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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
NEVER THE ROSES by Jennifer K. Lambert is a cute romantic fantasy that reads more like a character sketch or writing exercise than a full-fledged novel. The plot is simple, and the characters remain relatively one-note as well. They develop enough to understand what they want out of life and not much more beyond that.
However, this in no way means NEVER THE ROSES is a book you should skip. Sometimes, simple writing makes for the most meaningful stories. While there is not much action and adventure within the novel, it makes up for that lack by focusing your attention on the idea of healing and forgiveness.
Ms. Lambert piques your interest immediately as she opens Oneira's story as she is building her sanctuary piece by piece. You might not understand completely what is happening at first, but the idea of taking something from your dreams and making it real is fascinating. If that doesn't catch your interest, Ms. Lambert throws out another hook with the fact that Oneira spends all of her time reading. I know plenty of people for whom the idea of hiding from the world in a gorgeous place of your making, surrounded by items you most love and all the books you can collect, is a dream come true, myself included!
The fun starts when Oneira grows bored of reading her books and chooses to tweak the nose of a fellow sorcerer by stealing one of his. Not only does this action create the romantic tension of the story, it also highlights Oneira's mischievousness. The written sparring that commences between the two sorcerers is delightful, and the romance blooms as well as any flower in Oneira's garden.
I say that NEVER THE ROSES feels like a character sketch or simple writing exercise because I never felt Oneira was in danger from anyone or anything. The various rulers we meet, those who have the potential to ruin Oneira's retirement plans, are nothing more than greedy caricatures rather than actual threats. She may have a dark and bloody past, but by the time you meet her, she is nothing more than someone with an aching heart and mind that needs rest and recovery. That recovery comes in the form of letter-writing, gardening, and creating something special from nothing but dreams.
Forgiveness of yourself, your past mistakes, and your past actions taken is the main theme of NEVER THE ROSES, and it feels like a lesson many of us need to heed these days. We are all so quick to judge others based on one sentence said, a social media post made, or something equally trivial. We forget that humans make mistakes all the time, and maybe that one sentence or post was a mistake. Because we are so quick to judge others, we are even quicker to judge ourselves, especially now that social media shows us such a highly cultivated perspective of others without showing the messiness beyond the scope of the picture or video. It means we face disappointment and heartache in almost everything we do because we can never please everyone, and we individually can never please ourselves all the time. NEVER THE ROSES is a gentle reminder that dreaming is important, that some of the purest joys are from the simplest things, and that we all need to learn to forgive ourselves and each other.
However, this in no way means NEVER THE ROSES is a book you should skip. Sometimes, simple writing makes for the most meaningful stories. While there is not much action and adventure within the novel, it makes up for that lack by focusing your attention on the idea of healing and forgiveness.
Ms. Lambert piques your interest immediately as she opens Oneira's story as she is building her sanctuary piece by piece. You might not understand completely what is happening at first, but the idea of taking something from your dreams and making it real is fascinating. If that doesn't catch your interest, Ms. Lambert throws out another hook with the fact that Oneira spends all of her time reading. I know plenty of people for whom the idea of hiding from the world in a gorgeous place of your making, surrounded by items you most love and all the books you can collect, is a dream come true, myself included!
The fun starts when Oneira grows bored of reading her books and chooses to tweak the nose of a fellow sorcerer by stealing one of his. Not only does this action create the romantic tension of the story, it also highlights Oneira's mischievousness. The written sparring that commences between the two sorcerers is delightful, and the romance blooms as well as any flower in Oneira's garden.
I say that NEVER THE ROSES feels like a character sketch or simple writing exercise because I never felt Oneira was in danger from anyone or anything. The various rulers we meet, those who have the potential to ruin Oneira's retirement plans, are nothing more than greedy caricatures rather than actual threats. She may have a dark and bloody past, but by the time you meet her, she is nothing more than someone with an aching heart and mind that needs rest and recovery. That recovery comes in the form of letter-writing, gardening, and creating something special from nothing but dreams.
Forgiveness of yourself, your past mistakes, and your past actions taken is the main theme of NEVER THE ROSES, and it feels like a lesson many of us need to heed these days. We are all so quick to judge others based on one sentence said, a social media post made, or something equally trivial. We forget that humans make mistakes all the time, and maybe that one sentence or post was a mistake. Because we are so quick to judge others, we are even quicker to judge ourselves, especially now that social media shows us such a highly cultivated perspective of others without showing the messiness beyond the scope of the picture or video. It means we face disappointment and heartache in almost everything we do because we can never please everyone, and we individually can never please ourselves all the time. NEVER THE ROSES is a gentle reminder that dreaming is important, that some of the purest joys are from the simplest things, and that we all need to learn to forgive ourselves and each other.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
“Thank you for having my heart, for being both the question and answer.”
I’m still not sure about what to think about Never the Roses. First, this isn’t a Romance and that was quite disappointing –no matter the book’s other qualities– as it’s marketed as such (as far as I know).
The story takes its time to start, plunged into introspection then in an epistolary sparring match kindled by some books’ steals (or exchange, depending on the POV). Honestly, that part was strange and cozy, but I enjoyed it. But after that the story takes a turn and turns into a love triangle (which isn’t my cup of tea) propulsed in the middle of a looming war, each character being the puppet of a most powerful one. Every connection, even between the MCs, feels transactional, and it lacked, IMO, a true bond between them, even if I loved the banter (and the first part with the letters). However, this part too had its moments, and I loved the deepest themes like redemption and sacrifice (which makes me super bittersweet about the ending)..
In the end, it felt a bit like several books had been condensed into one, and it made it difficult for me to connect with the characters or completely care about what will happen to them. What I’ve loved, however, was the writing, especially in the first part of the book. It was magical in itself and was what made me turn page after page.
Thank you to the author and Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble for the access to the eARC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
I’m still not sure about what to think about Never the Roses. First, this isn’t a Romance and that was quite disappointing –no matter the book’s other qualities– as it’s marketed as such (as far as I know).
The story takes its time to start, plunged into introspection then in an epistolary sparring match kindled by some books’ steals (or exchange, depending on the POV). Honestly, that part was strange and cozy, but I enjoyed it. But after that the story takes a turn and turns into a love triangle (which isn’t my cup of tea) propulsed in the middle of a looming war, each character being the puppet of a most powerful one. Every connection, even between the MCs, feels transactional, and it lacked, IMO, a true bond between them, even if I loved the banter (and the first part with the letters). However, this part too had its moments, and I loved the deepest themes like redemption and sacrifice (which makes me super bittersweet about the ending)..
In the end, it felt a bit like several books had been condensed into one, and it made it difficult for me to connect with the characters or completely care about what will happen to them. What I’ve loved, however, was the writing, especially in the first part of the book. It was magical in itself and was what made me turn page after page.
Thank you to the author and Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble for the access to the eARC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I immediately liked Oneira and loved her house betwixt the ocean and the mountains - I basically wanted to live there and her animal companions only added to that desire! However, it soon became apparent that this existence actually left her both bored and lonely - she has clearly been hiding from past trauma and I appreciated the mental health/ptsd representation here and how she slowly starts to heal and put herself together again. I really liked the way the rare purple roses worked in conjunction with this as well as the enjoyable letters between her and Stearanos, whose magical library was amazing, even if his books were shelved a bit strangely!
The prose is very descriptive and the pacing quite slow and I definitely enjoyed the second half of the novel more. I disliked fawning Tristan and his manipulative queen though and was a little surprised that Oneira didn't see through him sooner! In all an enjoyable read, perfect for those who enjoyed Wooing the Witch Queen.
The prose is very descriptive and the pacing quite slow and I definitely enjoyed the second half of the novel more. I disliked fawning Tristan and his manipulative queen though and was a little surprised that Oneira didn't see through him sooner! In all an enjoyable read, perfect for those who enjoyed Wooing the Witch Queen.
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book started off a bit slow for me as the FMC has exiled herself & there are no other characters for her to speak with at first, but I was pleasantly surprised with the dual pov! All of a sudden I was someone & somewhere else. The book gives off The Spellshop vibes for me in a sense, but with a little spice. Oh, & the ending? How could you 😭
*bumped up from 3.75 to 4 after being more hyped about it than I thought.
*bumped up from 3.75 to 4 after being more hyped about it than I thought.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated