Review by Kelly Jarvis: Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez

Graceless Heart is a stunning historical fantasy which swept me away to Renaissance Italy. Ravenna Maffei, the daughter of innkeepers, is a gifted sculptor who can shape beauty from stone, but when she enters a sculpting competition to save her brother’s life, she reveals a hidden secret that risks putting her and her entire family in danger. Ravenna possesses magical abilities which the immortal dei Luni family need in order to survive the Pope’s war against magic, and she soon finds herself a captive at the hands of their dangerous and handsome oldest son. Alone in a new city, and not sure who to trust, Ravenna will have to rely on her own abilities to create works of art from unyielding stone in order to survive.

As a fan of Isabel Ibanez’ duology What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides, I was thrilled to pick up Graceless Heart which is marketed as the writer’s adult debut. The writing is steeped in vivid details which transport the reader to unfamiliar places, and the narrative is filled with metaphors regarding the magic and beauty of the creative process. The setting is heavily researched, the characters are well-developed, and the romance provides just the right combination of danger and attraction. Like a well-crafted statue, the story lingers in the mind, encouraging further contemplation. 

I loved this historical fantasy which explores ideas of artistic creation and restraint alongside its exciting and suspenseful plot. The author captures the beauty of the setting and the intensity of the time period while also weaving magical stones and crystals into the romantic narrative. It is an atmospheric, dreamy enemies-to-lovers tale that will have readers riveted until the very end. If you enjoy historical novels with deep character building, artistic contemplation, simmering passion, and a rewarding plot twist, Graceless Heart is the book for you! You can find it here.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly, The Chamber Magazine, The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/