had to be something bad otherwise he would have just talked to her about it.

What do you think of the found painting? Does it seem important or irrelevant?
I didn't think anything of it.

When Cass asks Falco, "Why should I trust you?" he responds, "Because you want to." Is that a good reason for trust? Why or why not?
It's not a great reason, but it's the truth. They both realize that they are unexplicably drawn to each other and sometimes you have to just trust your gut and ignore what your head is saying.

In general, what do you think of the names used in Venom?
I love the names in Venom. They are unique and fit the time and setting well.

QUESTIONS FROM FIONA FOR THE VENOM READALONG, WEEK 2

Venom has been (rightfully) accused of having dialogue and syntax that is too modern for its period. This was intentional, though I did try my best not to use anachronistic words. I messed up a couple of times at least--words like "okay" and "creepy" did not exist in the 1600s. Did you find the less formal dialogue helpful or distracting? Did it detract from the reading experience? Did you catch any other anachronistic words?
This is actually one of the things I loved about the book. I usually stray away from historical books. I struggle with them, especially because of the language. Despite Venom taking place in a very historical setting, the dialogue helped ease me into something that I've struggled with and hated for years. I realized that historical definitely doesn't have to mean boring!

Cass is obviously a virgin, as all proper noblewomen were back then, and a subplot of Venom is her coming to terms with her first sexual feelings. Do you think the book would have been stronger in conveying that idea without the brothel scene? (Obviously some people found it scandalous, which is fine, but the inclusion of it was to use it sort of as a touchstone for Cass's increasing attraction to Falco).
I think the brothel scene was perfect. It did a lot of things. It showed how out of her element Cass was, but it also showed how curious she was about her developing maturity. Going from girl to women is a huge transitions and the idea of sex for the first time is scary and people don't always talk about it, especially in that time. So I think it was important for her to experience that even if it was raw and scandalous. It showed another side of the times.

What do you think about Cass's interactions with the man in the falcon mask? Does he seem crazy or just mysterious? What do you think about his statement that war can be beautiful?
I thought he was mysterious with a small side of potential creeper. The falcon masked man did raise a lot of mystery, but he also raised some red flags. And his statement about war being beautiful was a bit suspicious. While people can often find beauty in anything, war is one of those things that is terrifying and largely negative. There is some beauty in the "dance" of the soldiers and how they clash and interact. However, by and large, war is ugly, and the fact that the man in the falcon mask thought otherwise, was definite cause for concern.

Why does Cass wait so dang long to read Luca's latest letter, even though she takes notice of it almost every time she passes?
This was one of the things that annoyed me with the book and I mean that in a good way. I wanted to know so badly what was in Luca's letter, but the fact that she continued to ignore it really said something. She wouldn't have ignored the letter for so long if she felt confident in her arrangement with Luca, and the fact that she noted the letter every time she passed means she felt guilty about it.