stravaganti (original) (raw)

I realise this community not had a posting for a year now, but I've only just stumbled upon it so I hope it might still be a little active! I tried joining the proboards forum about a year ago but still don't have access to it, so I really hope there's _some_where I can gush about the brilliance that is this series... =D

I think I first stumbled upon City of Masks about eight years ago (bit difficult trying to figure out the dates because I can't actually remember not knowning about this amazing series!) and I've loved it ever since. It's spawned a love of Renaissance Italy in me, especially Venice (Arianna is still my favourite character, and Bellezza by favourite city-state - they say you never forget your first love =P), as well as a love of elaborate masks and dresses (okay, so Stravaganza wasn't wholly to blame for that, but it contribute!) and also an interest in the real-world parallels of the world of the series; I have a bit of a weakness now for books regarding the Medici family, and am really looking forward to the tv series The Borgias coming to the UK.

Oh yeah, I'm English by the way, and my name's Nia. I write and read a lot of fanfiction (haven't yet written any for Stravaganza yet, although I've had several ideas mapped out in my head for years), and I also attempt to make icons. If only there was a Stravaganza films to give me some more gorgeous material...!

So anyway, is anyone else anticipating the next book as much as I am? =P I adore the Arianna/Luciano relationship, Nick is another of my favourite characters, as are Silvia, Gaetano and Beatrice. There are others, far too numerable to mention though!

Mary Hoffman never fails to astound me with what she comes up with, especially regarding the whole art of stravagation and the new revelations about it in each book. I'm a bit of a nerd, so anything like time-travel, alternate realities, etc. fascinate me. I also love historical fiction, and romance, so basically the series is my ideal combination!

Anyway, sorry for rambling on, and hopefully I'm not just talking to myself! Really looking forward to meeting (in a sense) some like-minded fans! =D