Blog Tour Review: The Bronze and the Brimstone

The Bronze and the Brimstone (Verona, 2) by Lory S. Kaufman, 2011. 336 pages. Published by Fiction Studio. Source: Pumped Up Your Book Tours/Author.

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention to the rich and powerful.
But standing out can get you into unexpected and dangerous situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.
Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disasterous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.
Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume everyone.

First Sentence:

"Why don't I feel any pain?"

First off, I just want to say that the characters were much improved in the second installment of the Verona trilogy. Definitely liked them me in this one and found them to be less annoying then before.

One thing I was glad to see in The Bronze and the Brimstone was that the majority unanswered questions from the previous book were resolved, like, why they were actually sent to the past and if they were ever going to get back to their own time- especially since Arimus was no longer there.

While I really liked the majority of the second book, one of the things that really made this such a good read was when everything started to fall apart for Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln. I thought that Mr. Kaufman did an excellent job there, especially when the Black Plague reared its ugly head and made things even worse for them. When the plague hit I could not put the book down at all because I wanted/ need to know how things would play out for the three, plus it affected not only them, but those that they came to love and respect in the della Cappa household.
With the way things ended, I am definitely looking forward to seeing how everything will be resolve the final book. Mostly because I am looking forward to seeing how they will prove themselves in the struggle that they are surely to find themselves in.

I was really excited about how much the characters grew from the first book- The Lens and the Looks- to this one. I really enjoyed that they progressed from being pretty useless and spoiled to contributing members of their new household; plus, I really enjoyed how each their respective story lines gave the book a fuller look into various aspects of the world (or time) in which the book takes place.
The character that showed the most improvement- and oddly enough became my favorite character- was Lincoln. If ya'll saw my thoughts on him in the first book you would be surprised too. What made him so much better in this book was that he finally stopped acting like a pretty little kid and working towards being a valuable and reliable person. I did not actually think that he would ever show improvement, so I was excited to be proved wrong on that account. I also liked that as he was given more responsibilities- like keeping the books and mentoring younger apprentices- you could see the difference it wrought in him.
Hansum, had started to change in the first book, and well, he kind of back slided a little in the second book when he began to think that he could play with the "big-dogs".

What I really liked the most about the second book of Verona, The Bronze and the Brimstone, was that the story seemed to flow better and that things were a little more put together than in the first one. While the first one was good, it felt more like a set-up for the next two books, so I was quite excited to see the story line evolve a little more throughout this one and that most of my questions from the first book were answered.
     The one thing I did not like about The Bronze and the Brimstone was the beginning, which recapped what happened in the previous book. I usually like recaps, but the way that the recap was done made it feel more like the story was rewound to the last few chapters of The Lens and the Looker and told in a different- something that I can't put my finger on. I felt like the recap was maybe a skosh too long and that it kind of bogged down the beginning of the book.
Content (may contain spoilers; highlight to see):
The Bronze and the Brimstone was cleaner- and yet in one part not- then the previous book. I was definitely glad that there was less mention of toilet usage.
The only semi-questionable scene in the book would have to be when Hansum and Guilietta married in secret and the bluntly mention of them sleeping together (nothing graphic or anything). Oh, and the mention of them being spied upon (creepy old, greedy man).

Verona:
The Lens and the Looker
The Bronze and the Brimstone

Final Verdict: The Bronze and the Brimstone was absolutely thrilling.

The Bronze and the Brimstone earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.