Mary Hoffman's Stravaganza series plunges the reader into the dramatic realm of Talia, a country similar to 16th century Italy, but which exists parallel to our own modern world. Certain members of our world, known as Stravaganti, find Talismans, magical objects which enable them to cross into Talia and influence events there.

City of Swords is the sixth book in the series, but has unfortunately lost the tight plotlines and vivid protagonists that characterised the earlier novels. There are now seven young Stravaganti, assorted hangers-on, and a large range of Talian nobles, magicians and spies, which forces Hoffman to go for breadth, rather than depth, when depicting her characters. The large cast was also confusing, even though I had met many of the characters in the preceeding books, partly because some characters had undergone rather disconcerting personality changes.

That being said, the story did gather pace as it progressed and began to become more focused – there were also fewer clunky phrases to disrupt the flow of the novel. However, important turning points in the book were still rushed and skated over, which is a shame, as several of the plot strands were original and captivating enough to deserve fuller attention.
Mary Hoffman's usual array of gripping plots, vibrant settings, lucid prose and striking characterisation is a high standard to meet, and unfortunately her latest novel does fall short. That being said, it is still an entertaining and enjoyable read for a wet Sunday afternoon.

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