Isabel, a younger twin by a matter of minutes, is transported to the merchant city of Classe in Talia (real-life Ravenna). Here she discovers she is a Stravagante who can travel through time using her talisman, a pouch of silver mosaic tiles. In Classe, Isabel meets Flavia who is a successful female merchant and mother to a pirate. When the city comes under attack from the fierce Gate People, Isabel must overcome her innate shyness and help to save the city.

Review: This is the fifth adventure in the Stravaganza series. If you are not familiar with the previous stories this is not the place to start for this is a complex fantasy world with many characters, relationships and locations and it’s a frustrating business trying to get to grips with all of this as you read. That having been said, this parallel version of Sixteenth century Italy is nicely constructed and the reader gets a real taste of fine art, architecture and society. The port and market are noisy and busy and the battle scenes exciting and evocative with a genuine sense of danger.

There is certainly plenty to get your teeth into here and a little research suggests that a whole community has developed around the series with fan fiction and a comprehensive website with all sorts of interesting detail about Talia. An intriguing, intricate plot makes this an entertaining read for the Stravaganza fan. But start with the first title, Stravaganza: City of Masks, if you are new to the books to really appreciate the depth and substance of this fantasy world.