I was so excited for this book, and while I did enjoy it for the most part, I was left feeling somewhat disappointed. I had such high expectations and something fell a little flat for me.

things I liked:
- the setting, pompeii, was really fun. I recently visited pompeii so it was cool to have actual knowledge of the place.
- lgbt+ characters, because the historical genre needs more of that.
- felix was fun and exciting. I really loved his character arc and journey throughout the book.


things I didn’t:
- loren was kinda dull and boring. I felt he didn’t grow and change much.
- the middle really lagged a lot. the beginning and end were decent enough, but that middle was rough.
- I struggled to get fully immersed in the writing.

I picked this up because it was described as ‘queer YA fantasy debut set in ancient Pompeii’.

I was intrigued by the fantasy element. I don't read pure historical fiction set in Ancient Rome because I studied it and I get caught up on the details.

Unfortunately for me, the magical element isn't really that present. There's several different plots going on and the political and social plot was given more time than the magic and I wasn't that interested.

I struggled with the ancient setting and modern language and dialogue. Aside from that, it was a well written and engaging book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Atom Books for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, violence, murder, slavery, references to sexual violence/CSA, PTSD

In ancient Pompeii, enterprising thief Felix steals a helmet from a temple in the hope of selling it on to get further on his way. However, when he’s chased by a mysterious patrician through the city, Felix discovers that the helmet he’s stolen is actually a relic to the god Mercury. Upon touching it, Felix is forced to reckon with fragments of his missing past returning to him. Thinking he’s gotten away, Felix runs into a temple- and straight into the life of Loren. Loren, a temple attendant and aspiring councilman, has been plagued by nightmares of Pompeii’s eventual destruction. Cursed with visions of the future, he’s terrified when a series of earthquakes hit the city, bringing with it the very boy he’s been dreaming about for months- and the one who will cause Pompeii’s ruin. With only days to go before Pompeii is destroyed by Mt Vesuvius, they must work out why Felix has a connection to the relic and to find a way to save the city, even as their own feelings begin to complicate things.

I never knew I needed a book like ‘Vesuvius’ until I read it, a queer historical YA set during the fall of Pompeii. Felix and Loren have my entire heart- Felix is so hurt and fast moving, determined not to be wounded again while Loren is tormented by visions of Pompeii’s destruction (and Felix’s involvement). Despite knowing what’s coming, you hope for the best for both boys because they deserve some kindness in the world. I raced through ‘Vesuvius’, unable to put it down as I became more attached to the characters and the tension of the city, so close to the eruption that ended everything. I loved how the author plunged us into the world of Pompeii, a crowded city determined by politics and powerful people, while also allowing the reader to stay close to Felix and Loren’s perspectives. One particular scene, set on the mountain itself between Felix and Loren, was my absolute favourite part of the entire novel; it was vivid, emotional and deeply unsettling. I wasn’t sure how this book would end, given the circumstances, but I loved it so much- an incredible debut novel!

Felix is a clever thief who steals what he thinks is just a valuable helmet, but surprise—it's actually a relic of Mercury that starts unlocking his forgotten past. Meanwhile, Loren is a temple attendant having prophetic nightmares about Pompeii's destruction that feature Felix, who literally stumbles into his temple during an earthquake. Meet cute of the century, right? They've got mere days to figure out Felix's connection to the relic and Loren's dreams if they want any hope of saving the city from Mount Vesuvius. No pressure! Plus there's bloody Roman politics and dangerous people lurking everywhere because apparently impending volcanic doom wasn't stressful enough.

Cass Biehn's writing is absolutely incredible. The romance is pretty light on relationship development, but in a good way that hits all the right emotional beats without overshadowing the larger plot. Perfect for anyone who loves their queer YA fantasy with a side of historical disaster and just enough romance to make your heart race while the world literally burns around them!

his is a wonderful debut and a truly special book.

Taking place during such a catastrophically horrifying event in history, the author has managed to give the tragedy justice by humanising the residents of Pompeii and portraying their daily struggles, hopes and dreams. One side character I won’t forget is Elias - Trapped in a cage society pushed him into, he is desperate to leave Pompeii and works as a sxx worker to save money. Elias is one of the most quietly wise characters in the book, and kind to both main characters despite his own circumstances. Similarly I adored the portrayal of Aurelia, a curious and stubborn girl who has become like a little sister to Loren. Though Loren’s blood family treated him coldly and like an object that existed to do their bidding, the family he chose in Pompeii are warm and caring. Aurelia, Livia and Nonna are wonderful depictions of strong women, which I love to see in a book with two male main characters.

The two main characters. Felix and Loren. AAAAA I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! They were wonderfully written, their personalities so raw in their humanity - both desperate to belong somewhere. I could relate to them both in multiple ways ! I really loved that their personalities were so different, and yet they aligned so well together. Two souls that were destined to meet! Felix brought Loren out of his shell and made him feel comfortable in being himself; Loren passionately reciting stories and legends he loves, with Felix listening every time! Likewise for the first time in his life, Felix was seen, after years of blending into the shadows. A lifetime of sneaking between towns at a moments notice, but Loren convinced Felix to stay.

The author was skilled in the way they wrote about difficult topics without revolving the entire plot around it. The topics of religious trauma and SA are so important and these stories being told are vital. This will be really impactful for teenagers with similar trauma to read and know there is light after dark times. The author also presented mental illness and grief in a painfully relatable way, and it meant a lot to me seeing “broken” characters being loved and accepted with open arms.

The ending was incredibly powerful, and beautifully hopeful. Hence me crying. A LOT. This book is about finding yourself, being true to who you are, and following your own path; not just what family or even fate expects of you. There is a real importance to tending your wounds and giving them the proper care so that they can heal. Letting them scar and not forgetting about them, but not letting those past pains define you.

I adored this book so much, one of my new favourite books and authors! I cannot wait to read Cass’ next book! This is one of those books that makes me grateful I get to read. The world needs books like this right now.

A really good historical/fantasy/romance book. I loved the characters and the setting.

Even knowing how it would end, in a way, it still got me.

Vesuvius is a powerful mash‑up of historical adventure, soft mythic fantasy, and a tender queer romance, all set against Pompeii’s tragic backdrop. It shines through its vivid sense of place, authentic characters, and the poignant hope found in love and action—even when the clock is ticking. Despite pacing hiccups and a less explosive climax, it’s an emotionally resonant and thoughtful debut.

If you love history, YA and well written character arcs, this is for you.
Felix, a thief who lives on the run, ends up stuck with Loren, an attendant of Isis. The two grow closer during the final days of Pompeii, letting the readed into their wonderful personalities and characterisations.
The historical element is really good, with a touch of fantasy that ties in perfectly.
Beihn’s writing brings pompeii to life and makes for a truly enjoyable read, and proved to me that I haven’t fully grown out of YA.
A brilliant debut.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown for the ARC.

I'm a real sucker for a historical novel set in Pompeii and couldn't wait to read this one. Felix, a thief who lives life on the run, ends up being stuck with Loren, a long haired attendant of Isis, who has visions. The two grow closer during the final days of Pompeii. The historical element is done so well and I adored the addition of the fantasy side.
I loved both characters and enjoyed their arcs. Cass did an amazing job of bringing the streets and lives of Pompeii to life. This is a seriously strong debut and I really enjoyed it. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and this really helped pull me out of it.
A brilliant first novel. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group and Cass Biehn for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vesuvius is a queer YA novel set in Pompeii shortly before the eruption of Vesuvius. The premise is certainly an intriguing one!

I enjoyed this story, it took me a while to get into it and felt that the pacing (considering the situation) suffered at times but I connected with the two main characters and we got Dual POV which would help when the pacing slowed. I also think there was less action than I expected but that's really on me for making assumptions

The descriptions and side characters boost the story and there is a hopeful tone to the ending. It's not quite 4 stars for me but it's not 3 either! I would also read something by Cass again. I think this book will split people but if you like mythology and YA this would be ideal one for you or young readers in your life.

#bookreview #books #reading #book #bookpost #bookworm #bookish #love #queer #netgalley #ya #magic #mythology #fantasy #lgbtq

after finished reading this book, i've still thinking what's the rating for this. but the more i think about it, the more that i give a lower rating

the description has a lot potential to be honest. it has a very slow start, but i love the magical system. and the chemistry between felix and loren? IT HAS ANGST!

but i felt uncomfy after i saw a name of one of the priest (who shall not be named). i mean, it's fictional but why is the author named like that? also, felix's actions at the start of the book, especially when he's with loren.

3.5/5 stars

Vesuvius is a YA Historical Fantasy novel that follows Felix, a thief, and Loren, a temple attendant with political ambitions, in the days leading up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. Loren has been having prophetic dreams of Felix triggering the end of world for years, so when Felix comes into this life with the stolen helmet of Mercury he can hardly believe his eyes.

To start, I think Cass Biehn did a good job of creating two characters that are interesting and contrasting to each other. They both have very different backgrounds, personalities, and motivations. I do think they could have been a bit more developed, but overall they are both intriguing characters and I enjoyed getting to know them over the course of the book. I thought the side characters in the book were interesting too, especially Aurelia and Livia.

My biggest issue with the book was that the description doesn't match the actual story. Based off of the description on NetGalley, I was expecting this to be an action-packed adventure where the two boys try to prevent the destruction of Pompeii with a sweet romance subplot. However, it felt as though Mount Vesuvius's impending eruption was secondary to Loren's burgeoning political career and the inner workings of Pompeii's social elite. Loren was frequently distracted from his prophetic visions by the opportunity to network and further his position in Pompeii. He claimed his top priority was stopping Felix from ending the world, but his actions usually suggested otherwise. Additionally, because Felix wasn't really aware of Loren's visions and that he was going to bring about the end times, his POV chapters were also not focused on the eruption.

Ultimately, I think this book suffered from trying to do too many things at once. Combining an exploration of Pompeii's political and social elite, saving the world from Mount Vesuvius, uncovering Felix's mysterious past, Loren's visions and a romance between the two of them was too much. The portions of the book spent on the politics of Pompeii dragged a bit for me and made it difficult for me to focus on the story. The pacing was off as a result, with the first 15% and 80-90% of the book having a lot of action, and the middle 15-80% and last 10% feeling a bit aimless. I think if less time was spent on Loren's political ambitions, the book would have been much more engaging.

Overall, Vesuvius wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't the book that was advertised to me. I think if you're interested in a story about two boys--one of which is trying to escape his past to build his own life in Pompeii as a politician, while the other is trying to remember who he is, you would enjoy this book.

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn is a queer YA fantasy set in ancient Pompeii, just days before the volcano erupts. It follows Felix, a smooth-talking thief with a magical secret, and Loren, a temple boy haunted by dreams of the coming disaster.
The vibe is part romance, part myth, part race-against-time. Their connection feels real and emotional, and the story blends Roman gods, politics, and slow-burning tension in a really cool way.
It’s not super heavy on the fantasy—more like a historical drama with a magical twist. The eruption scene isn’t huge, but honestly, it’s the characters and their bond that make this book shine.
If you like queer love stories with heart, ancient settings, and a bit of magic, this one’s a great read.

Vesuvius is a queer, YA reimagining of the story of Pompeii. We follow Felix, a thief who has stolen an important artefact, and Loren, a temple assistant who keeps dreaming of Felix destroying Pompeii.

The author did a brilliant job at immersing the reader into the Pompeii setting and I was surprised by how much political intrigue there was in this novel. The characters were complex and each had their flaws and ambitions, which I enjoyed following.

The prose was beautiful and I really liked the juxtaposition of classic influences in the writing with more modern twists. For example, I enjoyed how the author did not make flaws fatal and instead gave characters the room to grow and change.

However, at times the pacing did pull me out of the story and romance, though by the end it did manage to bring me back. The magic and mythology could also have played a bigger role and was a little underwhelming.

But overall, I think Vesuvius is a great debut novel from the author, and I absolutely love the cover!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Vesuvius was a glorious read!
I fell in love with the awkward character that made me scream 'just tell him' on more than a few occasions, but these characters kept me rooting for them until the very end.

We all know the story of Pompeii but when pop culture takes it as inspiration; I'm always so intrigued to see the aspect they'll focus on. Biehn chooses the most wonderful human aspects of people attempting to make their way of find their place in the world...with just a little dash of the old gods that remain in people's memories.

This book was full of wonder, mystery, action and yearning - making it a solid read for audiences of all ages.

Vesuvius is all about the slow burn and moody vibes. The Italian setting is gorgeous, the pining is real, and the writing is super atmospheric. I loved the longing, but the pacing dragged a bit for me in places.

If you’re in the mood for something soft, emotional, and full of yearning—this one’s for you!

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the eARC of this book.

We find ourselves in Pompeii right as pro thief Felix gets away — or tries to — with stealing an artefact of the gods. When he’s chased by the henchmen of a powerful patrician he stumbles into a temple for shelter and subsequently Loren, right as an earthquake hits the city. Loren has been dreaming about Felix and his inscrutable connection to Pompeii’s destruction for far too long and together they must discover the ties between Felix and the artefact and Pompeii’s incoming doom before it’s too late.

As someone who’d thought she’d outgrown YA, this was an utter delight. The setting is lively and atmospheric, letting you dive right into the streets and happenings of ancient Pompeii. Not once does it feel stiff or unnatural, the characters blend in perfectly.
And speaking of the characters, this story achieves the rare thing of not throwing one character at me, imploring me to like them, when in reality they’re annoying as all hell. It’s been a reoccurring theme in YA (at least for me) over the years and over the course of this book, it hasn’t happened once. Every last character — except for the obviously evil ones, of course — is charming and endearing in their own way, whether it be through humour or kindness or a little mischief. And without giving away the game: Felix and Loren. Oh sweethearts.

Absolutely would recommend this book for a fun read!

I really enjoyed this book and I really did not know how it was going to go well worth a read. The two lead characters. Were interesting.. the mixing in of prophecy was well balanced.. I will definitely look for other books by this author.

VESUVIUS is a fast-paced tale, occurring over about five days, as Felix and Loren dash about Pompeii trying to stay one step ahead of those after the helmet.

There are several parties interested in them, and one had delightfully hard-to-pin-down motives. Julia was so slippery, I didn't trust her but I didn't know why, and that made her the more compelling of the players. She certainly felt like more of a threat because she wasn't acting quite so overtly unfriendly.

I would be really interested to know what a Classicist thought of the book, particularly the setting. It's not a period I know much about so I didn't know what was taken from real life and what was created for the story. Certainly, the tone of the world building is not one where it's trying to show you whether it's accurate or not. That felt like a deliberate choice, not letting the setting intrude on the story's pace or the characters' journeys.,

For much of the book, the more speculative elements - prophecy mostly - felt like it could be read as simply the beliefs of the day. As someone who likes historical novels, I quite enjoyed the fact that it didn't necessarily need to be a fantasy. However, towards the end, the role played by the helmet makes the speculative impossible to ignore and the book veers more towards the fantasy realm.

I did find this speculative shift a little confusing, not quite understanding what the helmet's power was or why it was so important. It meant I struggled to follow the last quarter of the book, unsure at first whether these were hallucinations or real. It was quite a disorientating change in tone.

For a book called VESUVIUS, and with a cover like this, I felt like the volcanic eruption was dealt with rather fast. A few chapters across (with only really one dealing with the deadly part of the eruption) and that was it - and then there was a bunch of stuff afterwards, which also managed to overlook the devastation of such an eruption. It just felt like the eruption had been built up and then didn't quite live up to that promise.

As soon as I saw the cover, I had a feeling that this book would be one I would fall head over heels for. Set in Ancient Pompeii. A young thief. It's YA. It's gay... And you know what? I adored it!

From the very first page, Cass Biehn had me in a complete chokehold that I just could not escape. So much so that I read this in one sitting, barely moving the entire time I was reading, and that hasn't happened to me for a little while now! It was addictive reading. Exhilarating with moments that had my heart practically leaping into my throat. I loved the two main characters, our narrators, Felix and Loren. They felt well fleshed out and believable. The descriptions had me pulled straight back to their time and I was immersed.

Cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you so much to Atom for the review copy! It is very much appreciated!