Book Review: Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
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Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
Published: January 13, 2026
Genres: Adult // Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: Graceless Heart delivers a historical fiction set in Renaissance Italy with an intriguing plot, but struggles with pacing, an indecisive FMC, and an underdeveloped romance. I recommend this for readers seeking a fast-paced fantasy standalone with beautiful historical atmosphere, but skip if you're here for a good romance or strong characters.
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War
Murder/Death of a Family Member
Religious Bigotry
Pregnancy Mentions
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Renaissance Italy/15th century European settings
Multiple POVs
Captive-to-Lover Romance
Political Intrigue
What is Graceless Heart about?
#1 New York Times bestseller Isabel Ibañez in her adult debut: a gorgeous, historical, and romantic fantasy that will leave readers breathless for more!
She was never meant to be seen. Now she’s a weapon the world can’t ignore.
As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence’s most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.
Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence’s walls.
The Pope’s war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her — or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war.
Graceless Heart Review
Graceless Heart is Isabel Ibanez’s adult fantasy debut set in renaissance Italy. I’ll admit historical fiction is a little bit outside my comfort zone, but I couldn’t resist a story with magic told in such a beautiful, rich setting. I loved how historical figures, like the Medici family, were woven in seamlessly and I thought the author did a great job making the setting feel immersive through descriptions of the cities, the people, and even the food. In terms of the story itself, I found the overall direction of the plot really interesting and fun to read.
However, there were a couple things that stopped this from being a new favorite.
Confusing Storytelling
You know when you join a conversation when a person is in the middle of telling a story and you just nod and pretend you know what’s going on? That’s how I felt reading a lot of this book. It wasn't clear how the details revealed earlier in the book connected with the bigger picture until the very end, so I spent most of my time collecting random bits of information without understanding what to do with them. And since there were multiple POVs and storylines, I often lost track of which details belonged where. This is a personal preference, but I wish the reveals had been more scattered throughout the book or there were fewer mysteries to juggle.
Characters & Romance
I was also disappointed in our FMC Ravenna. She is a sculptress caught between two warring factions who both want to use her magic. She should have had the leverage to be the strongest, most strategic character in the book, yet Ravenna remains frustratingly indecisive throughout the book and it’s unclear who’s side she’s on. We’re in her POV for most of the book, so it was odd she didn’t seriously wrestle with that decision. She felt very helpless and too much like a young adult character. I think a story where she’s able to uncover more about her power, make a clear decision on who to work with on her own, and connect her personal motivations to the larger political machinations would have made for a much stronger, compelling adult fantasy. As is, a lot of the plot felt like getting herself out of a mess of her own making through her indecision.
Lastly, I was not buying the romance between Ravenna and our mysterious immortal MMC, Saturnino. There were some moments with longing and tension, but their love felt abrupt and I wished there was more of a gradual build up. There were attempts to build a connection between them but many of these deeper conversations with Saturnino felt contrived and out of place. As a side note, this book has the most bizarrely placed "good girl" scene ever, and I couldn't help thinking of that awkward scene every time our MCs were together.
So, Should You Read Graceless Heart?
Overall, I’d recommend this if you want a fast paced story with a richly described historical setting or a satisfying standalone fantasy that neatly ties up by the end of the book. However, if you’re interested in this for the romance or a strong FMC, I think there are better books out there to choose from!
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Graceless Heart FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Yes, Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez is a standalone.
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Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez is a 3 🌶️ or open door. That means readers are present for spice scenes but we’re spared from a lot of explicit details.
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The spicy chapters in Gracless Heart are:
Capitolo Trentasette (37)
Capitolo Quaranta (40)
There is also one quick spice scene in Marco dei Luni’s POV chapter, but it only lasts 1 paragraph and is not very detailed.