The Amalfi Curse by. Sarah Penner | ARC Review – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Amalfi Curse

Author: Sarah Penner

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 4/29/25

Publisher: Park Row

Categories: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, Italy

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Park Row for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.

Content Warning: violence, death

+ The setting for this story is perfectly set in beautiful and luscious Positano, Italy. I loved it.

+ The story flashbacks from present day to the past where Positano was home to witches who could control the sea. I thought it was fascinating to see how the search for a shipwreck and treasure coincided with the timeline of the past. Haven not only dives to the shipwreck but she uses resources like the archives. I liked the history and the reveal at the end of what happened to Mari and Holmes.

+ The story moves quickly between the past and the present. In both timelines there is tension – with Mari trying to protect the streghe (witches) and the people in her town in general against the Mazza brothers. And in the present timeline, Haven is racing against the clock because a volcano is supposed to erupt, and it puts a wrench in her job. She’s also trying to put off someone else who is trying to find the treasure of the shipwreck before her.

+ There is some romance, which I’m glad is there because it’s Positano, Italy. Haven meeting Enzo just makes everything more lush.

~ Would have loved more tension and drama between Haven and Conrad (the man who’s trying to go after the treasure) just to make things even more exciting.

Final Thoughts:

This is an entertaining read perfect for the summer! It’s set in Italy, has history, magic, witches, romance, search for a shipwreck and a mystery with an interesting reveal.