The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
⭐ The Amalfi Curse — 4 Stars! Sunken Treasure, Sea Witches & Surprisingly Emotional Magic 🌊🧿
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Illness • Death • Drowning • Violence • Child Endangerment • Betrayal • Kidnapping • Cholera • Shipwrecks • Animal Death • Magical Coercion • Family Trauma
🏖️ My Thoughts
I went into this book completely unaware that magical realism was going to make an appearance — had I known, I probably would’ve braced myself. Fantasy-ish elements usually aren’t my thing, but this one? It won me over.
The dual timelines? Shockingly smooth.
The sunken treasure + betrayals + epic curses? 👌
The emotional beats around Mari and Holmes? Genuinely touching.
Honestly, I expected this to be a 2.5-star struggle… but by the end, I was fully invested and pleasantly surprised. Solid 4 stars out of 5 from me.
📚 SPOILER WARNING — Full Plot Below!
(All major twists, reveals, and endings included. Proceed with caution!)
🌀 Setting the Stage — Positano, Sea Witches & The Li Galli Islets
Before we dive into the plot, a quick explainer that will make EVERYTHING clearer:
🌊 What Are the Li Galli Islands?
Li Galli — also known as Le Sirenuse — is a tiny cluster of three rocky islands off the Amalfi Coast near Positano. Legend says these islands were home to the sirens from Homer’s Odyssey, luring sailors with enchanted songs.
In The Amalfi Curse, Li Galli isn’t just scenery.
It’s the mythic birthplace of the streghe, a bloodline of sea witches whose power shapes both timelines — controlling the ocean, protecting Positano, and (accidentally) unleashing a curse that spans centuries.
This context helps the whole “sea magic meets shipwreck” plot click into place.
🌺 1821 Timeline — Mari DeLuca & the Curse That Started It All
Mari’s Burden & Secret Love
Mari is the reluctant leader of the streghe del mare, women descended from the ancient sirens. Their magic keeps Positano mysteriously lucky and pirate-free.
Mari secretly loves Holmes, an American sailor, despite being promised to her slimy cousin Corso.
Betrayal & Kidnapping
Corso sells information about the streghe to the villainous Mazza brothers, Matteo and Massimo.
Massimo tries to kidnap a child strega; Mari kills him using a powerful whirlpool spell. Matteo witnesses this and vows revenge — kidnapping young Lia and returning later with reinforcements.
Holmes’s Sacrifice & Imelda’s Truth
Holmes sabotages the Mazza ship to protect Mari, gets imprisoned, and discovers that Imelda (Mari’s presumed-dead mother) has been held hostage by the Mazzas for 12 years, pretending to be the last strega to protect her daughters.
The Sinking of the Aquila
Mari and the streghe sink the Mazza brig Aquila near Li Galli using forbidden magic.
She believes Holmes is already dead — but he’s aboard.
She unintentionally kills him (for now) and the entire crew.
Imelda’s Final Sacrifice
Imelda uses the vortice centuriaria — a devastating 100-year curse — to save Positano from Matteo Mazza’s revenge.
This curse anchors the entire novel.
Mari & Holmes’s Fate
Holmes survives.
Mari tries to sacrifice herself.
Holmes reaches her just in time.
They escape, build a life inland, have four children, and die decades later of cholera.
Their daughter Lia preserves Holmes’s log so the truth isn’t lost to history.
🛟 Modern Timeline — Haven Ambrose, Project Relic & The Myth Comes Alive
Haven’s Mission
Nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose returns to Positano to continue her father’s work on an AI-driven shipwreck reconstruction project called Project Relic. Secretly, she’s searching for the treasure her father believed he found near Li Galli.
Conrad, Rivalry & The “Amalfi Curse”
Her father’s old colleague Conrad Cass undermines her at every turn, trying to seize control of the project and profit off Positano’s rising superstition about “the curse.”
New Romance & Old Secrets
Haven partners with local dive shop owner Enzo Rossi.
They fall fast — and he becomes a key part of her search for the truth.
Savina & the Modern Streghe
Enzo’s mother, Savina, believes she and one other woman are the last streghe and that accepting her powers will break a lifetime of bad luck.
Her spells? They’re causing real damage — including the sinking of a multimillion-dollar yacht.
Haven Uncovers the Truth
Haven discovers:
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Mari and Holmes survived
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The streghe line didn’t die out
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The true treasure wasn’t gems but their story
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Savina’s curse is self-inflicted, not magical fate
Resolution
Savina’s fears dissolve when Haven proves the lineage lives on.
The sea calms, the “curse” lifts, and Haven reclaims Project Relic on her own terms.
She returns months later to Positano — and to Enzo — ready to build a future rooted in truth, not myth.
📚 Book Recommendations (If You Loved This One!)
✨ Myth, Magic & Coastal Atmosphere
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The Island of Missing Trees — Elif Shafak
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The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock — Imogen Hermes Gowar
✨ Dual Timelines With Emotional Depth
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The Lost Apothecary — Sarah Penner
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The Moonlit Garden — Corina Bomann
✨ Folklore Meets Family Secrets
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The Daughters of the Lake — Wendy Webb
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The Wishing Game — Meg Shaffer
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