The Amalfi Curse
by Sarah Penner
Publisher: Park Row
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Reviewed by PJ
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…
Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
PJ's Thoughts:
I'm going to need a nap today and it's completely Sarah Penner's fault. I was awake half the night finishing Penner's newest novel, The Amalfi Curse. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.
This book has it all. Italy's Amalfi Coast (If you've visited, this will take you right back. If not, you'll be aching to go.). Sea witches (I believe). Dual timeline (I was equally invested in the stories and characters from both). Intrigue. Betrayal (I did not see some of those twists coming!). Forbidden love (in one timeline). Maybe fated love in the other? Complex, well-developed characters who tugged at my heart. Shipwrecks...sunken treasure...twists...turns...and OMG, what just happened??? I gasped. I cheered. I turned the final page with a big ole happy smile. Pretty sure I'll be reading this one again.
If dual-timeline mysteries with a touch of magic that sweep you away to stunning locations are your jam, add The Amalfi Curse to your book buying list. But, clear your schedule before opening the first page. This book is darn near impossible to put down.
Thanks for the exciting review. I have not been fortunate enough to see the Amalfi Coast, but I actually have some photos of the area on my computer in my revolving show. So I know how lovely it is. This does sound like it has a great deal in the story to hold a reader's interest. Terrific - a new to me author with a story to tell.
ReplyDelete