Blood Rose Rebellion

BLOOD ROSE REBELLION is gorgeously written, imaginative, and rich with detail. It acquaints readers with a part of history and a people not often written about in young adult literature. It seamlessly weaves in a powerful and influential magical society. And it introduces characters who are interesting and different and brave and likable and those who are vile, underhanded, dangerous, and untrustworthy. It is an absorbing and fascinating and positively exhilarating read and the start to a series that looks to be amazing. Anna Arden didnt mean to be such a destructive influence or such a disappointment to her family. She wanted to be good, to fit into Luminate society, to cast spells and wield magic, to debut, to have a future. But she didnt have the ability to control magic and she just couldnt seem to follow the rules, do as she was told, accept her fate. Not staying under the radar cost her everything the man she thought she loved, a place in England with her family, and any hope of marrying into Luminate society. Attracting the attention of the elite Circle wouldnt have been a bad thing had she had magical abilities. But her negative effect on magic drew their suspicion. Forced to escape with her grandmother to Hungary, a place she was unfamiliar with, to live with relatives she didnt know and who spoke a language she couldnt understand, seemed like the end of the world. But a Romani secret, a handsome boy named Gbor, a growing resistance to the status quo, and the potential to make a difference, gave Anna hope that maybe this wasnt the end, but rather a beginning. Rosalyn Eves did a masterful job of fitting her story, her characters, her society into a real-world historical setting. She captured the revolutionary spirit of the time in Hungary and the discontent with the ruling Hapsburgs and used both to help ignite her rebellion, give purpose to her characters, and to make her story that much more intriguing. The author gave Anna a unique ability, kept it a secret from both her characters and her readers, and teased its possibilities until nearer the storys end, ensuring a captivating read. She laid the foundation for a sequel with even more dangers, even more unrest, even more battles, and the potential for more romance. And she gave readers an epilogue that is certain to pique their curiosity. BLOOD ROSE REBELLION is an extraordinary and spellbinding read. If youre looking for a story that is epic, that blends fantasy with history, and that immerses you into the world Rosalyn Eves imagined so completely youll forget where and when you are, you will not want to miss this book and series.

I liked this book for the most part, but it was very complicated to follow and some parts were not interesting so it didn\’t keep my attention enough. Therefore, I just didn\’t have the patience to follow this complex storyline. I did enjoy the character development of Anna. In the beginning she\’s spoiled and a bit annoying but you really see her go on a journey and grow up.

I loved this. It\’s a historical YA fantasy, set in a time and place that I don\’t think we see enough stories from. We see a ton about the Austro-Hungarian empire in Marie Antoinette\’s day, for obvious reasons, and we see a lot of it just prior to WWI, again for obvious reasons. But the intervening years seem like a black hole in my memory and this book was a delightful light shining on them. Lots of the events and the minor characters are actually real, but the fantastical story of a continent-wide conspiracy theory regarding the control of magic in the aristocracy is absolutely delightful.

I choose 3 stars because this book had so much potential, but fell flat in some areas. First, what I liked about the book was the original concept with the integration of myths and fairy tales. I particularly enjoyed the Hungarian aspect and the idea of choice. These were powerful and made the book different and interesting. What I did not like was the romance. It fell flat time after time and seemed forced and honestly pointless and stupid. Anna lets anyone kiss her and they have little to no reason for doing so. I feel that the author was trying to pull people in with the typical \”love\” card, but I wish she would have used the family or friendship card more and used those to evoke more depth and emotion. The romantic scenes seemed juvenile and shallow. I would have liked to know more about her family and wish that there was more depth there instead of ballroom scenes. Overall good book, but could have bee better.

My 13 y old niece loved this book and begged me to buy it for her. When I did, she already received it as a gift so I decided to read it. It is such a boring book! I have no clue why my niece loved it. The story isnt explained well, the girl is flighty and falls in love with whoever kisses her, and the writer will say words in German then doesnt explain what it means. I did find out later that the definitions were at the back but why not simply put it in the book? I really disliked this book, my niece and I still debate about how horrible it is. So I guess my review is 12-13 year olds like it, but as a grown adult woman its a pretty crappy novel.

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