Review Detail

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn is an interesting take on days before Mount Vesuvius erupts and destroys Pompeii. It follows two characters, Felix and Loren, and how their paths converge before tragedy strikes in this standalone debut.

Felix is a thief by trade and does the unthinkable when he steals Mercury's helmet from a temple. This helmet hasn't been able to be handled by anyone. The mystery of why Felix has the ability to touch it grants him unwanted attention - especially for a thief.

Loren leaves his family home to pursue his vision within the temple of Isis. The problem is, no one believes in the visions he has because he hasn't gone through proper training.

When Felix ends up at the temple of Isis, Loren's visions start to make sense. Now Loren needs to figure out how Felix, Mercury's helmet, and his visions of the world ending all connect.

What worked:
The connection between Felix and Loren is undeniable. They're polar opposite personalities and goals attract as you would expect from magnets. As they navigate the corruption of Pompeii and Ancient Rome, their relationship grows closer. These are definitely a pair you can root for. The LGBT rep in the book is undeniable and feels authentic to the story.

What didn't work:
The pacing of the book was not easy. I found the beginning to be slow and repetitive, making it hard to stay focused. The author took a prolonged time to establish the characters which made it feel light on action. I expected more tension based on the description of the book.

Final Verdict:
As a debut novel, Cass Biehn established a retelling readers don't get often by having queer characters in this time period. Their idea was unique and eye-catching. Biehn did a fantastic job on creating characters that the readers can root for. Pacing and action sequences are things the author could continue to improve on in future works. I would recommend this book to readers who are very character oriented and want to have a unique experience within a story.