Giovanni De Feo emerges as a compelling new voice in gothic historical fantasy with The Secret Market of the Dead, a debut novel that weaves Italian folklore into an intricate tapestry of ambition, sacrifice, and the price of defying destiny. Set in 18th-century Lucerìa, a fictional town in the Kingdom of Naples, this tale follows Oriana Siliceo’s fierce struggle to claim her place in a world that refuses to see her worth.
A World Where Night and Day Bleed Together
De Feo constructs a richly atmospheric setting where the boundaries between the mortal realm and the nocturnal otherworld remain tantalizingly porous. Lucerìa exists in a constant state of twilight tension, where seven immortal Major Ones—Night Saints—govern different domains of darkness. The worldbuilding draws heavily from Southern Italian folklore, creating an authentic sense of place that feels both historically grounded and delightfully otherworldly.
The concept of Moira—the power to reshape one’s destiny—serves as the novel’s central magical system, though it comes with devastating costs. De Feo’s exploration of how desperation drives people to the Secret Market of the Dead feels particularly resonant, as vendors hawk destiny itself to those willing to pay its “immeasurably steep price.”
Oriana Siliceo: A Protagonist Forged in Fire
Oriana stands as one of the most compelling protagonists in recent fantasy literature. Her journey from a young woman fantasizing about smithwork to someone willing to embrace the Night’s dangerous gifts showcases De Feo’s skill in character development. The author portrays her frustration with societal constraints through vivid, often painful scenes that highlight the suffocating expectations placed upon women in this era.
The relationship between Oriana and her twin brother Oriano provides the novel’s emotional core. Their bond, fraught with love, competition, and growing distance, feels authentically complex. De Feo avoids simplistic portrayals of sibling rivalry, instead crafting a relationship that shifts between tenderness and bitter competition as their paths diverge.
Particularly effective is how Oriana’s character arc mirrors the classical hero’s journey while subverting traditional expectations. Her trials aren’t just about proving her smithing skills—they’re about claiming agency in a world determined to deny it to her.
The Poetry of De Feo’s Prose
De Feo’s writing style draws clear inspiration from Italian literary traditions, particularly the lyrical quality found in magical realism. His prose flows like molten metal, shaped by careful attention to rhythm and imagery. Consider this passage describing Oriana’s nocturnal forging:
“When she needed strength, she asked the Hammer. And the Hammer gave to her the power of rivers and ancient roots.”
The repetitive, almost incantatory quality of such passages creates a hypnotic effect that perfectly suits the novel’s gothic atmosphere. De Feo excels at sensory description, making readers feel the heat of the forge, smell the sulfur of the Night, and taste the metallic tang of destiny being reshaped.
However, this poetic approach occasionally slows the narrative pace. Some readers may find certain descriptive passages indulgent, particularly in the middle section where Oriana navigates the dream realms. While these sequences showcase De Feo’s impressive imagination, they sometimes feel disconnected from the central plot’s urgency.
Themes That Cut Deep
The novel explores themes of gender inequality, family expectation, and the price of ambition with remarkable nuance. Oriana’s struggle against a patriarchal society that values her only as a potential wife and mother feels genuinely urgent, never descending into heavy-handed messaging. De Feo understands that the most effective social commentary emerges from character-driven storytelling rather than authorial lecturing.
The exploration of family dynamics proves equally compelling. The Siliceo household, with its complex web of love, disappointment, and manipulation, feels authentically dysfunctional. Donna Lena’s transformation from protective mother to manipulative force showcases De Feo’s understanding of how love can become twisted by fear and societal pressure.
The Market’s Dark Bargains
The titular Secret Market of the Dead serves as both a brilliant plot device and a powerful metaphor for how desperation can lead people to make choices that fundamentally alter their nature. De Feo’s descriptions of the market’s otherworldly vendors and their impossible wares create some of the novel’s most memorable scenes.
The author’s handling of the supernatural elements demonstrates impressive restraint. Rather than overwhelming readers with fantastical creatures and powers, he uses them sparingly, making each supernatural encounter feel significant and earned. The Major Ones—particularly the Duke of the Under-earth—possess a gravitas that makes their rare appearances genuinely impactful.
Where the Forge Burns Less Bright
Despite its many strengths, The Secret Market of the Dead isn’t without flaws. The pacing suffers in places, particularly during the extended sequences in Serapide’s dream realm. While these sections showcase De Feo’s imagination, they occasionally feel indulgent at the expense of narrative momentum.
Some secondary characters, particularly the young women who support Oriana’s cause, could benefit from more individual development. They often feel more like symbols of female solidarity than fully realized characters with their own motivations and complexities.
The novel’s resolution, while emotionally satisfying, raises questions about the sustainability of Oriana’s choices. De Feo’s ending feels both triumphant and melancholic, which suits the gothic tone but may leave some readers wanting more concrete resolution of the societal issues the story raises.
Technical Mastery and Literary Merit
De Feo demonstrates impressive technical skill throughout the novel. His dialogue captures the rhythms of period speech without feeling stilted or artificial. The author’s background as a performing storyteller with a repertoire of Italian folktales clearly informs his narrative voice, lending authenticity to the folkloric elements.
The novel’s structure, built around Oriana’s trials and her growing relationship with the Night, maintains forward momentum despite occasional pacing issues. De Feo successfully balances multiple narrative threads—the sibling competition, the romance with Villabianca, the supernatural bargains—without losing focus on Oriana’s central journey.
A Debut That Promises Much
As a debut novel, The Secret Market of the Dead announces De Feo as a significant new talent in gothic fantasy. His ability to blend historical detail with folkloric elements, combined with his poetic prose style and strong character development, suggests a writer with substantial potential for future works.
The novel works particularly well for readers who appreciate atmospheric, character-driven fantasy that prioritizes emotional depth over action sequences. Those who enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow or The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon will likely find much to appreciate in De Feo’s approach.
Similar Journeys Worth Taking
Readers who find themselves enchanted by De Feo’s blend of historical fantasy and folkloric elements should consider exploring:
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – Another tale of a young woman making supernatural bargains to claim agency
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Gothic atmosphere with strong feminist themes
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – Slavic folklore meets historical fiction
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Atmospheric fantasy with magical realism elements
- The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – Historical fantasy with rich cultural details
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow – Women claiming power in a patriarchal world
- Circe by Madeline Miller – Mythological retelling focused on female agency
Final Verdict
The Secret Market of the Dead succeeds as both an entertaining fantasy novel and a thoughtful exploration of gender, family, and the price of ambition. While it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own lyrical ambitions, the novel’s emotional core remains strong throughout. De Feo has crafted a story that lingers in the mind long after the final page, much like the nocturnal marketplace of his imagination.
This is historical fantasy at its most atmospheric and character-driven, a debut that establishes De Feo as a voice worth following. For readers seeking stories that challenge societal expectations while delivering genuine emotional impact, Oriana’s journey from forge-dreamer to Night-touched smith offers rewards worth the price of admission.
The novel earns its place among the year’s notable fantasy debuts, promising good things for De Feo’s future works while delivering a complete, satisfying story in its own right. In a genre often dominated by familiar tropes, The Secret Market of the Dead offers something genuinely fresh—a reminder that the best fantasy emerges when authors dare to forge their own path, regardless of the cost.
